100 Word Reviews
Here are some short reviews for books that have been sitting in my review pile for far too long. I’ll have a few more of these reviews this week, most of them a hundred words or less. One of the reviews below is a little big longer.
Lost and Found asks, “Who are the young unchurched, and how can they be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ?” The book comes in three sections. First: who younger adults are, and what they think about God. Second: the needs of the younger unchurched. Finally: some churches that are reaching younger adults. Some interesting facts. For instance: “Younger folks are generally less ‘fed up’ with religion than older unchurched people.” Section wrap-ups are helpful. I sometimes got lost in the statistics. Recommended for church leaders who want to reach the younger unchurched.
Through the Storm is the inside story of the family of Britney Spears, written by Lynne Spears, the mother. I heard there was going to be more to this book than it would appear, but There wasn’t. It’s not a bad book exactly, but it’s just what you would expect. I don’t think it’s worth the time.
I’d prefer that this type of book wasn’t written. More importantly, I wish that this type of book wasn’t published by a Christian publishing house like Thomas Nelson. This is the type of book that used to make me cynical when I worked at a Christian book store. It feeds into our celebrity culture and to our shallowness. Don’t get me wrong: I’m sure Lynne Spears is a wonderful person. But we are far too trite in wanting to read all the details of a celebrity family’s life.
Michael Hyatt, publisher, gave four reasons why they chose to publish this book, and concluded, “I am proud that we published this book.” I wish I hadn’t have listened. The fact that I’m reviewing this book is also a cautionary tale for bloggers who choose to accept free books for review. Think before you accept.
Who Owns the World is a fascinating book that explores who owns land in every country and territory in the world. A fun book to flip through. It turns out that Queen Elizabeth II owns a sixth of the entire land surface on Earth – but that’s because she technically owns all of Canada and Australia. This book is more than fun facts. Only 15% of the world’s population lays claim to land. Could too much land in the hands of too few people be a leading cause of poverty?
Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions came from a web experiment: allow people to post questions to a church website, and then to vote on the top questions. It covers issues on birth control, predestination, sexual sin, and dating. Classic Driscoll: blunt, clear, irreverent. If you like Driscoll, you’ll like this book.
Praying With the Church is a helpful book that introduces the practice of praying at regular hours – ancient rhythms that would have been known to Jesus, and that are known throughout the world. Most of us are not happy with our prayer lives. This book provides some structured help without becoming legalistic. If you’re not familiar with praying the hours, I recommend this book.
