Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, Shelby Steele
This is certainly not the only book to read on race, but it is a good one to add into the mix. The friend who recommended it to me said, ‘More than any other book I read this year, this is the one I wanted to read through again in a small group with people of differing perspectives.’ Steele’s poignant account of racism in his own experience (he’s African American) and his argument that today’s liberalism is not about helping people like him as much as it is about moving from relativism to dissociation to legitimacy to power was enlightening. This is a book to be read slowly, discussed, digested, and—though I don’t know anything about Steele’s personal faith or lack thereof—dare I say, even prayed over.
What Our Leaders Want Us to Read
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, Ed Catmull
Curtis Andrusko, Communications Pastor
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Creativity, Inc. takes the proverbial box, steps out of it, reshapes it, then steps back in. It’s not simply about the new way that Pixar did things, but more about an entirely new way of thinking about doing things for any organization. By using the backdrop of some of my favorite movies, it was able to deliver valuable, insightful, and actionable lessons straight onto my desk and immediately into my team.
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History, Kurt Anderson
Bruce Ashford, Directional Elder
Fantasyland is a fast-paced and provocative book. In it, Kurt Anderson explores 500 years of American history, but especially the last 50 years, concluding that America has become untethered from reality. Anderson is not a Christian. I disagree with many of his interpretations. But the book is well worth reading. (For my summary and critique of the book, check out my review).
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson
Derrick Delain, Campus Pastor
Just Mercy is an easy-to-read book that shows the injustice of our justice system. This book will make you upset to see that there is an ongoing epidemic in our justice system on how it treats the poor and the oppressed. As a follower of Jesus, who prays for God to be revealed here on earth as it is in heaven, mercy in every sphere should be something we seek to make happen. Bryan Stevenson paints a picture of where we have missed the mark and how we can grow in it.
Bonus: This was also on Pastor J.D.’s “Best Books of 2016.” Here’s what he said about it: “Stevenson’s work on the unjust treatment of some criminals, particularly minorities, is heartbreaking and compelling. On the whole, I found this book to be both enlightening and challenging. Stevenson seems to lack a consistent ethical framework that makes his understanding of ‘justice’ incomplete at times. But for those of us in the majority culture, the awareness he raises is invaluable.”
