Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson
Bryan Stevenson is an attorney who has dedicated his
career to fighting for people who are wrongly convicted and on death row. This
book is a shocking and harrowing look into America’s criminal justice system –
how people who are innocent end up on death row, how juveniles, the disabled,
and the poor – who, although may be guilty of minor offenses – end up spending
years in solitary confinement and/or death row. This book challenged my
thinking about capital punishment.
The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis
You can never go wrong with a book from the Narnia series.
I’ll never tire of how Lewis weaves amazing truth and theology into these
children’s stories. “You would not have
called to me unless I had been calling to you," said the Lion.”
The Sojourner, by Marjorie Rawlings
This is one of the best fiction books I read this year. I
had never heard of it, but it was recommended by my mom. It follows the story
of a simple man who is a farmer in upstate New York around the turn of the
century. It follows him and his family through marriage, births, deaths,
children growing and moving away, times of plenty and times of want. The
language and imagery is rich and pulls you in. There is a sense of melancholy
to the story, as the main character – although a man of quiet convictions –
failed in many ways to parent his children well, with the results being grown
children who disdain their family and the family’s way of life. There is a
twist at the end that provides a resolution to one of the on-going plot lines
in the book, which does provide a bittersweet ending.
Jesus the King, by Tim Keller
I read this book to complement the series in Mark that my
pastor was preaching through earlier this year. You can’t really go wrong with
Tim Keller – always great, always encouraging insight into the truth of who
Christ is, and his redeeming work.
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, by Eric
Larson
This book is the true story of the sinking of the passenger ship
the Lusitania. It was the sinking of
this ship that resulted in the United States entering WWI. Like with Larson’s
other books, this book provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the
events that transpired to sink the ship. I liked that the book went back and
forth between the perspective of the sailors and passengers on the Lusitania, to the crew of the German
U-boat that sank it. The book also provided interesting history on submarine
warfare.
The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd
Each year near Christmas I get together with a friend who currently lives in Chicago, but passes through the metro area for the holiday. Each year she has at least one book to recommend to me, and last Christmas this was one of them. The story is about two young girls who grow up together in
the South – one is a wealthy white girl on a plantation (Sarah), the other is
her slave (Hetty). The narrative goes back-and-forth between the two. From an
early age Sarah grew to hate slavery, and even tried to free Hetty when they
were both still children. When that didn’t happen, Sarah left her family’s home
to become a Quaker in the North, and join the abolitionist movement, while
Hetty remained a slave on the family plantation. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more of my friend's recommendations.
The Green Ember, by S.D. Smith
This is a children’s book that I got free for my Kindle. I
wouldn’t normally have gone for it, but a friend of my recommended it for
people with kids. I don’t have kids, but I do love free stuff. I really did
enjoy the story. It’s about two rabbits (brother/sister) who have to flee their
home, and in the process leave behind their parents and younger brother. The story
focuses more on the brother rabbit, and sort of his “coming of age” as he
learns to cope with the hardships and trials he and his sister go through.
There’s lots for kids to learn from – courage, friendship, family, and sacrificing
self for others. Plus, the tag line for the book is “Rabbits with Swords”,
which is just cool.
The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
Blah to this book. I picked it up because it was on the “best
seller” lists. It’s a “who-done-it” murder mystery, told from the perspectives
of three different women. I pretty much had the mystery solved before I got
halfway through, which took the “zing” out of it. Don't waste your time with this.
American Sniper, by Chris Kyle
This is the true story of the Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who was
tragically killed in February 2013 by a Veteran he was trying to help. I first
watched the movie and so wanted to read the book too (naturally). It’s obvious Kyle
is not an author, but the book was true to his story, which is what it was
meant to be. The language is awful, but considering that it’s straight-up military
all the time, I gave it a pass. All told, his story is pretty amazing, and more
memorable than the number of kills he had, is the dedication he (and many other
men and women he describes) gave to their country.
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s, by John Elder Robinson
This is an autobiography in which the author recounts his
story of growing up with Asperger’s. He grew up before Asperger’s was a
diagnosis or even understood, so the story is a rather painful accounting of
how he dealt with the uniqueness of his personality even while the world around
him seemed to not know what to do with him. There is a redeeming quality to the
book, as the author and his brother as adults move back to town they grew up in
where as kids they experienced much pain and hardship and eventually find peace.
I enjoyed this book, as it gave me better insight into the condition of
Asperger’s.
More to come....
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