Usually, this annual list holds a variety of subject matter. I enjoy following my curiosity into random corners of pop culture. But this year, as I conducted research for a book proposal and then prepared for my upcoming publicity tour, I read and listened to books almost as homework. Their content unfolded as adjacent to the 80,000± words I’ve been editing all year in advance of the April 2024 release of my next book. So, if you’re sensing a theme in the list, your radar is well-tuned.
Also, my proximity to these themes and stories may have influenced my reviews and rankings. So, this year, in addition to showing the Amazon ratings, I’ve also included the Goodreads scores to put my opinions in perspective. With those disclaimers, here are the books I absorbed this year in the order I’d recommend them.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
A Memoir of Learning to Believe You’ll Be Okay
This book made me blurt laughter in the woods. It also gave me goosebumps and a lump in my throat. It washed my face with hot tears on a frigid morning that featured our first local snow of the season. Sean Dietrich claims in this book not to be a poet. That might be true, but he carves prose like no author I’ve ever read. Dietrich weaves incredible vulnerability with common threads of humanity so that readers see aspects of their own life experiences in his. He juxtaposes trauma and overcoming, striving and serendipity, simplicity and profundity. His foreshadowing and callbacks join forces to showcase a sovereign hand that has infused beauty into his soul. Redemption sneaks between the cracks of this book, inspiring readers to inspect the edges and gaps of their stories to find the reclamation waiting for them. I highly recommend the audio performance of this book, which enriches the content. (Fun fact: the audiobook was recorded in the same studio by the same engineer as my most recent book. That producer told me Dietrich is the real deal—as winsome as readers will imagine him to be after consuming these pages.)
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.51/5
How to Stay Married
The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told
In this book, Harrison Scott Key showcases his enviable ability to wrap unique humor around incredible candor. This book balances pain & faith, disdain & empathy, irreverence & existential questions. I can’t imagine the delicate task of retelling the story of your spouse’s extensive unfaithfulness in a way that your partner would approve—let alone with the succinct and engrossing prose between this book’s covers. The redemptive arc of this narrative renewed my hope for what spiritual communities can be and do. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this book, as Key’s inflections accentuate the authenticity.
Amazon rating: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.35/5
How the Bible Actually Works
In Which I Explain How an Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Instead of Answers—And Why That’s Great News
Peter Enns challenged how I’ve approached the Bible my entire life—and how it has been described by pastors and prescribed by preachers. He leverages incredible scholarship and then asks intuitive questions. Enns juxtaposes passages of Scripture to showcase a living document, an adapting library. He shines a light into when different books were written—many not when most readers would assume—and the cultural contexts that influenced specific themes and imagery. Enns does all of this not as a godless skeptic but as a person of faith with a passion for Scripture. As a protestant, I didn’t know how to feel about his references from the apocrypha; but the central assertions of the book stand on their own without those tertiary sources.
Amazon rating: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.30/5
How to Hide an Empire
A History of the Greater United States
We Americans have no problem recognizing the empires and colonization of past civilizations, but our history curricula in schools don’t tend to address the empire America has pursued over the centuries. With impressive scholarship, Daniel Immerwahr unveils the many ways the “land of the free and the home of the brave” subjugated sovereign peoples for our political and financial exploitation. Not our enemies, not unclaimed wildernesses—our own conquered territories, places where U.S. flags flew and still fly. This isn’t revisionist history, though. Immerwahr has too many receipts, many of them official government documentation. No, this robust content and these engaging stories simply fill in the silent gaps between the dates, names, and places we had to memorize for our history and geography tests. You’ll find so many wild facts and stats in these pages, which read more like a collective memoir of entire people groups than as a history textbook.
Amazon rating: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.46/5
Where the Light Fell
A Memoir
Philip Yancey’s memoir wrecked me. I finished the audiobook while hiking and then ugly cried on and off for three miles on the side of a mountain. Rarely, if ever, have I felt as seen by another person’s book as I did in Yancey’s recollections. Yancey notes in the epilogue that he wrote 240,000 words; and his editing team trimmed the manuscript down to 100,000 words, which give plenty of space to meander with curiosity along the back roads of his memory. He somehow found a way to talk about trauma and those who perpetrated it with both candor and compassion. Even now in his seventies, there are no bows for his stories—few loose ends tied up. Yet in that enigmatic lack of resolution, he offers a kind commiseration for people of faiths who are still trying to figure out God, church, and family dynamics.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.35/5
Asking Better Questions of the Bible
A Guide for the Wounded, Wary, and Longing for More
Marty Solomon’s book changed the way I look at the Bible and how I will read it going forward. He offered language for an impression I’ve not been able to articulate for years. He gave the library of Scripture more nuance and context than it has ever been presented to me in church and at Christian college. Solomon’s book makes the proof-texting of the American church look downright silly and challenges how Western believers “study” our sacred text. As someone who facilitates circles of men unpacking Scripture, I hope the warnings of this book don’t soon fade for me. The last chapter’s discussion of wadi acacia trees might seem out of place to some, but it landed on me with affirmation and inspiration. Solomon’s discussion of the Sadducees reverberated in me as a precursor to the American evangelicalism that has whored itself to Donald Trump’s vision of America.
Amazon rating: 5.0/5
Goodreads: 4.68/5
Tell Her Story
How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church
When I first heard about this book, a podcast host asked in which language Nijay Gupta did his personal Bible reading. The theologian answered, “Greek.” That immersion in the original language proves critical for the explanations of this book. I loved Gupta’s thesis: instead of asking what can women do in the church, why don’t we ask what women actually did in the first century of the church? Gupta pulls out details, patterns, and associations I’d never heard in the 6,000 sermons, devotionals, and Bible classes of my first 45 years on the planet. While he does resort to admitted conjecture in some examples, he uses known cultural context and language peculiarities to frame the bulk of his exegesis. He makes the best case I’ve read yet that the perceived misogyny of Peter & Paul was less about universal dismissal of women as church & family leaders and more about particular subcultural-specific responses to what was being proclaimed in certain cities of the patriarchal Roman empire.
Amazon rating 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.46/5
All My Knotted-Up Life
A Memoir
I’m so thankful Beth Moore didn’t cash in years ago but waited to pen a memoir until this stage of her life. Discernment oozes in all the things she didn’t say—that she knew not to write. I felt more loved by Jesus and more in awe of him after finishing the last chapter. Moore’s anecdotes made me laugh in public spaces and get moist eyes in the privacy of my home. This manuscript is a scrumptious cake iced in humility, authenticity, wisdom, and grace. Her storytelling proves as powerful as the stories themselves. The church and the kingdom are better for having Moore’s voice in it, and this book is one of the best things she’s ever done with that voice.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.54/5
I’m Glad My Mom Died
I consumed Jennette McCurdy’s riveting memoir in a single day. Her deadpan delivery of a prosaic manuscript makes her recollections even more haunting, especially when contrasted with her dramatically-performed portrayal of her mother and grandmother. This international bestseller exemplifies some of the best developmental editing and succinct storytelling you’ll see in this genre. Every detail matters. McCurdy masterfully uses quotations to show instead of tell. She doesn’t add commentary to unpack her trauma. She just stacks vignettes atop each other until your heart breaks for a stranger. As someone who has also recently written a book about estrangement from abusive and complicit parents of a very particular religious sect—but thankfully without her fame—I can only imagine everything that McCurdy wrestled internally while writing, editing, and promoting this incredibly vulnerable work.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.49/5
Testimony
Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation
I devoured Jon Ward’s memoir in a single day. We grew up a little more than an hour apart in Maryland, having been born the same year to men who’d eventually be fundamentalist pastors who were asked to step down from their pulpits. Where my spiritual journey happened in obscurity, Ward was an arm’s length away from many eventual evangelical newsmakers and mutual friends with yet more. This manuscript oscillates between a journalist’s even-handedness and visceral candor. Ward’s story of deconstruction and reconstruction isn’t linear. The vignettes of discovery and transition overlap. I’ve found that to be true of my spiritual journey too. I wanted more from the concluding chapter—more beauty from ashes, more connection with Jesus, more redemption. I hope Ward’s journey leads to him being able to rewrite the conclusion someday.
Amazon rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.11/5
Unoffendable
How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better
I have recommended the first edition of this book many times to people. It contains practical antidotes for the outrage culture in which we live. This updated and expanded edition is only more of that goodness. Hansen uses Scripture to debunk the notion of righteous human anger and leverages the words and example of Jesus to offer a different (and better) way to pursue justice. Hansen offers ways to diffuse the emotions that lead to regret and offers compelling anecdotes that prove his thesis. If you want to be a non-anxious presence that contrasts the stress and angst in the world around you, pick up this guidebook. I loved the audiobook presentation as it accentuates Hansen’s self-deprecation.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.45/5
Good Baggage
How Your Difficult Childhood Prepared you for Healthy Relationships
I pre-ordered the audio version of Ike Miller’s book and practically absorbed it intravenously in the days after it downloaded. I paused playback (and my hiking) to type new lines of notes for discussion with my counselor. I especially appreciate Miller’s filter of redemption when looking back at traumatic realities from our youth. But that redemption isn’t an attempt to put a bow on abuse, neglect, manipulation, and loss. Instead, Miller encourages readers to turn their unique empathy into a force for good. His aren’t the words of a spiritual Pollyanna. In fact, he leverages Scripture only as a garnish, an illustration—a way of showing how someone in the Bible dealt with a similar reality. I felt seen in these pages, even though the primary audience is children of addicts.
Amazon rating: 5.0/5
Goodreads: 4.89/5
Hurt and Healed by the Church
Redemption and Reconstruction after Spiritual Abuse
I read this entire book aloud over four days in a Nashville sound studio—because I also wrote it. (It will go on sale the second week of April 2024 in paperback, audiobook, and Kindle editions.) This book contains the most vulnerable writing of my life sifted through the kind rigor of editors in three different U.S. time zones. I grew up in a cult as the son of a verbally, physically, and spiritually abusive pastor later revealed to be a sexual predator. Amazingly, I still found my way into the loving arms of a Jesus who used a very unconventional adoption to redeem the concept of fatherhood in my life. If you’ve been wounded by people who tell you they’re Christians, this book offers an alternative to both (1) making excuses for the church or its abusers and (2) abandoning religion altogether. My book is broken into three sections: the environment I needed to escape, the propaganda I needed to supplant, and the greener pastures I’ve found since leaving the legalism of the American fundamentalist movement.
Misfit
Growing Up Awkward in the ‘80s
Gary Gulman and I experienced the 1980s from very different corners of culture. That was the appeal of this book to someone who’d been sheltered away from TV and pop culture during the years covered in these stories. While Gulman explained memories quite different from mine, he did so in an engaging way that stretched his insecurities and obstacles into more universal realities I recognized in my own recollections. I finished listening to Gulman’s memoir on a long drive to Nashville to the studio where I recorded my next audiobook. The following morning, as I struggled to read big words I’d left in my manuscript, I marveled at how Gulman could so articulately enunciate some of his dense one-liners and occasional $4 college words. At the same time, I loved those garnishes, as he spoke them with a twinkle in his eye as an ironically self-deprecating nod to the pretentiousness of it in light of the blue-collar stories they decorated.
Amazon.com rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.27/5
Counting the Cost
A Memoir
I downloaded Jill Duggar Dillard’s audiobook the day it dropped and finished listening to it by 9am the following morning. I very much appreciate the bravery it took for her to go on record regarding uncomfortable truths about her parents and her time in a reality TV fishbowl. At the same time, Dillard did a masterful job of honoring her parents while letting their own words and actions speak for themselves. In that way, it shared beats with I’m Glad My Mom Died. Rather than focus the subjective reflections on their motives, she dwells on her internal wrestling between loyalty and autonomy. Those inflection points and her hard-fought choices resonated with moments in my own life. Her courage in life eventuated in courage in writing, and I hope her siblings find similar fortitude and freedom from their oppressive cult.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.61/5
What if Jesus Was Serious about Heaven?
A Visual Guide to Experiencing God’s Kingdom Among Us
I preordered three copies of Skye Jethani’s most recent book after (1) hearing him interviewed about its provocative content and (2) reading the first three books of this fantastic series. Before I even read it, I knew I wanted guys in my Bible study to wrestle with me through this content. In this volume, Jethani confronts the heaven-centric view of the gospel that has supplanted a Christ-centric belief system, especially in western culture. You’ll find orange highlighter strokes throughout my copy of this book, as Jethani stepped on my toes—not with obscure passages of Scripture but with the words of Jesus. I don’t know that I agree with all of the assertions of this book, but my views of the mission of the church and the destiny that awaits us is more malleable now.
Amazon rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.41/5
Funny How Life Works
I read the memoirs of comics and comedy writers every year. Michael Jr. has penned the most poignant comedian memoir I’ve absorbed since Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime. I blurted laughter in my car and outdoors while listening to this book, but humor is more a garnish than course. I got choked up at other sections as Michael, Jr. illustrates what comedy can do to heal trauma and pain in human hearts. Some of the anecdotes in these pages are wild and will hold your attention. All of the stories come with either an invitation to introspection or a call to action—more didactic than a typical memoir, especially for a comedian. If you can get past the first few chapters, you’ll be rewarded with stories that’ll touch your heart, your funny bone, or both.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.67/5
Delete That
And Other Failed Attempts to Look Good Online
I was underwhelmed with Jon Crist’s original apology after revelations of his sexual improprieties. I considered reading this book only after hearing an extensive interview where he took ownership of his double life. Crist’s memoir carries that vulnerable candor further in maybe the healthiest public response I’ve seen yet from a disgraced evangelical celebrity. He transitions often from self-deprecating anecdotes to cultural commentary—not to excuse his actions but to name the temptations of the social media era. I came to this book skeptical that he could thoroughly evaluate the past few years of his life already, but Crist’s manuscript proved his journey since rehab has progressed with good guides, thoughtful remorse, and commendable honesty. At the same time, this book feels like a partial effort, an unfinished undertaking. (In my faith community, we call this practice “not saying the last 10%.”) Crist spends little time and few words on the improprieties he committed against women. So, while this manuscript is vulnerable—fauxnerable?—the transparency comes with carefully-crafted guardrails around his public brand.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.20/5
The Comfort Crisis
Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
Someone commented on one of my Instagram posts that this book reminded them of my practice of chasing novel experiences and new challenges. After listening to this book, I’m flattered by that association. Michael Easter combines interviews of biohackers and personal exploration for a provocative concoction of antidotes for some of the endemic physical and mental health issues in America. Easter does all of this in a humble way that inspires readers to do hard things instead of marveling at his attempts at difficult challenges. These stories are for readers who prefer pragmatic voices rather than motivational speakers, Instagram influencers, and salespeople for purchasable systems. Easter’s journalistic approach encourages readers to follow their curiosity beyond these pages to their own story-making expeditions to health and longevity.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.36/5
The Great Dechurching
Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?
Jim Davis, Michael Graham, Ryan P. Burge have filled this book with fascinating and often counterintuitive data from research across a wide swath of the American church. They’ve got hard numbers that reinforce the trends people in multiple faiths and denominations have seen play out in their local assemblies—including the one where I’ve served for sixteen years. Amidst what could be disheartening information, these authors point to the hope available not just in the data but also in the Bible’s promises and reflections on church history. The last third of the book includes solid recommendations for drawing different generations and subcultural groups to your faith community. I wish chapter 14, “Embracing Exile,” was required reading in every Bible college and seminary in the country. Frankly, I hope every pastor in America absorbs it. The truths in that chapter are worth the price of this book and would change how Christians engage with culture toward a more winsome interaction.
Amazon rating: 4.3/5
Goodreads: 3.91/5
A Curious Faith
The Questions God Asks, We Ask, And We Wish Someone Would Ask Us
I listened to a significant chunk of this book in my car while watching summer lightning storms. The unpredictability and uncontainability of lightning paired well with the underlying tension of Lore Ferguson Wilbert’s manuscript. She authentically wrestles with the weight and breadth of Sovereignty’s transcribed questions. Then, she tears open a ragged-edged can of her personal doubts, fears, trauma, and disappointment to reveal the questions she has for the Almighty. In so doing, she offers permission for readers to do the same—to lean into the reality that you can’t have faith without uncertainty. All of this flows with an almost hypnotic rhythm that really shines in Wilbert’s reading of the audio version.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.40/5
Sacred Pathways
Nine Ways to Connect with God
I’ve been a proponent of spiritual pathways for almost 20 years, bringing it up often in conversation. Understanding my primary pathways has led me to find deep connections with God and others by tailoring my faith communities’ cultures to attract kindred spirits. This was my first time exploring Gary Thomas’ framework, which has more and slightly different categories than the system in which I was discipled, but I found it just as affirming. I’ve read and listened to a lot of books in the past few years about faith deconstruction and reconstruction and have regularly thought that the author understanding and embracing their spiritual pathways could make their journeys easier. I’ve even found practices Thomas recommends in this book to help me regulate my emotions in times of stress, trauma, and anxiety. These principles also help me offer more grace to people whose church services and favorite causes differ drastically from mine.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.11/5
Redeeming Power
Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church
Diane Langberg has written a taxonomy of abuse in religious environments that every church leader—especially male ones—should read. Her bona fides and global experience have given her a wealth of real-world anecdotes that keep this book from being academic. Langberg prolifically uses Scripture to debunk the assertions of abusive church leaders. Rather than a cynical approach or a rehashing of news stories, Langberg explains how abuse works and how it’s excused but then casts a vision of the church being a force against that abuse. Instead of proponing for church to be just a safe place with neutral use of authority, she inspires faith leaders to use their positions and influence to empower victims and reverse the damage of abusers. For me, this book is worth the cost just for Langberg’s assertion: “All abuse is spiritual abuse.”
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.52/5
Scared to Life
Tales of a Good God Who Reveals His Heart When Ours is Racing
Yep: I wrote this book. But I listen to it every year to travel back to these stories of God’s working and whispers. These tales and takeaways act as altars—places for me to worship the One who sovereignly infuses holy moments into my existence. It was interesting reading it this year after reading the prequel, Hurt and Healed by the Church. These adventure stories flesh out various proofs that the promises of that new book are true in my life and the lives around me. This isn’t the work of a motivational speaker trying to sell you a system or a branded community. It’s a series of invitations to a curious and attentive lifestyle no matter how adventurous you are.
Amazon rating: 4.9/5
Goodreads: 4.29/5
Butts
A Backstory
Heather Radke’s book might just surprise you. I didn’t really know what to expect other than a palate cleanser between heavy reads, but I was intrigued by this investigation into the role of the female butt across the last three centuries of western culture. At times, Radke juxtaposes topics I would’ve previously thought disparate as she dives into origin stories behind cultural artifacts. She illustrates changing trends in fashion, music, advertising, and media through the filter of a very specific portion of the female form. Radke unpacks stereotypes, cultural appropriation, and changing standards while profiling tastemakers, risk-takers, and fateful moments in history. Her perspective as a queer woman and professional journalist made for a unique, pragmatic approach to understanding a part of culture mostly driven by heterosexual conversations.
Amazon rating: 4.0/5
Goodreads: 3.79/5
Bully Pulpit
Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church
Michael Kruger has written a thorough training course on spiritual abuse. In this valuable resource, he offers church leaders advice on how to diagnose, address, and remedy spiritual abuse. He also spends some pages offering good advice on how to prevent it from happening in the first place. While this book is outlined as an academic work, it doesn’t read like one—despite Kruger being the president of and a professor at a seminary. Kruger leverages Scripture as an antidote for an epidemic in the American church and explains why Matthew 18 doesn’t apply to abuse situations. He also makes thoughtful suggestions for those in denominations where local, individual churches lack the freedom to change organizational protocol.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.52/5
Hungry Authors
A Simple Guide to Planning, Creating, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book
I had the incredible honor of being a beta reader for this book that will go on sale in 2024. Liz Morrow and Ariel Curry have created a great resource for aspiring nonfiction authors. Their practical content applies to those pursuing a traditional publishing deal, those choosing to self-publish, and those using the hybrid publishing model. Curry (a former acquisitions editor for an academic press) is my book coach, and she wrote six and a half books this year—mostly for ghostwriting clients. The book shares a name with their podcast on which Morrow and Curry interview different writers and publishing professionals, answer questions from listeners, and download their various publishing industry experiences. Hungry Authors is especially helpful for those looking to publish a self-help book or a memoir, but you’ll find nuggets in this compact guide for various lanes of nonfiction writing. This book is this far down the list only because its content is geared only toward nonfiction writers.
Bittersweet
How Sorrow And Longing Make Us Whole
After both my therapist and my memoir coach told me I needed to sit longer in the suck and fully mourn the losses I’ve endured, I grabbed this book to help with that. (As an Enneagram 7, that doesn’t come naturally to me.) Susan Cain’s counterintuitive book isn’t so much a how-to guide for that process, but it thoroughly welcomes you into whatever that process looks like for the reader. While religiously agnostic, Cain quotes often from the Bible—especially from passages not often covered on Sunday mornings in America. Her quotes from mystics and philosophers often stopped me in my tracks. Profound truth wafts from these pages. Her references overall (from a decade of research) prove she was the right person to author this book. If you are currently mourning or experiencing psychosomatic symptoms, I recommend giving this book a read or listen.
Amazon rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 3.99/5
Fostered
One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family Through Foster Care
Reading Tori Hope Petersen’s memoir pushed my bedtime back by hours each night while it was next to my bed. Her tales prove both riveting and disturbing, and they increased my gratitude that my black, teenage daughter was able to skip the foster care system on her way to becoming part of our family. This book seared its mark onto my heart like a hot cattleman’s brand. At the same time, I was troubled by the manuscript. The vignette style illustrated the way trauma memories replay, but they unfolded as from someone who’s still processing her deep trauma. That makes sense when Petersen admits that she wrote it at just 24 years old—only 2 years after leaving the life of an emancipated foster adult. But she jumps from using vague euphemisms to very specific details, from anecdotes to antidotes, from empathetic contemplation to Sunday school clichés, from godless angst to CCM platitudes.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.46/5
Nowhere For Very Long
The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
In this New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller, Brianna Madia writes, “All we truly end up being in this life are the stories we can tell. I intended to make them good ones.” While this book lived up to that intention, it left me with pity instead of inspiration. Madia details how she turned to pets, substance abuse, and nomadic living to try to heal her relational pain. She has so much healing left to do, and I hope it finds her. But she won’t find it by continually running to the places deserted enough to live naked with her mutts. As a storyteller always looking for new tales to share, I’ve learned that we’re more than the stories we generate. We can be part of a grander narrative, and our legacy lives at least as much in the love we distribute as in the creative nonfiction we craft. As a fellow wilderness lover and someone equally addicted to travel, I hope Madia someday gets to luxuriate in the benefits of a healing, authentic community that comes with setting down roots. I imagine this book has struck the chord that it has because so many wounded hearts are wandering their way all around thorough healing just like Madia seems to be.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.14/5
American Idolatry
How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church
Based on the amount of content I consume about the bane of Christian nationalism, I didn’t encounter a lot of thought-provoking content from Andrew Whitehead’s thorough taxonomy of the movement. But I really liked how Whitehead framed nationalism in terms of its idols of power, fear, and violence. In demonstrating the misplaced worship and unChristlike fascinations, Whitehead proves that the term “Christian nationalism” is itself an oxymoron.
Amazon rating: 4.3/5
Goodreads: 4.24/5
When Religion Hurts You
Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion
In this book, Laura Anderson, PhD, offers practical, actionable advice for victims of oppressive religious institutions. Her personal experience in American fundamentalism and her professional specialty in helping refugees of abusive churches made her stories and examples relatable. Some of her advice rings true to suggestions I’ve absorbed in other books and in my counselor’s office. Where Anderson differs from those other helpful sources—at least in this book—is that she doesn’t cast a vision for the possibility of finding healing in a healthy religious community. Because she left religion, her written advice is filtered by an assumption that the best way to recover from trauma-inducing faith environments is by creating a belief system in our own respective images. While I’ve found good secular resources, my greatest healing has arrived in relationships with people who embrace a more winsome Jesus than I knew my first two decades of life. I wish Anderson had fleshed out more of her assertion that fundamentalism isn’t exclusive to religion. That’s an intriguing premise.
Amazon rating: 4.3/5
Goodreads rating: 4.52/5
Futureproof
9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation
Kevin Roose is one of the most qualified humans on the planet to write this book, and I found his take to be refreshing in a world of extreme takes on automation, artificial intelligence, and capitalism. He connected a couple of topics that I hadn’t considered and gave substantive support for his suggestions. His real-world examples took these ideas from theoretical to proven options. He deftly addressed the uneven and unjust impact of technical innovation and offered solid solutions to remedy that. Roose inspired me to add a practice to my business to keep me in business and relevant for years to come.
Amazon rating: 4.4/5
Goodreads: 4.00/5
Ordinary Discipleship
How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation
I was hoping for more of the teased neuroeducation out of Jessie Cruickshank’s book, and she barely used the wilderness guiding anecdotes advertised in the book’s promotional copy. But this is a good primer for someone who has decided to go from being a disciple to being a disciple-maker. I really appreciated that Cruickshank differentiated between the kingdom of God and the church. While the system she promotes—an intense, mentor-mentee framework—is just one way to disciple others, a lot of this book is in service to discipleship at large, not just her style. I listened to this book, but think a printed version would’ve had highlighter marks throughout the dog-eared pages.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.33/5
Reorganized Religion
The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters
Bob Smietana brought his journalist’s perspective to this project but also peppered in stories of his own changing relationship with the American church. The trends he documented and the examples he showcased resonated with my experience in my faith communities and what I hear about others. His takeaways affirmed changes my church has made since the pandemic to make Sunday services more interactive, less personality-driven, and less focused on the Sunday sermon. I found his statistics and stories of how immigration is growing and changing congregations ironic in light of how most white evangelicals oppose immigration and denigrate refugees.
Amazon rating: 4.2/5
Goodreads: 3.99/5
It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway
And Other Thoughts on Moving Forward
Elizabeth Passarrella didn’t write this book for me. For instance, I had to use context clues to understand the implications of “upper west side” in relation to New York City subcultures. I’ve never birthed a child, worked on staff at a high-brow magazine, been run over by a station wagon, or flown to the funeral of a friend’s dad. I generally avoid funerals, actually. But the magic of Passarrella’s writing is that a large selection of common denominators with the reader isn’t necessary. With admirable candor, she tugs on strings that connect to our shared humanity. This palate cleanser between heavier reads led to flashbacks of moments where I encountered similar emotions. The audiobook version includes a quaint recording of an interview with the sweet “Lois” from the manuscript.
Amazon rating: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.20/5
Strong Like Water
Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move Through Hard Things—And Experience True Flourishing
I don’t doubt that Audi Kolber’s methods as described in this book work for many of her patients and readers. Across my 200± therapy sessions, I’ve struggled to pinpoint where in my body I feel emotions. And I’ve not been able to get EMDR treatment to accomplish what it does for others. But the cost of the book and the hours spent with it were worth it because of the concept of glimmers—defined as the antithesis of triggers. Cataloging and practicing those have been healing for me. Also, several quotes about beauty and grief and prayer will stay with my heart.
Amazon rating: 4.9/5
Goodreads: 4.64/5
How to Make White People Laugh
I listened to Negin Farsad’s memoir as a fresh of fresh air between heavy reads. Her abundance of crass humor seems like an intentional choice to prove her thesis that most Muslims aren’t the extremist religious caricatures presented on American news and social media. While I was intrigued by Farsad’s struggles as a non-black minority in America’s white supremacy, I also absorbed a lot of the privilege inherent in growing up with wealth and the opportunities that wealth afforded her. The audiobook added some kitsch sound effects that detracted from the content instead of adding to it.
Amazon rating: 4.3/5
Goodreads: 3.78/5
Back to Earth
What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet—And Our Mission to Protect It
Nicole Stott, as do most astronaut memoir writers, explains how time off of this planet has changed her life on it. Different from other autobiographies written after residence on the International Space Station, she focuses on the scientific correlations and implications of that transformation. I’ve not done a lot of studying on climate change, but her scientific explanations and spaceship metaphor combined to be the best explanation of the phenomenon I’ve read to date. In addition to her own anecdotes, Stott pulls in valuable interviews from multiple lanes of expertise. Her comparison of life in space and life underwater proves intriguing and insightful. I appreciate that Stott documents her personal efforts to implement all of the personal changes she recommends for others in light of her discoveries.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 3.94/5
Orphaned Believers
How a Generation of Christian Exiles Can Find the Way Home
Though I consumed this book in only two days, it was work. (It was actually homework for a book proposal I was rewriting.) I connected with Sara Billups’ recollections of rapture culture and a dogmatic father proud of leaving his former religion. Billups and I graduated from high school the same year and both experienced church in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. But at times big jumps in thought came like emergency brake turns in a heist movie. I did appreciate her offering practical suggestions for reconstruction and reconnection to the church.
Amazon rating: 4.4/5
Goodreads: 4.02/5
Grace in the Gray
A More Loving Way to Disagree
You won’t find a lot of groundbreaking ideas in this book, but Mike Donehey has assembled several practical filters for viewing conflict. Most of them boil down to humility, which is ironic because this manuscript—especially the audiobook performance of it—is slathered in what feels like false humility. While I appreciate the references to the Bible throughout a book written by a thoughtful worship leader and the emphasis on being the change we want to see in others, I would rather have read a similar work penned by someone who does conflict resolution or negotiation for a living.
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.46/5
Do You Talk Funny?
7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better Speaker
I gave this book a chance because of David Nihill’s fantastic standup clips I’ve seen online. What I didn’t know until reading it is that his bona fides go well beyond standup comedy, giving his suggestions superlative credence. The short answer to “How do I get funnier on stage?” is that it’s a lot of work. Nihill breaks that stout process into core practices to rehearse, record, evaluate, perform, and reevaluate. Comedy is hard, and those who are good at public comedy live in rarified air breathed exclusively after perseverance and pragmatism. If you’re willing to grind out new habits for new results, Nihill’s book will point that effort in the right direction.
Amazon rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 3.94/5
Becoming Free Indeed
My Story of Disentangling Faith From Fear
I understood a lot of the references from Jinger Duggar Vuolo’s memoir. My parents, like hers, reared me under the influence of Bill Gothard and the Quiverfull movement. But the commiseration didn’t overcome the gaping faults of this memoir. Vuolo admitted that she was writing about a faith she’s only known for three years and that she regrets what she wrote in her previous book. She will regret this book except for the sizable checks she’ll make from it. She claims to have found freedom from an oppressive religious experience in her new church whose pastor demeans women from stage—a church known not only for covering for child molesters but also for excommunicating the whistleblowing wives of those pedophiles. Trying not to rock the boat with her parents, Vuolo prefers euphemisms over naming objective abuse and cultish behavior. The manuscript unfolds as a half measure of a faith not fully formed. Her blue-check celebrity rushed this to market and onto bestseller lists before her spiritual maturity could catch up.
Amazon rating: 4.2/5
Goodreads: 3.64/5
When Church Stops Working
A Future For Your Congregation Beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation
While I assume Andrew Root and Blair Betrand had good intentions and even a decent premise, this book failed to make their case. They could’ve dug into counterintuitive trends within aggregate statistics (if such exists) or shared excerpts from dozens of interviews with pastors & parishioners who’ve fully embraced contentedness. Instead, they relied on clunky anecdotes and head-scratching case studies. Their recommendations affirm what I’ve experienced in my parachurch faith community and the wrestle my church is going through now as it transitions its style of ministry. But I’d rather tell people about my experience than hand them this book.
Amazon rating: 4.1/5
Goodreads: 4.54/5
Fractured Faith
Finding Your Way Back to God in an Age of Deconstruction
In this book, Lina AbuJamra uses clichés and bloviated Sunday School explanations to tell people who were hurt by the church to give it a second try. Turns out, her “deconstruction” equates to about a year of playing hooky from church. While I don’t disagree with most of her assertions, I’m not sure they’d be convincing to those who doubt that God is real, good, or attentive. What AbuJamra lacks in depth she attempts to make up in passion, especially in the audiobook version. Church hurt is consequential. Religious trauma is rampant and in need of remedy. But I’d recommend other resources before I recommended this book for my friends who wrestle with doubt and disillusionment.
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.23/5
Choosing Us
Marriage and Mutual Flourishing in a World of Difference
I bought this book because of the similarities and differences of Gail Song Bantam and Brian Bantum’s marriage and my own. Their unique backgrounds and union no doubt intrigued publishers as much as the hype around this book piqued my interest. Sadly, that interest waned as the stories of this book accumulated. At one point in the book, I was almost shouting at the authors because they admitted to being stuck in an enigma with a relatively easy solution. Their anecdotes didn’t convince me that this marriage is flourishing. I’ll save you $15-$18: marrying young into a very different culture eventuates in constant conflict that only gets incrementally better with sacrifice.
Amazon rating: 4.9/5
Goodreads: 4.33/5
© Cover image purchased from iStockPhoto.com
