Here’s a rundown of the 9 books I read in July. This brings my 2024 total to 52 books. Happy reading!
(I must always clarify that I read many books with which I disagree. I learn the most by reading things that do not represent my position.)
The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert
Yes – that Elizabeth Gilbert. Before “Eat, Pray, Love” Gilbert penned this short biography of Eustace Conway. It is yet another book which put me on the Appalachian Trail for a few chapters. Conway has spent his life in the Appalachian Mountains and attempted to pass along the art of self-sufficient living. Gilbert’s talent as a writer is evident – and so is her love for Conway. She’s overt about her personal relationship with her subject. She admires the man. The story she tells is one of nature and narcissism. The narcissism would likely have a bigger story line if the biography was written by someone else.
Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extraordinary Lives by Jim Sheeler
This is in contention for book of the year. It might be the front runner. As a pastor, I think about death more than most. I mention it in sermons and witness it firsthand. Beyond that, I think about my own death more than I should. I’ve witnessed people finish strong and I’ve witnessed people limp across the finish line. I want to sprint to the finish. I’ve also planned my own funeral service. I’ve sat through too many bad ones. I don’t want mine added to the number!
This is a book filled with beautiful writing and the story of beautiful lives. Sheeler began writing feature obituaries in 1997 for the Boulder Plant, a community weekly paper. In 1999 he started “A Colorado Life,” an obituary feature in the Sunday Denver Post. This is a collection of his work. There are no celebrities. Just stories of normal, extraordinary people.
Lab Girl: A Memoir by Hope Jahren
This book will likely make it upon my end of the year favorite list. It’s smart, funny, and well written. Hope Jahren is a geobiologist and this is a book about geobiology. It is also a book about making a career in science … as a girl. The narrative of Jahren’s life is broken up by vignettes about plant life. In masterful style, she weaves together plant life and her life as a scientist.
The Beatitudes: Living in Sync with the Reign of God by Darrell Johnson
I was surprised by this one. I purchased it merely looking for a book to read in advance of teaching through the Beatitudes. I took a gamble on an unknown book and an author unknown to me. From page one I was gripped by its depth. Johnson gives great biblical observation and practical applications. His overall thesis is that the eight beatitude statements are a description of the kind of people who begin to emerge when the kingdom of God breaks into the world.
The Ache for Meaning: How the Temptations of Christ Reveal Who We are and What We’re Seeking by Tommy Brown
This is volume is similar to Henry Nouwen’s “In the Name of Jesus” (a book I love!). Brown looks at the scene of Jesus’ temptations in Matthew 4 and offers a modern temptation, invitation, and practice. For example, for Jesus’ temptation to turn stone into bread, Brown writes about the temptation to strive for security, the invitation to choose to trust, and the practice of rest in the Sabbath.
The Watchers: The Rise of America’s Surveillance State by Shane Harris
This book has a fantastic opening line: “To me, 9/11 never felt like the beginning of a story. Nor the ending. It always felt like the middle.” From there, Harris tells the story of “the rise of America’s surveillance state.” In 1983 John Poindexter realized that the United State’s failure to analyze data in real time likely led to the massacre of 241 Marines in Beirut. From this origin story, Harris shows how intelligence agencies began to gather data with incredible scope and sophistication.
Writing the Rapture: Prophecy Fiction in Evangelical America by Crawford Gribben
This book came to me as a recommendation from a friend. I used to say that my eschatology was underdeveloped. Well, it’s getting more and more developed. It is almost fully developed regarding that which I know I don’t believe. This book details a lot of that which I don’t believe. It looks at works of fiction which have popularized much of the eschatology first introduced by the the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909.
One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder by Brian Doyle
This is a collection of reflection pieces on various aspect of everyday life. It is full of winsome observations on rather mundane things. While beautiful, Doyle shares Faulkner’s obsession with run-on sentences and ignoring grammar rules. This of the type of creative non-fiction writing that thrills me. It is not for everyone – but its a keeper for me.
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham
Do we need yet another book on Lincoln? Maybe not. But I’ll read as many as I can get into my hands! Meacham add his biography to a long list. Is it unique? Yes and no. The book claims to tell the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his tragic assassination in 1865. Yet, Meacham places the majority of his focus upon Lincoln’s conviction to end slavery. It is a soup to nuts biography with a touch of specific focus.
Jeff Gravens 