Books I Read in 2009
Happy New Year and Decade, all! Now for end-of-the-year reviews... In 2009 I managed to read 15 books. That's 2 more than last year. Here's a review of the first 10...
Books I recommend are boldface with an asterisk (*).
><><><><
*What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey (1997) (304 pages) - The pastor I spiritually grew up listening to (about age 14-19) often cited Yancey as his favorite author, so I decided to give it a shot. It's an excellent review of the nature of Christian grace, without which the Church would be lost.
*Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky (2006) (224 pages) - My brother Josh gave this book to me, as part of his exhortations to leave behind the military. I found the most profound aspect of the book to be its correlation with Christianity's adoption of violent methods with its integration into the political system and rise to state power. It was during my reading of this book, in the middle of the winter's night, while sitting in a hummer, on standby for medical emergencies, on a tank firing range, that I finally accepted that Christ seriously does not want us killing each other.
The Light and the Glory by Marshall & Manuel (1973) (512 pages) - This was recommended to me by Al, the pastor I worked under at La Grange Presbyterian Church. I found this work very frustrating, as I would probably find any book that seriously proposes that America is some sort of new Israel. While its treatment of Columbus was confessional, it wasn't nearly confessional enough. Columbus was a wretched man, a minister of genocide, and a cruel tyrant. Surely he was and is a barrier to many a man's acceptance of the Gospel. The treatment of Native America is hypocritical. It judges all military victories against the natives as confirmations of God's special favor on the European settlers, while holding all native victories as only God's loving discipline toward the Europeans, to shake them from their wayward ways. What happened to loving your neighbor as yourself? I don't blame the natives for not trusting the Europeans. The last thing I'll say about the book is that it defends the revolution against England in typical fashion- as a Christian duty. Are you fucking kidding me? God let himself die on the cross to save sinners... he doesn't want us dying and killing people for the sake of economic prosperity.
*The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (1940) (240 pages) - This fine novel was given to me by my dear friend, Eric. It is a frustrating story but very well worth the read; it's one of the best novels I've read. And it's Catholic! I need more exposure to the Church of Rome.
Conscience in America: A Documentary History of Conscientious Objection in America, 1757-1967 edited by Lillian Schlissel (444 pages) - What a great read! A great bulk of this work is excerpts from diaries and recordings of court cases. My favorite bits were from Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. I'd love to read about the years of conscience objection since this work's publication. I don't recommend it unless you are interested in war protest- resisting the draft in particular. I checked this book out from the library.
*The Quaker Reader edited by Jessamyn West (1962) (538 pages) - A moving collection of writings, almost entirely by prominent Quakers themselves, painting the picture of the movement at its beginning as well as changing forms through subsequent generations. I'd love to read an updated history on this subject as well. I checked this book out from the library.
*A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present by Howard Zinn (2003) (768 pages) - This was another recommendation from Josh. Wow, what a sobering work... the reading of this book was pivotal in my conversion to skepticism concerning all worldly powers. Thank Christ I have Himself to lean upon, however. Otherwise I would be lost... This book took me a lot of time to read, because it's so tightly packed with reference details. It wasn't uncommon for me to read only 2 pages or so in a day, because there were so many fine details in such a small space. If you believe the U.S. is more noble than other countries, you should really read this book.
*The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (1990) (272 pages) - This is another book on grace. I became interested in Brennan Manning when I saw snippets of interviews with him featured in the documentary Homeless Man: The Restless Heart of Rich Mullins. Sometimes I found Manning's speech out of style, but, because the nature of the book is grace, it wasn't too much of a distraction. The book does paint well the wonders of grace. Books like this and What's So Amazing About Grace? I should always make a point to read. This is good spiritual milk, such that we should not be weaned from.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Modern China by Vanessa Lide Whitcomb & Michael Benson (2002) (334 pages) - I found the book quite informative, but, then again, I know next to nothing about China. I checked this book out from the library.
*Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud (2006) (272 pages) - This book-that-reads-like-a-comic was given to me by McWhirter, during medic school. I'm not really a big comic guy, but McCloud makes comics fascinating. McCloud engages the art form pensively, finding within it a dignity unlooked for. And many of the techniques the work illuminates transcend the comic format, and lead to a greater appreciation of visual art in general. I was really pleased to receive this gift. If you have any friends that are fans of comics, or simply the art of drawing, this may be a keen gift to get them at some point.
><><><><
Long Live the Written Word,
Jake
Books I recommend are boldface with an asterisk (*).
><><><><
*What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey (1997) (304 pages) - The pastor I spiritually grew up listening to (about age 14-19) often cited Yancey as his favorite author, so I decided to give it a shot. It's an excellent review of the nature of Christian grace, without which the Church would be lost.
*Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky (2006) (224 pages) - My brother Josh gave this book to me, as part of his exhortations to leave behind the military. I found the most profound aspect of the book to be its correlation with Christianity's adoption of violent methods with its integration into the political system and rise to state power. It was during my reading of this book, in the middle of the winter's night, while sitting in a hummer, on standby for medical emergencies, on a tank firing range, that I finally accepted that Christ seriously does not want us killing each other.
The Light and the Glory by Marshall & Manuel (1973) (512 pages) - This was recommended to me by Al, the pastor I worked under at La Grange Presbyterian Church. I found this work very frustrating, as I would probably find any book that seriously proposes that America is some sort of new Israel. While its treatment of Columbus was confessional, it wasn't nearly confessional enough. Columbus was a wretched man, a minister of genocide, and a cruel tyrant. Surely he was and is a barrier to many a man's acceptance of the Gospel. The treatment of Native America is hypocritical. It judges all military victories against the natives as confirmations of God's special favor on the European settlers, while holding all native victories as only God's loving discipline toward the Europeans, to shake them from their wayward ways. What happened to loving your neighbor as yourself? I don't blame the natives for not trusting the Europeans. The last thing I'll say about the book is that it defends the revolution against England in typical fashion- as a Christian duty. Are you fucking kidding me? God let himself die on the cross to save sinners... he doesn't want us dying and killing people for the sake of economic prosperity.
*The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (1940) (240 pages) - This fine novel was given to me by my dear friend, Eric. It is a frustrating story but very well worth the read; it's one of the best novels I've read. And it's Catholic! I need more exposure to the Church of Rome.
Conscience in America: A Documentary History of Conscientious Objection in America, 1757-1967 edited by Lillian Schlissel (444 pages) - What a great read! A great bulk of this work is excerpts from diaries and recordings of court cases. My favorite bits were from Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. I'd love to read about the years of conscience objection since this work's publication. I don't recommend it unless you are interested in war protest- resisting the draft in particular. I checked this book out from the library.
*The Quaker Reader edited by Jessamyn West (1962) (538 pages) - A moving collection of writings, almost entirely by prominent Quakers themselves, painting the picture of the movement at its beginning as well as changing forms through subsequent generations. I'd love to read an updated history on this subject as well. I checked this book out from the library.
*A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present by Howard Zinn (2003) (768 pages) - This was another recommendation from Josh. Wow, what a sobering work... the reading of this book was pivotal in my conversion to skepticism concerning all worldly powers. Thank Christ I have Himself to lean upon, however. Otherwise I would be lost... This book took me a lot of time to read, because it's so tightly packed with reference details. It wasn't uncommon for me to read only 2 pages or so in a day, because there were so many fine details in such a small space. If you believe the U.S. is more noble than other countries, you should really read this book.
*The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (1990) (272 pages) - This is another book on grace. I became interested in Brennan Manning when I saw snippets of interviews with him featured in the documentary Homeless Man: The Restless Heart of Rich Mullins. Sometimes I found Manning's speech out of style, but, because the nature of the book is grace, it wasn't too much of a distraction. The book does paint well the wonders of grace. Books like this and What's So Amazing About Grace? I should always make a point to read. This is good spiritual milk, such that we should not be weaned from.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Modern China by Vanessa Lide Whitcomb & Michael Benson (2002) (334 pages) - I found the book quite informative, but, then again, I know next to nothing about China. I checked this book out from the library.
*Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud (2006) (272 pages) - This book-that-reads-like-a-comic was given to me by McWhirter, during medic school. I'm not really a big comic guy, but McCloud makes comics fascinating. McCloud engages the art form pensively, finding within it a dignity unlooked for. And many of the techniques the work illuminates transcend the comic format, and lead to a greater appreciation of visual art in general. I was really pleased to receive this gift. If you have any friends that are fans of comics, or simply the art of drawing, this may be a keen gift to get them at some point.
><><><><
Long Live the Written Word,
Jake