FILM REVIEWS

Restrepo (R) is a gripping documentary covering an army unit’s year under intense fighting in Afghanistan. The title derives from a remote, 15-man outpost named for medic Juan “Doc” Restrepo, who was shot and bled to death on the way to medical treatment. The film betrays no political slant and shows both the courage and camaraderie of the men and the savagery of war and the painful isolation of post-traumatic stress disorder.—Gordon Houser

The Social Network (PG-13) depicts the Harvard student who created Facebook, Mark Zuckerburg, now a billionaire. It shows the spirals of greed and the complicated nature of intellectual property theft. It paints the young entrepreneurs competing for recognition as morally ambiguous but washes over ethical questions.—Anna Groff

BOOK REVIEWS

Ambassadors of Reconciliation: Volume 1: New Testament Reflections on Restorative Justice and Peacemaking by Ched Myers and Elaine Enns (Orbis Books, 2009, $16) and Ambassadors of Reconciliation: Volume 2: Diverse Christian Practices of Restorative Justice and Peacemaking by Elaine Enns and Ched Myers (Orbis Books, 2009, $20) are excellent resources on their own but particularly recommended for all delegates to the Mennonite Church USA assembly in Pittsburgh next July. Vol. I is filled with biblical insights and insists that we read both Paul’s writings and the Gospels in their sociohistorical context. It also relates this biblical teaching to the work of Martin Luther King Jr. Vol. II considers models for integral restorative justice and peacemaking in North America and looks at contemporary pioneers of such work.—gh