Enlightening and Honest- but not perfect
359721
This book might be the most honest, real, and straightforward examination of race and the history of race and class that I have ever read.  Coates presents his research, experiences, and personal awakenings in the form of a letter to his adolescent son.  Placed in a framework that includes Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and his personal friend, Prince Jones, Coates attempts to understand and explain the racial divides that plague our nation's history and unfortunately, our present.  Coates' research of the Civil War proves to be both enlightening and relevant.  The editor's note reveals that this book was initially supposed to be a collection of essays about the Civil War, but the events of the past few years turned the book into a response on race, history, and culture.

I cannot purport to know or understand all of Coates' experiences, but I'm interested in his insight and his story.  What he writes may cause you to react in a way that you didn't expect, and you may reject some of what he says.  There's nothing wrong with that.  That's a part of the intellectual process, and Coates seems to understand this.  This is a timely read, and one you most likely won't forget.
37286
As America's "culture war" rages on, it seems that little common ground has been reached between secular liberals and Christian conservatives. In hopes of better understanding the Evangelical movement, Berkeley-born Jewish atheist Gina Welch embarks on an undercover journey that brings her to the Thomas Road megachurch founded by Jerry Falwell. As a Thomas Roader, Welch gets baptized, experiences a newfound spiritual emotion she calls "Feeling X" at church concerts, and even helps to win souls on a mission trip to Alaska. Despite her initial disdain for the right-wing politics and religious fervor of the people she meets, she is open to learning from them, and she forges relationships that both affirm and challenge her stereotypes.

IN THE LAND OF BELIEVERS is part ethnography and part memoir. Although the author doesn't have any grand epiphanies about the Evangelical psyche, I found her descriptions of Thomas Road and its members engrossing. There's young, punky Xander; Ray, the genial singles ministry leader; the overbearing and rather chauvinistic Wyatt; and Alice, a thoughtful young woman Welch grows close to. In some ways, they live up to Welch's expectations by making homophobic comments and insulating themselves from outsiders. At the same time, she discovers that she has more in common with them than she'd anticipated. Her experiences at Thomas Road impact her in unexpected ways; for instance, she becomes less cynical and more upbeat.

Throughout her time at Thomas Road, Welch faces an ethical dilemma: her undercover story means she must hide her identity and participate in religious rites she doesn't believe in. During the mission trip, these ethical concerns are compounded by the fact that she has to proselytize, including to children (and some of the evangelism tactics used with the kids strike her as emotionally manipulative). At first, Welch plans to keep her emotional distance from the Thomas Roaders in order to avoid betraying their trust, but as close bonds begin to form, this becomes difficult. As I read, I kept wondering whether she would reveal her secret and, if she did, how her new companions would react. The deception made me cringe inwardly, though it's quite possible she would not have been able to write such a candid book had she not posed as an insider.

It is important to bear in mind that this particular community doesn't represent all Evangelicals. As the book mentions briefly, many Evangelicals--especially younger ones--are moving away from the staunch conservatism of Falwell. In any case, the contrast between Welch's background and her new surroundings make for very interesting reading.
3782963
Still informative if a bit more "spiritual" than I had thought
917704
While I do not agree with Dr. Brown on every matter, I absolutely appreciate his intellectual honesty to face matters that can be somewhat unfamiliar to most. He is fair with the concepts which he approaches and does a fine job delineating opposing view points in such a way so as to not fall into the all too familiar "straw man" category. There are a myriad of topics which he covers and the main thrust of the book is to simply encourage thoughtful reflection on these issues while presenting the truth of G-d's instruction. Is Dr. Brown flawless on every issue? Of course not, but that is not the point. The bottom line is a call to engage in discussion over these issues in order to better understand our own hearts, the people with whom we interact, and the vexing world around us. The essay's in this work do not presume to solve all of the nuances and difficulties surrounding the complexities of the subject material at hand, but Dr. Brown certainly does challenge everyone regardless of his/her worldview. I would highly recommend this collection of topical discussions to anyone who is interested in any of them.
311912
Like the reviewer below, I found Prof. Fairbairn's dialogical approach to be both sympathetic and enlightening. He may miss a minor point or two (e.g., Mt. Athos is the site of 20 monasteries, not a single monastery), but the heart of the matter--the heart of Orthodoxy--is well expressed. Unlike the reviewer below, the idea of juxtaposing "the Orthodox" with "Christians" strikes me as painfully ignorant; fortunately, such a division does not figure in Prof. Fairbairn's important book.
3827211
I give this book a 4/5 because it was interesting and engaging, but I don't totally agree with it. I love the examples and the stories he told from Billy Gates to the Korean Piolets to his own family, and I enjoyed the IQ examples and the charts in the book. I also loved the idea of "meaningful" work, no matter how tedious, being able to lift a family up. The overall idea on time, place, race, and culture leading to success makes sense, but it isn't all in the control of our choices, other's choices, and opportunities. I believe that those boundaries can be pushed and broken by those who try hard enough. I do see his points, however, and I think reading the book has been a great experience.
4008864
This is a great, entertaining book that provides a lot of great insights into what motivates people to do what they do, act how they act, and change when they (want to) change.  It's very candid and often brutally honest and you won't necessarily feel comfortable the whole time you're reading it, but in the end it will be worth it.  Yes, it would be nice if some of the grammatical aspects were cleaned up, but these aren't too pervasive such that the message of the book is impacted.
2415961
I like the anecdotes, although simplified, condensed, and likely taken out of context.  The author points out things which should be obvious but most of us need refreshers from time to time.  It can be somewhat depressing to see life portrayed in such cold, callous terms, but there is some truth to it.  I would not advise someone to live one's life by these "laws", but the author does point out that the "laws" do not apply to everyone.
3668231
From the author's accounts of her father's abuse to the accounts of her mother's purposeful indifference, the journey she describes in Saved from Silence is a difficult one to read.  Brutally honest yet mercifully sparse on prurient details, the reader gets a full sense of the hopelessness of the author's childhood.  Yet woven through her life story are glimpses of her true worth in God's eyes - the worth she seems to live in today.  Anyone struggling with a sense of worth, and certainly anyone struggling with the effects of abuse, can find hope in Ms. Richardson's story.
404735
While visiting a local church over the summer, the minister recommended this book as they were doing a series on finances.  Living in a suburb and often questioning some of the cultural norms of the area in which we live, I got my name on the list at the library to take my turn at reading it.

The strength of the work is that if you read it with a willing and open mind, it will trigger you to question some of the things we automatically do and take for granted in our culture.  There are some really good points about the role of sports (and other activities) in our lives and our willingness to let them take precedence over quiet time and church attendance.  It also addresses the "keeping up with Jonses" mentality that is often prevalent when people are constantly comparing their lives/possessions with other people's and measuring how they are doing.

The weaknesses of the book are two-fold in my mind:  1)  the book is fairly choppy in its writing style and quotes from so many different sources versus being written smoothly that I was constantly having to really "work" at reading it.  I would have to go back and re-read sections not because they were so profound, but because I really didn't understand the point he was trying to make and needed another attempt to glean the message and 2)  many of the issues he attributes to the suburbs are true of current culture in general.  Envy of other's possessions, church-hopping to find the right fit, and taking undue pride in your children's accomplishments, your job, your home are just as abundant in the urban areas as suburban areas.

While there were definitely some interesting nuggets and food for thought, they were more difficult to glean and not as bountiful as I had hoped.  Being a library book, I was fine but had I paid full price, I think I would be unhappy.  Could have been better than it was.
1477223
In Craving Grace, Lisa Velthouse shares about her very intense and at times very public attempts to measure up to what she thought a good Christian should be, the failings that brought it all unstuck and the discoveries about God's grace she made in the process.

Lisa is quite a compelling writer. I got through the book quite quickly because it was an enjoyable and at times quite thought provoking read. In places she is very honest about some of her failings or things she has believed or thought in the past that weren't very biblical. Some readers might find it a bit shocking but I appreciated it. Although my experiences have been in some ways quite different, I could certainly relate to some of it. Thankfully the book doesn't just talk about the ways she feel short but also really beautifully reflects on how God's grace is something we cannot earn but are given as a gift.

The main thing I didn't like about the book was that the chapters not all being in the order events happened sometimes made it a little bit harder to follow the story than was probably necessary.

I think all Christians could benefit from the message about God's grace this book presents, however it would be particularly helpful for those who feel like they need to earn God's approval.
2367557
Phil takes you through his year-long quest to tell the truth.  The book is written in diary format.  You definitely see success, failure, humor and his journey with his relationship with God.  While I'm sure the book was meant to be humorous, sometimes I had difficulty discerning when his writing was a `joke' or actual events.  It was an easy, quick read but not necessarily one that I would rush to pick back up again.  I applaud his efforts to live a year without lying, but I don't really think it was a book-worthy event.
393111
Sally Quinn led an interesting life with opportunity and love in this go-round that many of us will not know. Sometimes it felt a bit as if she was bragging, but I don't think any of it was meant that way, and I tried always to put it into the context of what she was sharing. Her life with its travels, politicians, and celebrity was really true for her. But it isn't a life without heartbreak, and this book was about her spiritual journey through her life in relationship to life's voyage. I felt it went a bit long and repetitive in the end, but overall I can relate to where she finally came to a deep appreciation for ritual in connection to finding greater meaning in her life.
3172914
Kenneth W. Daniels has documented his journey from evangelical missionary to naturalist in an honest and engaging way.  There is no anger, bitterness, or arrogance shown towards his believing friends, family and readers which I found refreshing.  The authors of many atheist books I've read tend to come across as arrogant and frankly quite fundamentalist in their views. I found Kenneth's insights into his former religious beliefs, his inquiry into and subsequent loss of his faith compelling.
4791971
Kathleen Norris's love of the English language makes her often a joy to read. Her stories are often riveting, and some of her chapters are spectacular.
Amazing Grace often left me sad, though, since Norris's understanding of Christianity, Scripture, and religion are so modified by her own desires. This is an interesting book about religion, and much of it is very good, but unfortunately large parts of it are not true. Norris seems to like the idea of religion in general (leaning toward Christianity, but finding other religions more or less equally true), but she has a lot of "escape hatches." Particularly since she sees no need for Scripture to be "literally" true, but rather poetically true--apparently just a guide to religious experience--she can explain away the hard passages. But without the hard passages, the beautiful ones lose their power also. Without the beautiful ones--for example, eternity, grace, and God's absolute holiness--Christianity isn't worth the work. Because indeed Christianity is not a "pretty" religion that's always fun, with converts always getting along in perfect harmony and experiencing full joy and wonderful lives. But without hard truths like the damnation sin deserves, grace is meaningless.
It was odd to see a Buddhist quoted about his feelings about John 14:6 (Jesus' assertion that He is the only way to God, He is the truth, and He is the life). A Buddhist has by definition rejected John 14:6, and thus his feelings about its "niceness" are irrelevant. Similar "all religions have the same meaning and the same ultimate end" passages appear throughout the book. But religions are not all the same; they contradict each other on the most important points, and insisting there's no big difference between them is saying it doesn't really matter whether or not a religion is true.
Christianity isn't about calming our troubled psyches with charming music and religious gatherings; it isn't even about how we define words (although that is important). But it is about truth-and the truth is that Jesus Christ has offered us truly amazing grace, forgiveness to cancel even the greatest sins we have done. This book takes the reader only partway, and that may be a valuable service as long as the reader doesn't stop only partway but takes the next step. The next step is to read what the Bible itself says.
Start with what it says about Jesus. He's not at all the way you've pictured Him, if you've never read the Bible for yourself. (If you haven't read the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, start with one of them.) For one thing, Jesus had no sympathy for organized religion that avoided truth, failed to love people, and justified its followers' own pet sins. He got in trouble with religious leaders because He showed love and forgiveness to very sinful people (prostitutes, tax collectors who cheated innocent citizens, etc.). In fact, the religious leaders were the ones who got Him killed-which should say something about how far from a vaguely spiritual "all religions are equal" He must have been!
2188452
The beauty of Dr. Sowell's life as chronicled in the book is its witness to the fact that clear, honest thinking puts one in a minority, regardless of race or class or "station" in life, and that ultimately people come around to respect you for it and you can accomplish so much if you stay that course.
So many times Dr. Sowell came to a place where the stated mission was later found contrary to the real priorities of his superiors, who thwarted so many of his efforts to accomplish the stated mission.  When he would finally corner them into admitting their ulterior motives and obstructionism, they had the choice of changing policies or accepting his resignation.  Few people have resigned from so many places, and fewer still were later sought by the same places with promises that, really, it will be different this time.
It is also wonderful to behold someone who thinks like an economist virtually ALL THE TIME.  He asks, why should blacks spend any energy protesting against a fifth-rate school for not admitting them?  Especially when the best schools WERE admitting them?  Can not that energy be better used elsewhere?  Good questions.  This kind of thinking is so prevalent in the book it inspires one to emulate it as a matter of lifestyle.
True, this is not a tell-all, and some things are left mysteries (like why exactly he parted with his unnamed first wife).  Perhaps some such things are best left unanswered.  After all, we are talking about DR. Thomas Sowell, not MR. Geraldo Rivera.  I think we learned enough to understand the man and allow him to keep his dignity, and yes, respect the privacy of the other players, guilty or not.
This is a compelling story which is not easily put down once started.
1759074
I enjoyed reading this book. It is obvious that the author has selected the most sincere questions and responses from what must be a great collection of sticky material. Some topics are amusing, some heartbreaking, but all of them are honest.

Adding the opinion of experts on each topic provides a great summary, while still allowing the reader to ponder the question and arrive at his own conclusion, or at least arrive at a better understanding about persons different from himself.

We need this book, if for nothing else, than to open our minds to understanding, tolerance and acceptance.