OK. Maybe I read a lot this month. Here are the books I polished off and a few thoughts on each title.
I love to read to my kids before bed. My hope is that they will fall in love with books, adventure and learning. My kids are fairly obsessed with The Lord of the Rings because of the LEGO video game so I thought it was time to introduce them to the real thing. I loved watching my kids, my oldest son in particular imagine the story. There were times when he jumped right out of bed in excitement and wonder. It was so much fun!
I love history and I found this book to be incredibly interesting. Woodard’s argument is that the United States has never really been a melting pot. From the very early days of settlement, the United States has been a collection of conflicting cultures and peoples. There are some awkward historical mistakes and I generally hated his opinion that Deep South evangelical Christians are out to bring about “Baptist Sharia law” in the US but I did enjoy the book and found many of the arguments to be compelling. I highly recommend it. It’s a thought provoking read.
Wow. This book was hard to read. Sometimes I choose books because I know I need to read them. This was one of those. This is the story of how Jews from a Nazi death camp in Poland escaped. It is profoundly heartbreaking. I simply can’t believe that these events actually happened. I’ve always understood that the Nazis were evil but I didn’t realize how many Polish nationals willingly helped them round up and in some cases kill Jews. Even after the Soviets liberated Poland (not exactly a liberation) the killing continued but without any Nazi oversight. The ethnic hatred for Jews in Eastern Europe during and leading up to WWII is absolutely astounding. This book is definitely worth reading but you’ll probably need a box of Kleenex and a few harmless items to throw because it will make you furious.
My job security is dependent on this book reviews…so it was amazing. Best book I’ve ever read! OK, let’s be real. This book was actually very good and hit me at the right time. My wife and I are scaling back and cutting down financially because we need to pay off debt from our failed adoption. The funny thing about the $8,000 adoption tax credit is that you don’t get it when the adoption doesn’t go through. The principles and ideas in this book motivated and encouraged us immensely.
I think this book is a must read for youth workers. The first half of the book in particular is an excellent sociological study on the effects of fatherlessness. It will break your heart and motivate you to love your kids well and mentor those who have been robbed of a father.
Not everyone is a fan of Brennan Manning’s theology but I found this book to be very refreshing. I think his presentation of God may be a little simplistic but I appreciate his emphasis on God as a father who desperately loves and pursues His children. That’s a message I need to hear over and over again.
Most people have heard of Blackwater. The organization has a terrible reputation. This is the story of Blackwater’s history from the perspective of its former CEO, Erik Prince. I really enjoyed this book. I tend to be skeptical of mainstream media so I wanted to hear this story from a different angle. Unfortunately, I think it is impossible to know what really happened in a lot of the situations described in this book because both the government and Erik Prince are fighting to protect their reputations. Also, much of Blackwater’s relationship with the State Department and the CIA is still classified. My opinion is that Blackwater isn’t nearly as bad as the media made it out to be and the government was far more involved in the use of contracted security than it wants to admit.
