Read These Books

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This book is part biography, part historical, part scientific, and part memoir. It weaves together medical ethics, race in America, the science behind cell lines, and the remarkable story of Henrietta Lacks. It’s an award winner and I wasn’t sure I would like it because I’m not really a science person, but I was entranced. 

A Praying Life by Paul Miller

Deeply moving, and the most practical book on prayer I’ve come across. Months after reading it, still it has stuck with me. 

Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope by Jasmine Holmes

Since I’m a mom to two Black boys, I needed this. Jasmine Holmes gave me a precious gift: a vulnerable look inside her heart as a Black American mother.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

An intensely disconcerting and thought-provoking book, this story is incredibly insightful into America’s justice system, especially regarding the death penalty. If a non-religious lawyer desires for our justice system to be characterized by redemption instead of fear and punishment, why shouldn’t I believe the same? After all, grace is the defining principle of my life as a Christian. This is a life-changing book. Please read it. 

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry

I assumed this would be a memoir, but it’s so much more than that. Yes, this is Jackie Hill Perry’s personal story, but it’s also theologically rich and deeply convicting. Jackie’s writing reflects her talent as a spoken word artist and every sentence is captivating: “Light has a way of welcoming in the truth and letting it put its feet up, which in turns means that everything not like it, though it may invite itself over, can’t get comfortable enough to stay.”

Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Joy Welcher

As a child of 90’s youth group culture, a former youth leader, and now a parent of teenagers, this was a really helpful book. I especially appreciated that Rachel Joy Welcher doesn’t write with cynicism and bitterness but with a willingness to approach this subject with fairness, nuance, and a solid biblical perspective. 

Educated by Tara Westover

An almost-unbelievable memoir about a girl who grew up in a survivalist Mormon family – but is a sobering reminder of the devastation that happens when the truth gets twisted.    

Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos M.N. Eire

An evocative memoir about a boy who grew up in Cuba right around the time of Fidel’s Revolution. There were times that the author’s stream-of-consciousness writing felt like rambling, but overall I loved spending my time immersed in the delightful paradise of Cuba, only to watch it slowly crumble into destruction. 

Parenting by Paul Tripp

I wanted to sit inside this book and submerge myself in its words. I underlined half of it and considered turning its pages into wallpaper. I’ve read a lot of parenting books, but instead of making me anxious about what I wasn’t doing, this one pointed me to grace and biblical hope. You won’t find any “tips and tricks” in this book, just wisdom and truth on how to re-frame your parenting. Wrap it up and give it to yourself as a present.

After the Last Border by Jessica Goudeau

What would it feel like to be a mother in a country crumbling under war? This book follows the real-life stories of two refugee women – one from Myanmar and the other from Syria. Poignant storytelling will draw you into these women’s lives and make you want to invite your immigrant neighbor over for coffee.

Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace? and Reaching for the Invisible God rank among the most influential books I’ve ever read, so I was eager to read his newly published memoir. Towards the end, he describes it as the prequel to his other books, and that’s exactly what it felt like. Why has Yancey always been driven to wrestle with the hardest questions? And why is he so obsessed with grace? This memoir tells the story. 

Afraid of All the Things by Scarlet Hiltibidal

Scarlet will make you laugh while taking you on her journey through fear and anxiety. “God’s probably saying, ‘Come on, kid! What are you doing? Why are you so worried? Why are you reciting and panting and crying and counting your breaths and WebMd-ing ‘tingly hands’ again? All you need to do is rest. Remember My good news? I’ve already taken care of all the things that keep you up at night . . .” I can relate!

And a few others I wrote about in other posts…..

The Only Plane in the Sky

Everything Sad is Untrue

J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot