What I'm Reading - July 22'
July has been a busy month, unsurprisingly. Summer brings all kinds of activities, schedule changes, etc. Our family was able to get away for a week at the beach, which our kids always greatly enjoy. Tera and I always come back exhausted!
But, as always, I’ve been turning pages this month. Here’s what I’ve been reading…
Theology/Doctrine
I have been reading and pursuing some new works coming from Christian Counselor Eliza Huey. She works with the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF), and is producing some really great resources for parents.
This month I have been reading her book Raising Kids in a Screen-Saturated World. Be on the lookout for my review soon. You can read my review of her book, Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids here.
Biography
I haven't mentioned this on the blog yet, but my favorite biographer is Robert Caro. He’s spent his life evaluating how people gain and use power. He’s done this by focusing on two men:
Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. Caro’s work on Johnson, called, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, is a magisterial work of biography. In its current form, it spans 4 volumes totaling more than 3,000 pages. Caro, who is himself 86 years old, is currently writing the 5th and final volume in the series.
I’ve read this series and it far and away ranks among my most favorite books I’ve ever read. Not because I like LBJ (I don't!), but because Caro is such a good writer.
Caro’s other book, his first, The Power Broker, is a biography of Robert Moses, the great builder of New York City in the middle of the 20th century. It is a 1200 page tome, and I have been working on it for a while. But, sadly, I’m nearing the end.
If you are a serious reader, I can't recommend Caro highly enough.
My Grandfather’s Son.
This is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ autobiography. It’s been on my shelf for a while at the recommendation of someone, and I finally read it this month. It was an interesting read from a personal and historical perspective. I was surprised and a bit disappointed by some of the things recorded in its pages, and, as always, I learned some very interesting things. People’s lives are fascinating!
Culture
Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates wrote this book attempting to explain the Black Church in America. Because I enjoy learning and seeing things from another's perspective, I was eager to read Gates’ work. I found it informative, challenging, and intriguing. One of my main takeaways, if Gates’ perspective is correct, is that the black and white communities of America have a very different idea about what Church is and what it is for.
Not that we disagree on theological issues (although we do). That was not the point of the book. Rather, Gates’ contention is that the Black Church in America is a peculiar cultural force. Interesting read!
Health and Fitness.
This month I began from the Harvard Medical School entitled Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. I am on a journey to learn more and more about food, its effect on my body, and more. This book has been one of the more helpful for me in this category. It's a bit long (close to 300 pages), but is easy to read and really informative.
It's really interesting how far the USDA’s food pyramid and healthy plate recommendations seem to be from what is actually healthy. Read it and see for yourself…
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