Read These Books

At first I didn’t want to give in to the hype around Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund because I figured I already knew God loved me and I didn’t need more reminders. But this book won me ever and brought me to tears with its exploration of the depth of the riches of the love of Christ. It was good for my soul.

I highly recommend Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew LePeau for anyone who loves to write for God’s glory. It’s both practical and inspiring. Your Future Self Will Thank You by Drew Dyck was a helpful discussion of self-control according to both the Bible and brain science. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer should be read by every busy American. The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle should be read by every person in a leadership position. I wish I had read it before becoming a principal, but still found a ton of fascinating insights about improving any relationship, including in marriage and family life.

Speaking of fascinating, The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge takes the cake. In a world where we believe things like intelligence, sexuality, and personality are fixed (Enneagram, anyone?), this book proves otherwise. It’s a secular book but sounds awfully like sanctification.

An American Plague by Jim Murphy is a riveting account of the Yellow Fever plague of the 18th century. In light of our recent pandemic (and that I’ve always had to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever), this was really enlightening. The Autobiography of Malcolm X introduced me to an important part of American history I knew nothing about.

Speaking of plagues, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel was a page-turner about a fictional world where a pandemic wipes out the majority of the world’s population.

I read The Bridge at Andau by James Michener during our summer trip to Budapest. Hungary has the dreadful distinction of living under both fascism and communism, and the role that the country played in bringing down the Iron Curtain is mostly unknown. This is truly an inspiring book about brave and resilient people.

Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption by Vaneetha Risner is about a woman who has endured a Job-like life: polio as a child that left her with a limp, chronic pain, and muscle debilitation, the death of an infant son, and a husband who walked away from her. Even so, her life is a testimony to God’s goodness and grace.

On the other hand, if you want to be depressed, read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I read it just to see what the fuss was about, and didn’t enjoy it. However, it was a valuable book to read as insight into my culture and understanding of the worldview of many around me.

I also recommend several excellent young adult books that I’ve either recently read with my kids, or read because they were on their school reading lists: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling is about a girl born with no arms. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani is about the Pakistani/Indian conflict that divided one country into two based on religion. A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen is about the sudden appearance of the Berlin wall and how it separated families. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman is about life in the Soviet Union during the time of the Chernobyl disaster.

As a side note, I borrow almost all my books for free using my Kindle and the Libby App, but if I ever need a physical book, I’ve become a big fan of buying used books over at ThriftBooks. Used is always better!