Book Recommendations

We are about a quarter of the way through the year and I have read about 15 books. I figured now would be a good time to drop some recommendations if you’re trying to find something to read yourself.

Here are my top 5 picks for the year so far:

On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by Alan Noble

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read on dealing with mental health and the burdens of life as a Christian. Alan walks well through what it means to rely on Jesus when sometimes the hardest thing to do is get out of bed. We are all going through something and I think this book will prove as a valuable resource for years to come. If you only read one book, let it be this one. 

Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say by Preston Sprinkle

When I talk to teens today one of the main reasons they cite for not wanting to be a part of the Church is our track record on LGBT issues. While I do not advocate calling good what God has not called good, we are well past the days of just saying “God said no.” People today require (and I argue deserve) well reasoned, thoughtful, empathetic answers to their questions. Preston Sprinkle equips Christians to speak well on this issue while pointing us back to the same compassion Christ would give. 

Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” by Héctor Tobar

Part memoir and part historical narrative, this book is an excellent tracing of the history of Latino people. Hector tells the story of his family, his life, and how the various peoples of the Hispanic diaspora came to be. I think it’s important for us to read stories that are not our own. To love people well is to do your best to understand them. 

The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory by Abigail Favale 

I read this book immediately after Embodied. Abigail traces the history of gender theory and grounds Christians in what it means to be made in the image of God, why that matters, and how Christians can honor God in their expression of that. I think this book provides the perfect balance to Sprinkle’s Embodied. 

The Tyranny of Merit: Can We Find the Common Good by Michael Sandel 

As an amateur sociologist (I’ll be a real one day), I love reading books that study people and society. This book looks at the idea that outcomes are more often the products of our social positions than they are our efforts. It is not that we haven’t worked hard but that we have received more help than we care to admit and based on where you start, your end can be predicted fairly accurately. Think, a more scientific Outliers.

As you start to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine, take a book with you!