FILM REVIEW

Babies (G), an unnarrated 80-minute documentary, follows the first year of four babies from four countries: the United States, Japan, Mongolia and Namibia. The film compares infant development around the world without critiquing parenting methods. The most poignant comparison is between the baby in the Himba tribal lands in Namibia, who never comes into contact with any modern technology, and the babies in Tokyo and San Francisco, who are surrounded by human-made technologies.—Anna Groff

BOOK REVIEWS

The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith by Stuart Murray (Herald Press, 2010, $13.99) is a good distillation of the basics of what is called Anabaptist faith. Despite the catchy title, which implies a simple definition of Anabaptism, Murray acknowledges the complexities and weaknesses of what is a label for a 16th-century movement and that “the cultural context is significantly different today.” While the book comes out of a British milieu, it is certainly relevant to American Mennonites, who “seem more interested in purpose-driven churches or the Alpha course.” The core convictions he describes are worth discussing and then seeking to practice in our congregations.—gh

The Least of These: Poems by Todd Davis (Michigan State University Press, 2009, $19.95) express a detailed awe for every living thing and draws on stories from Christian and other traditions. Davis, a Mennonite poet, often connects nature with a spiritual vision: “There is no pain in the dark, and when the water / surfaces, it flows by a hayfield filled with timothy / and clover. Despite the sun that shines upon its back, / there’s no more or less happiness, no more or less suffering.”—gh