First I feel like I have to say that I had a difficult time coming up with something to say for the front page of this website. It's hard to create fun, analytical quips under a deadline. Perhaps by the time we actually get everything posted, it will become something worth a read.
Speaking of worthwhile reads, I’ve gone through some books recently and I thought I’d review my top 5 here. I’m not much of a fiction reader unless someone I know wrote the book or there’s some other particularly compelling reason. To that end, our friend Mason Miller’s Mom wrote My Life on Mars and it was a very fun, three-day read. Also, Brian reminded me of some other books I've read recently, all non-fiction, and they really weren't that memorable so I'm not going to include them here. Other than that, these are 5 books that I’ve appreciated reading over the last year:
- Eats Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynn Truss
I read this book after scanning the first chapter of my smart friend David Lee’s copy in his house (I'm his dumb friend). I don’t recommend trying it while traveling through the UK as I did at first, that’s more English culture than I could handle in one go. But, if it is possible for anyone to make punctuation wet-your-pants funny, Lynn Truss has done it. Warning: If you have even the slightest bent toward relishing a feeling of intellectual superiority, this book will only feed it. One way I have chosen to combat this darkness is to continue puntuating poorly -- so if you find errors on this site, I assure you they were intentional!
- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jerod Diamond
Referred to us by another super-smart guy we know, Henry Agusti, this book is definitely worthwhile. A reviewer from Nature magazine said this book succeeds admirably as a 500-page review of world culture process. I really haven’t read too many books on this subject to compare it to, except for when forced to in school. But, it held my attention and taught me a great deal along the way. This book goes by so quickly it’s easy to get a vision for the total picture of humanity from caveman to today.
From what I understand, as a biologist Diamond is a big believer in the Theory of Evolution. To what I’m sure would be his disgust, I came away from this book even more convinced than ever that human beings and animals were placed on Earth as human beings and animals, as consistent with Creationism. More than ever, I just can't intellectually buy into the theory of Evolution. One of the premises of the book is that folks in seemingly backward societies are just as, and perhaps even more so, intelligent as than every other society because they have to be. It’s just that they do not have guns, germs and steel to conquer other societies. If they are truly this ingenious, then doesn’t that point even more to a loving God of the universe that placed Man and Woman, highly intelligent beings, in a luscious garden as in Genesis, rather than them evolving from microorganisms? If humanity evolved on its own, then why aren’t there cultures out there that evolved at different rates, why aren't there some that are truly less evolved than others?
- Peace Child by Don Richardson
I picked up this book at the Urbana Missions Conference back when it was still held in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. It’s a story of a virtually stone-age tribe in New Guinea and how the missionary Richardson and his wife helped bring them their own language in writing and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Much of Jerod Diamond’s book above discusses New Guinea, so these books were interesting to read in sequence. It’s a story of courage and mental gymnastics to communicate with a people that were foreign in so many ways that most people would have given up. I read it when I was down in Houston last October helping out my sister who is also dealing with adversity. It was a worthwhile read. I liked it.
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
To me, this book is not a fiction. I read it the first time when I was 15 in the tenth grade at South, and read it this second time in hotels and on airplanes when I was 30. It's best to read it in complete silence, what with all the screaming from Inigo and the others ringing in your ears. I read the 30th anniversary edition, this most recent time, from cover to cover. And when it came to the end, I made a horrible, heart wrenching discovery about one of my favorite books of all time. I won’t say what it was here, because I know some of you will “pain you to hear” (~Westley) but my suspicions were substantiated by thiswebsite when I googled S. Morgenstern. My heart however doesn't believe the hype and knows that of course Buttercup and the gang are still trouncing around Florin and Guilder to this day, as they wish.
- The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee
At the time of this writing I haven’t gotten all the way through this book yet. Someone I’ve looked up to for a long time, Marshall Benbow is a fan of this book so I wanted to read it for myself. Watchman Nee was an indigenous Christian leader in China in the 1930’s and 40’s who started house churches throughout that country and preached tremendous sermons there. Then, when the Western missionaries got booted out of China, his home-grown work continued to flourish until he was imprisoned until his death on false charges. What I have found is that if you can get into the rhythm of this book and sort of translate it into the way you speak yourself, it’s a great read and a worthwhile classic. Once Jesus has you in the palm of His hand he doesn't let you go. Ever. That's good news!
The next book I plan to read is Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by recent Noble Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus. As a banker living in Banktown, and concerned about world issues such as these, I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for reading and I hope I get to talk to each of you about books you’ve recently read very soon! ~Barbee