Have you ever been wounded by a church, or do you know someone who has been? Have you ever wished you had the right book on your shelf, something solid and helpful you could read and pass along? That book is finally here! It is destined to become a classic. I am privileged to call Carol Howard … [Read more...] about Healing Spiritual Wounds, an interview with Carol Howard Merritt
There’s a Woman in the Pulpit, a biased book review
I?m a woman who's spent a good portion of my career occupying pulpits. In some circles a preaching woman is seen as a problem. Now comes a book that normalizes my life: "There's a Woman in the Pulpit." What a gift! I?ve always wanted to feel normal. That's why I was so happy to contribute to this … [Read more...] about There’s a Woman in the Pulpit, a biased book review
The Fifth Season: A Daughter-in-Law’s Memoir of Caregiving
"The Fifth Season" is an honest, yet poetic, account of a difficult experience: caregiving for an elderly person. An added complication is that the person requiring care both is/isn't a relative. She is in that unique role: mother in law. The author, Lisa Ohlen Harris, brings all of herself to … [Read more...] about The Fifth Season: A Daughter-in-Law’s Memoir of Caregiving
Lean In? Thoughts on Partnership from Sheryl Sandberg’s book
There's a lot of talk in my circles about Sheryl Sandberg's new book, "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead." If you missed the chatter: Sheryl Sandberg is a success: Harvard degrees and a career climb that included positions in the World Bank and Google, before landing her as the COO of … [Read more...] about Lean In? Thoughts on Partnership from Sheryl Sandberg’s book
The Year of Living . . . with a Beard
After reading A.J. Jacob's book,?The Year of Living Biblically, I decided to follow a friend's recommendation and read Ed Dobson's book The Year of Living Like Jesus. The two books are quite different. Jacobs was raised as a secular Jew, and his book feels a bit like a stunt, a follow-up to spending … [Read more...] about The Year of Living . . . with a Beard
We Don’t Live Here Anymore, by Andre Dubus, a book review
Another quick book review, this time fiction (I try to alternate fiction and non-fiction reading). Three novellas by Andre Dubus II: We Don't Live Here Anymore, Adultery, Finding a Girl in America. The three novellas are linked by the cast of characters, although they are from different points of … [Read more...] about We Don’t Live Here Anymore, by Andre Dubus, a book review
Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer, a book review
I just finished reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. I found it quite captivating, as the narrative moves back and forth between two interesting true stories: the early history of the Mormon church, and a recent double murder committed by two brothers who thought they were fulfilling … [Read more...] about Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer, a book review
Tiger Mother
I can't recall a book that has gotten as much publicity as Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Clicking that link will bring you to an excerpt (in case you somehow missed the hubbub). What are my thoughts? 1. I don't believe that something is fun only when you're good at it and therefore we … [Read more...] about Tiger Mother
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation, by Charles Barber, a book review
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation, by Charles Barber, is worth reading, if only for the H.L. Mencken quotation in the prologue: "There is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong." Barber begins with statistics and commentary about the … [Read more...] about Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation, by Charles Barber, a book review