My Christmas gift to you
Here are my favorite books that I read this year. I hope you might enjoy them too.
I read a LOT of books this year about trauma for my Doctor of Ministry project. Many of them were extremely informative. But for Christmas I would like to gift you with a list of books that, while not trauma-free (as you’ll see), are not wholly about deep despair. Here were my favorite reads in 2024:
Non-fiction
Lovely One: A Memoir by Ketanji Brown Jackson. I learned so much about the most recent appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court, from her formative influences to her core commitments, parenting style, and career path to the highest court.
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham. You will be amazed that humankind ever sent people into space and returned them safely after reading this. This author also wrote Midnight in Chernobyl, which I recommend.
Medgar and Myrlie: Myrlie Evers and the Love Story that Awakened America by Joy-Ann Reid. I went too long without being aware of Medgar Evers’ civil rights legacy. This book chronicles his efforts, his marriage, and his wife Myrlie Evers-Williams’ own long career in fighting for justice after his murder.
A Beautiful Constraint: How to Transform Limitations into Advantages, and Why It’s Everyone’s Business by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden. Though written as a business book, A Beautiful Constraint has many applications in the church world, framing limitations as creative challenges.
The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future by Robert P. Jones. Every book by Robby Jones is a must read. His latest work ties together the genocide of Native Americans and the oppression of Black people in the U.S., creating a deeper understanding of who we have been as a country and who we can yet be.
Spare by Prince Harry. I am not a royal watcher - or rather, I wasn’t until a friend convinced me to watch Suits and I became invested in Meghan Markle, the spouse of Prince Harry. Spare is a harrowing account of a child who lived in the public eye and lost his mother in her attempt to evade paparazzi, thereafter set adrift to navigate his pain with little emotional or practical support. As an adult he saw his wife tormented in the same ways as his mother and ultimately made the choice to give up not only the royal life but family relationships, such as they were.
Fiction
The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez. This epic tale follows several memorable characters of varying backgrounds and social locations during the building of the Panama Canal.
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley. Rowley follows up The Guncle, one of my favorite novels of all time, with a sequel about how grief evolves over time and how joy is still possible in the midst of it. Despite the heavy content, both books are very funny. I highly recommend the audiobook versions.
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate. This book takes place in two timelines, with both speaking to the need to honor and protect children and to the conflict between those who honor and rightfully tend the land and those who would exploit it.
The Defector by Chris Hadfield. This is one of those books that checks all my boxes: Cold War-era, space program, and thriller. It’s written by a former astronaut and is the sequel to The Apollo Murders, which I also enjoyed.
The Maid, The Mystery Guest, and The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose. I find the protagonist of these books, who says she struggles at reading social cues, highly likeable and relatable. Prose does a great job of building a world full of people who are both (predictably) cruel to Molly and who deeply love and respect her, and this world is the setting for mysteries in which Molly is both suspect and detective.
Church-specific
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human by Cole Arthur Riley. This is a must-have for your shelf. Riley has a gift for deeply prayerful words, shared in both stories and more traditional prayer formats.
When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation Beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation by Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertrand. The title has a double meaning: when church is in decline and when church stops trying so hard. This book takes Root’s multi-volume work on the Church in a secular age and makes it more accessible and practical.
What books did you read this year that made a big impression on you?
Do you have remaining professional development funds for 2024? Check out my round-up coaching special for clergy or buy a subscription to this Substack! It provides you with weekly theological reflections, practical ministry tips, and original resources, and there is a bonus post each month just for paying subscribers.
Great list. Thanks for the recommendations. I just finished reading "Let's Take the Long Way Home," by Gail Caldwell, one of the most beautiful memoirs I've ever read. And I loved "Tits Up," about the world of breasts, as seen by plastic surgeons, nursing mothers, sex workers, and others. Merry Christmas to you and your beloveds.