FICTION
Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Emotionally intelligent & entertaining novel about a woman having a significant mid-life crisis on her daughter’s 16th birthday. It is ironic, & the book says so toward the end, that a woman who can speak five languages can’t communicate with her loved ones, & I wanted to shout at her to just speak up, tell the truth, & ask more questions, yet we all know someone or have been someone who struggles like this.
“It’s as though her life has shot forward while she was looking the other way, and there’s a grief in it that wrenches her soul.”
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I devoured this smart & compelling novel! I loved the use of footnotes that added nuance & perspective, though the author (or main character, or both) offer the reader the option to skip the footnotes. Never skip a footnote!
Everything about this story grabbed me: the dynamic, unique family relationships; the disability advocacy; the challenging of perspectives throughout; wild intelligence married with heartfelt compassion…
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My only ‘fault’ with this book is that I wish it contained a family tree. My biggest recommendation to those who read this book is to create a family tree.
While I felt a little lost at the beginning, it didn’t take long before this generational novel sucked me in. Each new story, a continuation of the past, shared a different piece of the larger story. It recalled for me reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, where the repetition of names feels confusing & also speaks to the larger cultural experience.
I hope this becomes required reading in every high school across America. The way things are going, it won’t, but it should be. If you get to choose your own books, choose this one. It matters.
Other books:
The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner – My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan – My rating: 3 of 5 stars
NONFICTION
Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most by Miroslav Volf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I took a graduate class with Miroslav Volf at Fuller Theological Seminary once upon a time, so I knew the book would be well-written & compelling. I also knew that, since he teaches the material at Yale, it would be thorough & make me jump through some intellectual hoops. It’s not going to be for everyone – you have to commit to hard thinking & self-reflection – but it’s worth the ride. I appreciate the focus on What makes life worth living? or What is ‘the good life’? & the exposition of so many ways to answer the question. Ultimately, it’s a personal question. We can avoid it, & then we risk either ‘failing at life’ or living a trivial life.
The final exhortation: “Keep pursuing the Question. Live for what matters most. Your life is worth it.”
Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation by Jon Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Those who most need this book will be disinclined to read this book.
I, however, appreciated this up-close-&-personal story. Ward’s background isn’t mine … entirely … but we share enough common ground that I found myself saying “Yes” over & over.
His personal story, balanced by his deep research into history, constitutional theory, & American politics, is absolutely compelling. And, if you want the cheat sheet, the Epilogue has a “how to be a faithful Christian in America” download; he’s spent so much time critiquing the mess, that he also offers a helpful way forward.
Other books:
Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World by Eve Rodsky – My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens by Kate Bowler – My rating: 3 of 5 stars
