Lots of books for young readers, because the turmoil of these times requires the simple telling of profound truths. One fabulous novel by a Pulitzer Prize winner. And two nonfiction-Christian books by women willing to ask hard questions and take a stand. What are you reading?
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 stars for originality, this is a truly quirky book! I missed it as a child, so I don’t have tender memories to return to, & even if I did, I think this would be a book one could/should experience again as an adult. Personally, I think we need a Milo for our times to go on a quest to rescue the Princesses Rhyme & Reason from the Mountains of Ignorance & restore them to leadership in the Land of Wisdom.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“It turns out, the world is not a wish-granting machine.”
No, no it is not. The world, as Glennon Doyle puts it, is “brutiful,” both brutal & beautiful. This book is a picture-perfect illustration of Doyle’s mash-up word: kids should not have nor die of cancer. Kids with cancer can also fall in love, be great friends, & pay attention to the world’s great joys.
Playground by Richard Powers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It took two tries & a willful decision to submit to the story, & then it took me until almost the very end before I got it, but once I did…oh wow, this book is near to perfect.
“Call it what it is. Every dance is a game, and every game its own best explanation. Everything alive, even we newcomers…. What are all creatures—even me—doing at all times but playing in the world, playing before their tinkering Lord?” 381
NONFICTION
Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation by Cara Meredith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thanks to the author for an early ARC.
I can’t wait for more people to read this book so we can discuss it. As a former Camper, Church Youth Director who led, chaperoned, & served as a counselor at many, many camps, & a Parent who sent my own children to camp, this book challenges & enlightens. My camp experience was all fun & games, or if I’m honest, at least mostly fun & games. We put a high value on camp for sure, & only occasionally did something bump me out of the moment & give me pause to question the experience itself.
Meredith goes for it. With love & respect, she asks meaningful questions & offers both research & stories of those who did & didn’t feel welcomed at camp. Structured on the 7-day camp speaker paradigm, where each night’s campfire message had a prescribed theme, she relates the stories she shared to lead campers through emotional highs & lows on the journey toward the goal response: conversion.
To many who identify as Christian, “conversion” sounds like a good goal. But conversion to who/what? Can one still belong if they don’t believe, or if they’ve been manipulated to believe, or if belief itself leaves out essential parts of their identity?
Come along to Church Camp & bring an open mind. We’re gonna sing songs & eat s’mores & maybe throw a pine cone in the fire, & we’re definitely going to ask some questions & consider new ways of being & doing church & church camp.
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book tells the old stories with tremendous insight & nuance. This book matters.
I am a woman. I have an MDiv from a respected theological school. I learned Greek & Hebrew, theology, church history, & practical approaches to ministry. I did NOT learn history as presented by Barr. My seminary was positive towards women in ministry & I learned the stories of many prominent women ministers, starting with those listed in the Bible. But I didn’t learn the history of patriarchy, & I sure didn’t learn how many “translations” of the Bible were created in order to emphasize men & diminish the importance of women. I have spent most of my 30-year career working in churches. I’m also married to a pastor, & it has been abundantly clear how many people think my role as “pastor’s wife” is far more important (to them) than my degree, experience, & gifts.
< 4 STARS
The Things We Didn’t Know by Elba Iris Pérez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
