TIP OF THE ICEBERG. MY 3,000-MILE JOURNEY AROUND WILD ALASKA, THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN FRONTIER is a vastly inter“You didn’t turn your back on Alaska."
TIP OF THE ICEBERG. MY 3,000-MILE JOURNEY AROUND WILD ALASKA, THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN FRONTIER is a vastly interesting travelogue. Author, Mark Adams, tries to retrace the route of the Harriman Expedition of 1899. The Harriman Expedition was a sort of luxury, quasi-scientific cruise sponsored by a wealthy American industrialist who also invited leading scientists and environmental “explorers” to come along.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG is peopled with interesting characters, the type of people one would expect to find in Alaska. Mark Adams does a nice job of keeping himself out of the center of the narrative, which I appreciated. The book is much more about Alaska and the people Adams encounters there than it is about him. The chapters alternate between Mr. Adams recounting some aspect of the Harriman Expedition, followed by a chapter of his own experiences and adventures retracing their steps.
Like the best travel books, the main benefit of this one is that it allowed me to experience vicariously places I will probably never be able to visit. It also expanded my worldview. But more importantly, it gave me a hunger to know more about a part of my nation that I know very little about.
Alaska is huge. Its massiveness is breathtaking. Its wildness is astounding to behold and in this book Mr. Adams successfully gives a sense of all that grandeur. I have already ordered some of his other books to read. Not only that, but I've ordered other books about Alaska. So, all I can say is that I think TIP OF THE ICEBERG did what it was meant to do. I end with a quote from the book that I just loved, and that I think sums up what I tried to express in this review. “In Alaska, it was still ‘the morning of creation.’”...more
I am too young to have been an original fan of Leon Russell's. In fact, his star was already quickly fading before I was even born. Mr. Russell came tI am too young to have been an original fan of Leon Russell's. In fact, his star was already quickly fading before I was even born. Mr. Russell came to my attention in the early 2000s when Elton John started really pushing him, eventually releasing an album with him. Since then, I've noticed Russell's music a little more, and fell in love with a couple of his songs. When I saw this biography of him, I thought “why not? I don't know anything about the guy.”
Now…I know a lot about the guy. This is a very thorough (too long) book. LEON RUSSELL: THE MASTER OF SPACE AND TIME’S JOURNEY THROUGH ROCK & ROLL HISTORY is an interesting read. But it will only be very interesting to those who are really into rock and roll history, and things like the minutia of what it takes to produce a tour/ concert, songwriting royalties, and other such items. That part of the book was not that interesting to me and therefore I feel it could have been cut. As mentioned, this is a long biography, almost 600 pages. And that's before the notes, etc. What I did like about this book was that Leon Russell seems to have been a thread woven through some of the most important aspects of rock and roll history. The dude performed with (or wrote for) everybody! Or at least it seems that way. That aspect was interesting, seeing how Leon Russell's life intersected with so much of rock and roll history. In fact, this book has convinced me that it would be easy to play “Six Degrees of Leon Russell” with almost any musician from 1955 to 1990.
On a personal level, Mr. Russell's life was not one that was all that appealing to me. I don't think he was a decent human being, he clearly had a lot of issues. That being said, don't we all?
Will I keep a copy of this book on my shelf? No. But having read it will I think of Leon Russell and his music a little more? Yes. And as a result, occasionally, I'll pull up some of his albums. And I’ll listen to them. And that ain't bad at all....more
“Faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it.”
A SHOT OF FAITH (TO THE HEAD) is not for the casual reader. This is a ph“Faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it.”
A SHOT OF FAITH (TO THE HEAD) is not for the casual reader. This is a philosophically dense read, meant to buck up those who struggle with the intellectual arguments against faith. Its arguments are good, thoughtful, even profound…but frankly, I am not sure that this is a good text for the average reader. I had to take my time with it, however, I appreciated its rational bedrock and its delight in meeting the arguments of the “new atheists” head on.
The book is organized along the following lines- First, the author, Dr. Mitch Stokes, catches the reader up on the latest in the faith vs. unbelief debate, (as of 2012 when the book was published) and then the book dives into a key lesson about what counts as evidence, based on recent shifts in Christian thinking. It then tackles some major topics in the belief vs. unbelief discussion, like the unexpected twists of naturalism (the idea that only the natural world exists), the mind-blowing mathematical design of the universe, (easily the text’s strongest section) the surprisingly religious side of science, and whether good and evil can exist in a world that's just physical. That's a lot to digest. Each chapter also ends with a section called ‘For Your Arsenal”, which is essentially a highlight of some of the key points in support of belief that were addressed in the preceding chapter.
Quotes: • “The real wonder is why anyone believes. The explanation, of course, is that God has begun to repair humanity, at an unimaginable cost to Himself. And that is really good news.” • “Humans can’t be the standard of absolute right and wrong.’ • “And the conclusion is simplicity itself: if there is no God, there is no evil. Nor is there any good.” • “…to some degree, the war between belief and unbelief exists in microcosm inside every believer.”
Most anything that takes on the argument that faith in God is irrational or intellectually dishonest will get support from me. I appreciate what I took away from this text, but I am not sure that A SHOT OF FAITH (TO THE HEAD) is for any more than a limited audience within the Christian community....more
“Why is it that the ones who most need a shepherd resist him so?”
The focus of TRAVELING LIGHT is a close, and very practical, examination of the 23rd “Why is it that the ones who most need a shepherd resist him so?”
The focus of TRAVELING LIGHT is a close, and very practical, examination of the 23rd Psalm. Perhaps the most famous Psalm, the one that begins “The Lord is my Shepard…” Max Lucado brings some interesting insight and applications to this psalm, and I think the text is a good use of time for any practicing Christian.
Some personal highlights for me: Chapter 4 focuses on contentment and is simply lovely. It gives some profound insight on what really matters in our lives. I was really taken with chapter 15, which has a great analysis of the verse “You anoint my head with oil.” Lucado gives an awesome and surprisingly relevant examination of this verse/image.
Quotes: • “Traveling light means trusting God with the burdens you were never intended to bear.” • “Self-reliance misleads you.” • “The wise remember the brevity of life.” • “We do what comes naturally, rather than what comes spiritually.” • “Before you go anywhere else with your disappointments, go to God.”
This edition of TRAVELING LIGHT has a surprisingly in-depth, and good, Study Gide at the end of the text. I took my time with it and got a lot out of it. I recommend getting the edition that includes it, if possible.
After reading this book I look at the 23rd Psalm in an enhanced and new way, and that’s a good thing....more
“The situation at the Compound kept getting worse.” (3.5 stars)
I was pleasantly surprised by 13 HOURS. It is a very non-partisan examination of the 1“The situation at the Compound kept getting worse.” (3.5 stars)
I was pleasantly surprised by 13 HOURS. It is a very non-partisan examination of the 13 hours that a State Department complex and a CIA Security Annex in Benghazi, Libya were under attack from Islamic terrorists. It focuses specifically on the annex security team who worked to save most of the officials at the State Department complex and in the CIA compound. The Annex Security Team was made up of men who were former military special ops, now working as private contractors hired to provide extra security for State Department installations. Author Mitchell Zuckoff, in conjunction with the surviving members of the annex security team, delivers firsthand recounting of the events in those harrowing 13 hours that began on September 11th, 2012.
Really, this book is a behind the scenes look at an operation that most of us can't fathom. There's not a lot of extraneous information. There's not flowery language, there's not an attempt to be sentimental or emotional about the events depicted. At times, 13 HOURS is emotional (due to the nature of the subject matter) but in a non-sentimental manner.
Like all stories of politics, war, and turmoil there are heroes and villains, although, Mr. Zuckoff takes great pains to label no one as either. The actions of the individuals involved speak for themselves. I was also impressed that Mr. Zuckoff and the annex security team reports very factually (and without malic) that there was a misrepresentation in the American press as to why the attack happened. But they refrain from politicizing that fact. As someone who has hyper politicized feelings about Benghazi, the State Department, CIA, and the leadership that allowed this disgrace to happen I was very impressed that the people who actually lived it and experienced it refrained from that. Their greater interest was in giving a factual recounting of an event that Americans should remember. And more significantly, that Americans should make sure doesn't happen again.
13 HOURS held my attention. I learned some things I did not know. And more importantly, it gave me an insight into those in civil service and private security that I was not aware of. I can end this review in no better way than with this line of summation from the text, “…brave Americans who put themselves in harm’s way, who believed in their work and their country, and who died serving others.”...more
Scott Adams is an interesting writer; however, he is also a very redundant writer. I know that he would d“Welcome to the third dimension.” (2.5 stars)
Scott Adams is an interesting writer; however, he is also a very redundant writer. I know that he would defend his numerous redundancies in this book by saying that it's part of persuasion… which he takes great pains to point out.
The premise of WIN BIGLY is intriguing. But in the book’s first half Mr. Adams talks about persuasion, the art of persuasion, the different elements of persuasion, etc. All the while getting very technical, and quite frankly, a bit boring. Mr. Adams is apparently a “persuasion expert” (he calls himself that a lot in this text) and so the first half of the book he talks about persuasion as an academic examination.
The most interesting part of this text is when he examines the 2016 presidential campaign, probing the things that the Clinton and Trump campaigns did, and then relating them back to persuasive techniques that he mentions in the book's first half. That is fascinating and is the strongest element in this text.
Then Mr. Adams can't help himself and he reverts to his old ways, and the last third of the book seems to be focused on taking backhand credit for many things that Trump did during his presidential campaign. Adams goes to lengths to mention moments where he tweeted some thought, or wrote a blog, and then later the Trump campaign did something similar. I say backhanded because Mr. Adams says that what Trump often did is an obvious thing that any smart persuader would do. So, then my question is, why did you think you were the one that showed this “skilled persuader” the way?
Quotes: • “Persuasion isn’t the most predictive variable in every situation.” • “Life is generally messy and complicated, with lots of powerful influences at play.” • “Our brains did not evolve to understand reality.”
I listened to this book on audio while I was doing summer yard work, so for that it's an okay experience. Is it something I would ever feel the need to return to or that I thought was particularly enlightening? No. If it did anything, it made me dislike Mr. Adams on a personal level. Not because of his politics, or the things he wrote or said…just him. I really disliked how he talks and thinks about himself.
Some quibbles- A lot of the book seems to be regurgitations of posts and excerpts from a blog that Mr. Adams writes. Also, there is an appendix to the book where he talks about how to be a writer. All I'll say is that he did not take his own advice for this book.
Having finished WIN BIGLY, I am no better or worse for the wear....more
HOW TO PRAY IN A CRISIS is a quick read that will help you reexamine the point of prayer in your life“Good praying is more easily caught than taught.”
HOW TO PRAY IN A CRISIS is a quick read that will help you reexamine the point of prayer in your life. It is not earth shattering, rather it is a few practical ideas/practices for good prayer mixed in with some theory. It’s good theory, however.
One thing of note from this text is the emphasis placed on prayer as a corporate entity. Author Daniel Henderson really places a lot of importance on its being especially powerful in the early church. It gave me something to think about.
Quotes: • “…hard is hard; hard is not bad.” • “Crisis is used by God to bring us to fresh places of humility, repentance, and essential conviction about the things that ultimately matter.” • “Jesus did not call us to ‘figure it all out’ but to follow Him.” • “A world in crisis needs Christians on a mission.” • He commands us to know, hear, trust, obey, and fully surrender to the indwelling Spirit, according to His revealed Word.”
At one point author Daniel Henderson defines prayer as “intimacy with God that leads to fulfillment of His purposes.” I think that is about as good of a definition for prayer that I have come across. This short text would be a nice thing to include in your devotional reading, or share in a prayer group....more
I listened to UNFREEDOM OF THE PRESS while doing yard work. It is interesting to listen to it in 2024 (it was writtenIn their own words... (3.5 stars)
I listened to UNFREEDOM OF THE PRESS while doing yard work. It is interesting to listen to it in 2024 (it was written in 2019) and see how much further the American press has gone to prove that it is even more dishonest than it was even 5 short years ago.
There is a lot of quoting from primary sources in this text. One of the most effective things that Mr. Levin does is when he uses the press's very own words against them. He will make a point about a bias that they have, or a story they lied about, and then he will spend literally pages just quoting from across the media spectrum from individuals or outlets doing the very thing that they claim not to do. It's a pretty powerful device. However, he does employ it a lot in this text. There are literally pages and pages and pages of him doing nothing more than quoting the media doing something that they say they don't do. I have mixed feelings about how interesting that is as a reader, but it's very powerful in terms of proving a point.
Mr. Levin is a bright man. That's obvious. He also has a rabid disgust for the politicization of the modern American media. It's not that (as he takes great pains to point out in his book) he has a problem with media bias. He has a problem when the media pretends that their bias doesn't exist.
There's a lot of this text that is actually a history lesson. Lots of attention is given to the 1917 Espionage Act and to the Alien & Sedition Act that John Adams signed into law in the early days of our nation. There is also a lot of attention given to the idea of a very partisan press. The press was partisan, and owned it up until the late 1920s, and then the façade of impartiality began to rear its head.
Another point that's interesting is Mr. Levin's takedown of the New York Times. I have nothing but contempt for the New York Times and have felt that most of my adult life. But Mr. Levin's piece by piece examination of their ignoring of the Holocaust, and at times, even covering it up from the American readers is disgusting to read. He also goes after Walter Duranty, a reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for the New York Times, who flat out lied about Stalin's genocide and the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s. It's disturbing that the “paper of record” has never really been a paper of honesty.
All in all, UNFREEDOM OF THE PRESS is an interesting and quick read. It's certainly only reconfirmed for me that my disdain and distaste for the media, and my lack of trust in almost all of it, is well placed....more
“At his writing desk, he felt like an emperor; in the theatre, he felt like a god.”
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I was not expecting C“At his writing desk, he felt like an emperor; in the theatre, he felt like a god.”
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I was not expecting CHARLES DICKENS AND THE GREAT THEATRE OF THE WORLD to be as interesting and engaging as it was. And I was impressed by how good a writer actor Simon Callow is. I especially enjoyed the connection Simon Callow makes between Dickens’s life and his love of theatre and theatricals. The integration of theatre performances at his home and traveling shows gives such insight into Dickens as a writer and as a person. It's a unique and enjoyable connection Mr. Callow uses to get the reader into the mind of this great writer. Mr. Callow does such a nice job getting into the mind of Dickens because he skillfully analyzes his work to get ideas about him as a person.
An unexpected delight in this text was reading about Dickens’s exuberant friendships. He loved his close friends dearly. They were integral to this life. Especially notable was his friendship with John Forster to whom, Dickens writes, “I look back with unmingled pleasure to every link which each ensuing week has added to the chain of our attachment.” John Forster was a constant presence in Dickens’ life, and he is in this book as well.
Quotes: • “He was learning to wear a mask, to conceal his inner life, to rise above his circumstances.” • “…he had learned, at an astonishingly early age, how to nourish his inner life, by observing and responding to the world around him.” • “Everything that had happened to him conspired to make him what he became; every last detail of it fed into his work.” • “…it is Ignorance and Want, the root causes, Dickens believed, of all the world’s malaise.” • “Dickens’s performances were triumphs of mind over matter: real acting is about mind in matter.” • “…in this brief life of ours, it is sad to do almost anything for the last time.” • “Literature was his wife, the theatre his mistress, and to the very end he was tempted to leave the one for the other.” • “It is one of the greatest of English Lives, both humbling and heart-warming, despite titanic flaws.”
One of the great strengths of this text is that Mr. Callow uses lots of primary sources. It makes the book feel relevant, vital, and in the here and now. The people in this book are alive in the present in his capable hands. Consider this description of Dickens’s laugh (written by one of his friends) and you cannot help but adore the man’s zest for life and companionship. “Right to the end, it is Dickens’s laughter that people remembered: ‘not poor, thin, arid, ambiguous laughter, that is ashamed of itself, that moves one feature, only of the face’, his friend Helps wrote, ‘but the largest and heartiest kind, irradiating his whole countenance, and compelling you to participate in his immense enjoyment of it.’”
In the text’s Forward Mr. Callow writes of Charles Dickens that he was “Human through and through, an inspiration and a bafflement.” Callow has successfully shown him to be just that in this wonderful book....more
I was not prepared to like HOW TO SAVE THE WEST as much as I did. I had heard Mr. Klavan on various podcasts and was “…hold on to what is truly real.”
I was not prepared to like HOW TO SAVE THE WEST as much as I did. I had heard Mr. Klavan on various podcasts and was impressed by his obvious intelligence. The premise of this book, that Western Civilization is facing some dire crises, but that the crises are not new, and have been successfully dealt with by Western Civ before is an intriguing one. The five crises that Mr. Klavan examines are the crises of reality, the body, meaning, religion, and regime. The organization of the text is that a “crisis” is examined in its modern iteration and then it is examined and dealt with through the wisdom and the practice of our forebears from ancient practice. And I was surprised at how very interesting an exercise that is! If there is one thing that this book makes abundantly clear, it is the Ecclesiastical admonition that “there is nothing new under the sun.” The story of history is one of endurance (that is also a biblical admonition) and this book is one that leans on that hope.
The 16-page Introduction to the book is brilliant. And I don’t use that word lightly. It is good! I kept going back to go over some sections of it again. By the end of the intro, I knew this book was going to be worth my time.
I am going to share a lot more quotes than I usually do, because this is one interesting text! Quotes: • “People become friends for various reasons: because they enjoy each other’s company, because they have some advantage to offer each other, or simply and purely because they recognize one another’s excellence of character.” • “Even for all the manuscripts that are lost heedlessly or burned in war, for all the towers that come crashing down, some things-the memory of lost republics, the nagging conviction that justice is eternal-endure. They endure because they too are God’s.” • “Your life is not some toy for you to bat listlessly at in search of a new thrill. It is a holy thing, made holy by the fact that everything you do and say has meaning.” • “Every worthwhile account of human life and experience depends on reference to concepts that have no meaningful location on a brain scan.” • “We are language-makers because God makes language, and the thing we try to express in all our utterance-whether in words or images or actions-is love.” • “All science takes place within the context of philosophy-within a universe of meaning and understanding.” • “There is a danger in a word like “love,” which has been so belittled as to look pathetic.” • “Love is what says with unbridled intensity. “this is good” and, by comparison, “this is evil.” • “Political and cultural authorities do not like to have their ignorance exposed.” • “Athens’ crisis of reality was everywhere, just like ours: to a man, practically everyone in power had abandoned real wisdom for the sake of personal gain.” • “…the neuroscience, though interesting, only confirms what our ancestral wisdom could have told us: that we learn, grow, and connect by imitating one another.” • “If everything is just matter, nothing can really mean anything.” • “If there truly is nothing beyond nature, both art and life are meaningless.” • “We breathe in stories like oxygen, and they shape who we become.” • “There is an inescapable feedback loop here; art is not only the object which receives our moral evaluations but also the teacher which informs them.” • “But anyone who wants art and human life to have significance should want to believe in God-otherwise, we have no ground to stand on.”
I listened to this book on audio, but I was so impressed by it that I will read it again. So, I went out and purchased a hard copy. HOW TO SAVE THE WEST is not a long book, but it is one that makes its rather profound points in a succinct and powerful manner.
At one point Klavan muses that the West is “used to rising from the ashes of its own ruin.” I am going to cling to that verdict. Civilizational battles are not new. May we take the best bits of the lessons of antiquity that preceded us and carry them forward....more
SMALL VICTORIES is a book I should not have liked at all. And at times, I didn’t. However, for the mo“Not everything is going to be okay.” (3.5 stars)
SMALL VICTORIES is a book I should not have liked at all. And at times, I didn’t. However, for the most part it kept my attention, and I enjoyed the read. I don't think I agree with Anne Lamott on one political or theological issue. In fact, I found her version of Christianity to be rather shallow and insipid. However, I can appreciate her skill at capturing the elegiac and the emotional. This collection of essays, grouped around the idea of the book’s subtitle (Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace) was a pleasant experience for me.
Miss Lamott is certainly not a biblical Christian. Her theology is very very liberal, which she takes great pains to point out all throughout the book. In the essay “Falling Better” she is especially heretical. At one point she makes the claim that if people she wants in Heaven, aren't there than she’s really not interested in going there herself. That's just stupid. The final essay, in this book, “Market Street” is awful. Miss Lamont tries to sell the reader an idea not rooted in reality.
There's a lot of death in the essays in this book. Lots of people dying. And in those moments of difficulty, I give immense credit to Ms. Lamott for finding beauty. Beauty that, that for the most part, she is successful in conveying in this book. I was uplifted while reading this text. The small things, the small graces that Lamott gleans from the mundane of the everyday are indeed gifts.
Quotes: • “It’s gone. We can mourn it, but we don’t have to get down in the grave with it.” • “…because we had come with dedication, with loving intention and attention, which is what makes something sacred.” • “Where is God in gang warfare? And the answer is, the same place God is in Darfur, and in our alcoholism, and when children are being bullied: being crucified.” • “Willingness to change, after all, comes only from pain.”
Lamott mentions her liberal political agenda, a lot, which is fine. I’m surprised it did not irritate more than it did, as I agree with none of her politics. And as mentioned, I agree with almost none of her interpretation of Christianity. But her essays have an elegiac sentimental tone to them which I appreciated very much. I’m not opposed to reading more of her output, just not sure when I will. To be determined....more
I’ve read (listened) to a Tim Tebow book. I’m set now. No more needed. What a platitudinous text. Take this nugget, ““…life isn’t just about one day.”
I’ve read (listened) to a Tim Tebow book. I’m set now. No more needed. What a platitudinous text. Take this nugget, “life can be challenging.” Thanks for the update, Tim!
I gave this book two stars because it is liberally filled with Bible verses. The verses are gold. The rest of the text is…not gold. Now, there is probably not one point in this book that I disagreed with Mr. Tebow on. I think the world would be better if more men were a bit more like him. As I said, I did not disagree with one point he made. It’s the way he makes the point that I take issue with. There are so many times where Tim Tebow’s preciousness and fake humility is seriously off putting. This book is filled with “humble brags”. Tebow has a high opinion of himself. If I had a dime for every time Tebow talks about seeing someone in an airport or some such place and they burst into tears at the sight of him, and he leads them out of the darkness…I’d have a dollar or two. He always says how “much he wants to bring hope.” Maybe he should have rephrased it to say that “Jesus brings hope.” Just a thought.
THIS IS THE DAY is a positive book. Tim Tebow is a good guy. But this book is surface level. If I’m going to read something like this, I want more meat. I’m sure this is a good read for some, just not for me....more
“How wonderful that God should have borne so long with me.”
Written in 1911, DEEPER EXPERIENCES OF FAMOUS CHRISTIANS is a sometimes poorly written text“How wonderful that God should have borne so long with me.”
Written in 1911, DEEPER EXPERIENCES OF FAMOUS CHRISTIANS is a sometimes poorly written text. It fluctuates greatly in terms of quality. This book draws from Christian history (and the Wesleyan holiness movement) to include many post-conversion experiences with the Holy Spirit, which author James Lawson believed to be the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The book’s Introduction is an interesting overview of a few major theological points and some of the various ways said points are interpreted by various Christian denominations/practices. The text is heavy on the theological concepts of “justification by faith”, “indwelling of the Holy Spirit”, etc.
Leaving all that aside, there are three persons considered in the book whose story, or an element of it, left an impression on me. First was that of Madame Guyon (who I had never heard of) a spiritual leader in France, whose life seems to have been the 15th century version of the biblical Job. Second was the chapter about the Welsh preacher Billy Bray, a man filled with joy. Consider this quote attributed to him; “Well, friends, I have been taking vinegar and honey, but praise the Lord, I’ve had the vinegar with a spoon and the honey with a ladle.” Finally, I enjoyed the chapter on Pastor A.B. Earle. It was comforting to read about a great man of God who still struggled long after he accepted the faith. Such lives seem possible to us and demonstrate the patience and love of God.
Quotes: • “So long as men have different degrees of light they are bound to differ in theory.” • “True joy and peace come from living by faith, without regard to feelings.” • “When we lose our inward happiness, we are very apt to think that we lose God, not considering the moral life of the soul does not consist in pleasure, but in union with God’s will, whatever that may be.” • “God preserves the lives of those who He has chosen for some great work.” • “This is the mystery of effective preaching. We must be endued with power from on high.” • “How reluctant we are to cleave to the Lord” How prone to creature dependencies.” • “When the Spirit, the Word, and the providence of God agree, we may be quite certain that the Lord is leading us, for these three are always in harmony and cannot disagree.” • “There must be full surrender before there can be full blessedness. God admits you by the one into the other.”
I believe that DEEPER EXPERIENCES OF FAMOUS CHRISTIANS is a book for a select audience. If you like brief autobiographical sketches of Christians (mostly Protestant) with some theology thrown in, you will find value here. Otherwise, this is probably not the book for you. For me, there were moments that I greatly enjoyed and I am glad I encountered this collection....more
“As with so many tragedies, our story opens with a moment of triumph.”
I read Dan Jones’ book THE PLANTAGENETS, THE WARRIOR KINGS AND QUEENS WHO MADE E“As with so many tragedies, our story opens with a moment of triumph.”
I read Dan Jones’ book THE PLANTAGENETS, THE WARRIOR KINGS AND QUEENS WHO MADE ENGLAND a while ago and I greatly enjoyed it. So, it was an easy decision to read his follow up to that text, THE WARS OF THE ROSES, THE FALL OF THE PLANTAGENETS AND THE RISE OF THE TUDORS. The book is a good overview of the tumultuous 15th century in England. From the gruesome execution that opens the text, to the coronation of Elizabeth 1st, which closes the epilogue, it makes for an exciting trip.
There is a lot of history in the stories that this concise and to the point explanation covers, and Mr. Jones takes this complicated and convoluted history and gives it to us in a digestible account. The book is endlessly fascinating and riveting, and all of it is true!
Quotes: • “For if the travails of the last six decades had taught Englishman anything, then it was that the prosperity of the kingdom was dependent heavily on the good sense of the man who wore the crown.” • “The wounds were passing into the realm of history and folklore.”
At one point Jones writes of this period in England’s history, “…this was a vicious and at times barely comprehensible period of deep political instability, which stemmed ultimately from a collapse in royal authority and English rule in France under Henry VI.” If there was one thing that THE WARS OF THE ROSES demonstrates it is that very point. I’m sure that this book leaves out many pertinent points, but if you want to be informed about England’s political history and have a good overview of the period and the aspects of this bloody time in England’s monarchial history, then this is the read for you.
I already have more books by Dan Jones on my “to read” pile. Looking forward to them. I know I will be entertained, and learn something to boot!...more
“If we do not unify around our common past, we can have no common future.” (3.5 stars)
I was pleasantly surprised by this text. It was not what I expe“If we do not unify around our common past, we can have no common future.” (3.5 stars)
I was pleasantly surprised by this text. It was not what I expected. I listened to it as an audiobook because I thought it would be more political than it was. It’s more history and political science theory then I was expecting. And that’s a good thing. A note, for me the audiobook took a little getting use to as Mr. Shapiro has a very quick reading pace, and I had to get used to his quick cadence.
Mr. Shapiro breaks down the American citizenry into two broad categories, Unionist and Disintegrationist. The rest of the book is an examination of how individuals view and live out their American lives considering the philosophy that seems to govern them. This dichotomy is broken down in a concise and interesting manner in the text’s Introduction.
As I read chapter one of HOW TO DESTROY AMERICA IN THREE EASY STEPS, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was real political science. It was an examination of principles and ideas, not parties or politics. As I progressed through the text it also became part history lesson. I did not always agree with the lesson that Shapiro took from history, but I appreciated his thoughts on it. An interesting note, although he is conservative Mr. Shapiro frequently disagrees with, and takes on, the views of others who call themselves conservative. This willingness to disagree with principles over common political cause was engaging to read. Examine the ideas, not just circle the wagons because we may have a common enemy.
Quotes: • “But encouraging better individual decision making doesn’t fit within the Disintegrationist worldview.” • “Disintegrationist history is designed to explain everything, but it fixes nothing.” • “The social media mob will come for anyone and everyone-even, hilariously enough, those who have egged on the social media mob.”
My favorite part of the experience was chapter 5 of this book, called “The American History”. It is an excellent, and interesting, overview of American policy as it relates to specific events from our founding to current day. It is 44 pages of concise, engaging, and thoughtful history and analysis. High school (or sadly college) classes should read it just to get an idea of the board sweep of American history so they can then begin to dive in and dissect and debate it.
HOW TO DESTROY AMERICA IN THREE EASY STEPS was a better experience than I was anticipating, and my attention was held. I had to think, engage, and digest its content, and I appreciate books/writers that do that. Plus, the ideas it presents are well thought out. I’ll read another book of Mr. Shapiro’s at some point....more
DEEPENING YOUR CONVERSATION WITH GOD is a book that was given to me decades ago. I’m just now reading it. And it was what I ne“Ora Labora” (3.5 stars)
DEEPENING YOUR CONVERSATION WITH GOD is a book that was given to me decades ago. I’m just now reading it. And it was what I needed to read at this season in my life, so I guess I picked it up when I was supposed to. I found it a stimulating text, and one that gave me reason to think and ponder. Right off the bat the first chapter in the book doles out some truth on the role and purpose of prayer in our lives. For me, they were sobering and needed thoughts.
I’ll focus on a couple of highlights from the text, but first I want to say that this book is not a how-to manual. I think some folks approach it in that manner. Rather it is an analysis of the role of prayer and its importance in the life of a Christian. Highlights: - The text emphasizes that prayer is work, necessary work. Chapter two, “Our Real Work” gives a nice analysis of this practicality. - I appreciated the author’s thoughts on the dangers of an impersonal God. It is an often-overlooked aspect of a nominal Christian life. - The word “yada” means “to know”. The author gives an excellent exegesis about this phrase. - Chapter 6 has some eye opening (at least for me) examinations of the role of praise in one’s faith. It made some very powerful points about how praise is needed even during personal failure, etc. Which is counter to my practice. To my own detriment. - I was heartened to read a section where the author discusses being angry with God and not trying to hide that in our dialogue with Him. I have long thought the same thing, and it was nice to see it agreed with.
Quotes: • “God often illustrates for you in the life of another a blessing that He desires for you.” • “…the business of the church is to pray.” • “When we lose God’s view of things we lose perspective on everything else, too.” • “The logic of secularization is busyness.” • “The choices we make when we are not motivated are the most critical of our Christian walk.” • “Before it is anything else, lack of prayer is a lack of hunger for God.” • “With simplicity comes gratitude and joy.” • “Prayer is both a ‘must’ and a ‘may’, an obligation and a gift.” • “To know something is good, even great. To be known is transforming.” • “Questions are critical to faith.” • “Answered prayer comes from His living in us and our living in Him.”
The final chapter of DEEPENING YOUR CONVERSATION WITH GOD includes some thoughtful points about corporate prayer, which I think would be good for any Christian to consider. Worship and prayer with others are vital to the Christian walk.
This text kept my attention, and I found that reading a bit of it every day gave me some insightful ideas to contemplate. I appreciate it for that....more
Alex Kershaw is fast becoming one of my favorite nonfiction writers on the subject of WW II. This is the third book of “You are to hold at all costs.”
Alex Kershaw is fast becoming one of my favorite nonfiction writers on the subject of WW II. This is the third book of his I have read, and none have disappointed. THE LONGEST WINTER is about 18 men in the American 99th Army Division, who in December of 1944 were responsible for slowing a massive German surprise attack in the Belgian village of Lanzareth at the very beginning of what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. For eighteen hours these men (who were merely part of a reconnaissance team) slowed the German advance. Miraculously, all 18 men who fought in that battle survived the war, this even though many were wounded, and most ended up under horrible conditions in POW camps.
This text has a slow start, but Mr. Kershaw is doing what he does best…making the people of history come alive by exploring their humanity and the mundane of their lives. By his doing this we recognize ourselves and become more invested in what we are reading.
Like the previous Kershaw books I have read, this one is composed of several human moments that stick with the reader. Here are just a few. - A wounded GI left unattended by his captors on the outside of a rail car in the cold Belgian winter recites the 23rd Psalm repeatedly as his anesthetic to distract from the pain of his wound. - An army chaplain contemplates the bodies of 40 dead GIs, POWs who have just been killed by friendly Allied fire, just days before the war’s end. - An old German woman gives two POWs some bread smothered with butter and jelly as they are marched by her house on the way to a camp. - An allied nurse cries as she cradles the body of a dying German SS soldier. - Allied POWs sit in boxcars at Dachau as the SS work feverishly to exterminate more “undesirables” in the war’s final days. Mr. Kershaw excels at making the historical personal, and this text is no exception.
Quotes: • “…the truly brave go mostly unrewarded.” • “I give you the gallant men of the I&R platoon, 394th Infantry, 99th Infantry Division, and the high honors-however belated- now bestowed upon them.”
Due to happenstance circumstances, the men of this brave platoon were not recognized by their government for many years. But I am thankful for books like THE LONGEST WINTER that will live on and ensure that moments (and people) like this, moments that are so consequential in the history of Western Civilization, will be preserved for future generations to learn from. I am a beneficiary of the sacrifices of this generation, and writers like Mr. Kershaw powerfully remind me of this....more
I listened to AMERICAN CRUSADE as an audio book, so it felt more like a podcast to me. If I had sat and read it I’m not sur“…but as history shows us…”
I listened to AMERICAN CRUSADE as an audio book, so it felt more like a podcast to me. If I had sat and read it I’m not sure how I would have felt about it. It was read by its author, Pete Hegseth, and since its content is about the political and cultural world, it is a natural fit for the audio format.
The book was written in 2019/2020, and it was interesting to see what it had gotten right, and wrong, since that time. Some of the things that Hegseth accurately called out include extreme leftist goals with sex (gender), immigration, and the American border. He nailed it, and the subsequent 4 years have proven that. However, he also got some things very wrong, the funniest example being Kanye West’s Christian conversion. Oops!
The text is especially spot on when it talks about education (a field I have been in for a long time) and the benefits of a “classical education.”
When Mr. Hegseth wades into religious waters he gets in a little too deep for him. It’s occasionally cringe, especially when he tries to explicate and impress with his thoughts on Christianity.
It was not a bad listen, overall. Although I certainly did not agree with some of the book, I did not dismiss it because there were parts that I did not see eye to eye with....more
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