Top 10 Books I read in 2024
It was the Nobel prize winning poet and essayist, Joseph Brodsky, who once observed, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
Ooof. Kind of harsh, Joe. But while I would not go so far as to say a failure to read is a crime, a great communicator who doesn’t read is like a talented football player who doesn’t study film: At some point it’s going to catch up with you.
As we are now days away from the close of another year (so hard to believe), I thought I’d share with you the ten best books I have read in 2024:
#10: Black Fundamentalist’s, by Daniel R. Bare
Many in the black church of the Jim Crow era harbored well deserved reservations when it came to being labeled “fundamentalist’s,” because their white counterparts, while having sound theology in some doctrines, did not engage in racial equality, which ironically, is poor doctrine. But on the other hand, there were many black pastors and preachers who did not want to abandon the rich biblical teachings of the faith in a quest for racial equality. There was a way to do both, they correctly argued. Daniel Bare, through sound scholarship, gives us their story.
#9: Dinners with Ruth, by Nina Totenberg
Nina Totenberg chronicles her decades-long unlikely friendship with Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s not often you see a journalist (Nina) getting close with a member of the highest court, but that’s exactly what happened. I found myself tearing up as these two women dropped everything to help each other through divorces, cancer and all that life tends to throw at us. In an era of division, this book gave me hope that our differences don’t have to unnecessarily divide.
#8: The Miracle of St. Anthony, by Adrian Wojnarowski
I was playing golf this past spring when my random playing partner recommended this gem to me, and I’m so glad he did. This book is about one of the greatest high school basketball coaches of all time- Bobby Hurley, Sr.- and the school he loved, right in the middle of impoverished Jersey City. While it’s non-fiction, it reads like a novel, taking you through all the highs and lows of life, both on and off the court.
#7: Truman, by David McCullough
Okay, this one’s been on my list for awhile, but it took me several years to get up the strength to read a book that’s well over a thousand pages. But hey, it’s by one of my favorite historical authors, so I did it, and boy am I glad. If your image of Truman is an awe shucks country boy from Missouri, who just lucked his way into office, and held on for dear life, you would be dead wrong. While he had no college degree, he made up for it in spades with leadership. And while I’m thankful for his strides in desegregating the military and government, I was also grieved to read about his deep racism. But isn’t that the point of all biography? Who isn’t profoundly complicated?
#6: On Speaking Well, by Peggy Noonan
I’m always trying to get better as a communicator, and this is one of the best books I’ve read on the subject in years. Punchy, to the point and littered with stories, Peggy does not disappoint.
#5: John Wesley: A Brand from the Burning, by Roy Hattersley
John Wesley is one of my favorite people in world history. Founder of the Methodist Church, and a committed man of faith, Wesley is also one of the most complicated people you’ll ever come across. He was a vegetarian, who loved his work so much that he told his wife on their wedding night she shouldn’t expect to see him much. He was great with the Scriptures, but terrible with people. And he was full of passion. Passion for God. Passionate against slavery. And passionate for other women, leading him to do very silly things that raised more than a few eyebrows. I found myself inspired, and shaking my head in disbelief all at once.
#4: Equiano, the African, by Vincent Carretta
In the late 1700s, the abolitionist movement in England was growing stale. The only voices were from whites like William Wilberforce (and a host of others), who had not really experienced slavery. What was needed was an insider's view….someone who had actually lived it. Enter Olaudah Equiano, a formerly enslaved African, who experienced the horrors of that “peculiar institution,” came to faith in Christ, and wrote a bestselling biography of his travails. A well read man, he engaged in debates with white pro-slavery advocates in the newspapers, gaining him quite the following. I’m kind of mad I’m just now hearing about him.
#3: Estranged Pioneers, by Korie Edwards and Rebecca Kim
I’ve spent my life championing the multiethnic church, and have long looked to Dr. Korie Edwards as a guide for how to go about this. Along with Dr. Rebecca Kim, these two scholars spent years studying the multiethnic church and have concluded those best fit to lead them are people of color, because they have what’s called “bridging capital”. I just about underlined the whole book. Maybe that’s why it took me over a month to read some two hundred plus pages- it’s that rich.
#2: Where the Light Fell, Philip Yancey
Without a doubt, Yancey is my favorite modern author. He writes prolifically on matters of grace, forgiveness and reconciliation. This book- his memoir- tells us why. He grew up in a spiritually abusive home, where his self righteous mother, who once confessed she had not sinned in twelve years, berated Philip and his brother for the least little offenses. The effect was broken young men whose image of God was one who was impossible to please. While I wouldn’t classify this as some fun little beach read, it will stir you, and if you are a person of faith, maybe even inspire you to live a life of grace.
#1: A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
I do read fiction after all? You happy? LOL. So I came into this year with the goal of having my wife (who reads way more than me, but only fiction) give me four of the best works of fiction she’s read recently so we can have more to talk about. Well, I devoured this one while sitting next to her by the pool on vacation. You know the book is great when it gets turned into a television show.
Looking back on this list it’s amazing how much biography I read this year. I think the reason why is related to something F. Scott Fitzgerald once said: “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”
Sorry for the long post. If you’ve read something really good that you think I would benefit from, please email me back with your recommendation. Until next week…
