BlueBlog - The Beginning

One of the little things I get a kick out of is picking up a book and reading the first line. I like to see if they start with an interesting hook. Can an author's first thought be strong enough that it entices me to buy the text and start reading it, or does he/she rely on the subject matter or buzz surrounding their work to get you to buy, and then asks you to endure a few pages or even chapters until you are locked in?

Earlier this year, I picked up Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. Before I could get to the first line, I noticed the Author's Note. It was surprisingly short. Often, an author's note is long and painfully uninteresting to read, even though it is their attempt to convey to the reader why the book was written. Miller's was simply the best author's note ever. Chills ran across every square inch of skin on my body, and they return each time I discuss the note with others. Very rarely do I run across something so short, so simple, and so impactful. I soon bought the book because of that note, and never made it until the first line until a week ago, when I began reading the book.

The note:

"I never like jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxaphone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.

"After that I liked jazz music.

"Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.

"I used to not like God because God doesn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened."

As a Christian, how could I not explore the thoughts within these pages after reading that? I imagine a non-Christian may be equally drawn to the work from that statement as well, curious about what could have triggered a change within a man and ultimately produced a statement like that.

So, if the book is as good as the note, I figure I'll devote some posts to the thoughts Miller introduces or provokes as I read.

III