This is a list of the books I read in 2014. All the reviews were written in 2014 and are archived on this site in (roughly) the order I read them in.
Book Reviews 2014
September 25, 20192014 / Book ReviewsI actually finished this book last week, but have yet to write a review for it. It seems to be a trend that I procrastinate everything from school work to book reviews, but yet I keep saying: better late than never!
This book delves into the fantasy world of Middle Earth where, as most of you know from the polarizing movie trilogy, Frodo is on a quest to destroy the one ring of power in the fires of Mt. Doom. As I said in the last review on the Fellowship of the Ring, the plot synopsis is not necessary because of how intricately tied our culture has become to this story.
Much of what I said about the Fellowship applies here: the text is lush and eloquently written. It is almost like enjoying a rich desert that melts in your mouth as you are able to taste the smallest details in the concoction. It really is a pleasant read. But it is not always the most understandable read. Many of the words are archaic in nature and perhaps even a little alienating because of Tolkien’s English heritage. Either way, I was able to fall in love easily with the main characters because of how relatable they are. Frodo has been given this enormous task to deliver the ring to Mt. Doom but the irony here is he is only a halfling. He is not even tall enough to blend in with an orc. But the beauty behind this is no matter how big the task is, not only does he accept it’s challenge but he makes huge strides in finishing his goal; not without the one and only Sam. Sam tries his hardest to protect his master, even if he stumbles a little on the way and does more harm than good. Nevertheless, his courage to put his master’s well-being before his own is admirable, and he does it without compromising the weight of his master’s mission. It would be easy to help Frodo carry the ring, but Frodo has been tasked with this undertaking, not Sam and he cannot interfere no matter how much he might want to when he see’s Frodo’s burden.
One more side note: the actor that portrayed Gollum did such a superb job when matching his performance to the standard of the book. It is actually kind of freaky how well he played that out.
As I have said before, I understand now how these books have become enshrined in our culture fifty years after they were written. The story is excellent and the detail is impeccable. I look forward to finishing the trilogy this week! [...]
September 25, 20192014 / Book ReviewsIn October, I went through a phase of reading the stories of former service members and their time in combat. Clint Eastwood is producing a movie called “American Sniper” that is based off of the events in this book, as it follows the career and life (as the subtitle says) of the most “lethal sniper in U.S. Military history.”
This book will appeal to the military history buff and the layman who wants to read about the brave conditions these heroes had to endure. In the beginning of the book, Kyle tells a story about his time in Iraq, where he saw a small child received a bomb and began walking towards the Marines he was protecting (you can see the reenactment of this in the “American Sniper” trailer). He speaks of this kind of ethical/moral debate throughout the book and seems to have a clean conscious in regards to the people he has killed (in one interview he calls them “savages“).
In all, Chris Kyle lived a very interesting life. From becoming a Navy Seal to all the many deployments to Iraq, he narrates the story of his life and dictates how he became one of the most deadly snipers in the history of our nation. He attributes a lot of his success to luck and being in the right place at the right time. One such story is the longest confirmed kill of his career, which came at an incredible distance of 2100 yards (21 football fields). Other stories he tells include his partner waiting in the nest for hours without a kill; he took over in relief and put rounds down range that illustrates how “lucky” he was.
Kyle had established for himself a reputation among the arabs in Ramadi that coined the nickname, “the Devil of Ramadi,” and at one time had an $80,000 bounty on his head. But his career really took off before that in Fallujah, where he participated in both being an excellent sniper, and took turns clearing houses with the Marines. The long narratives of the situation are broken up by anecdotes of particular situations he was in that are of importance or are more rememberable. This helps the flow of the book read like an exciting fiction novel instead of a dry biography.
Kyle’s story is filled with twists and turns as he documents trouble at the home front with his wife and children. The phrase “service member” designates that a man or woman is a part of the United States Military and that he or she is involved with “serving” their country. Part of this “service” (as I, a fellow “service member” have come to realize) is the sacrifice one makes for his country that impacts the family sphere. Kyle, with help of vignettes from his wife, show how much Kyle sacrificed for his country by placing his family as number two to his country. He struggles throughout his time as a Seal trying to be a family man but fulfill the obligations to his country. This is a struggle many service members wrestle with: even more so as a Seal where deployments are the golden standard.
While this is a very entertaining book (I read it in just a couple of days), this whole genre of American heros telling war stories in book form really bothers me. What is most annoying is how poorly it is written. As you can see from the title, two other writers helped Kyle pen his thoughts. This is significant of the whole genre: it seems like any time a service member wants to document their experience in combat, they need a team of editors and writers to help them out. And even then, why is the writing so awful? While the stories Kyle tells are interesting, it is overshadowed by the thought, “did he really write this?” But if that doesn’t bother you like it does me, pick up a copy of “American Sniper” before you see the movie! [...]
September 25, 20192014 / Book ReviewsDietrich Bonhoeffer continues to be a controversial character among evangelicals, and others, even into the 21st century. Some praise the 20th century German theologian for his contribution to “neo-orthodoxy” while others are harshly critical of both Bonhoeffer and friend Karl Barth, condemning both for their intrusion on traditionalism. Regardless what presuppositions you may have on Bonhoeffer (or Barth for that matter), “Strange Glory” was a deep, rich (and quite frankly, most enjoyable) read that solidified in my mind how we should view Bonhoeffer.
I must start off by saying that this book is not without controversy. Indeed, I originally found it on Al Mohler’s summer reading list, where I had recently read an article he wrote called, “Baptist Polity and the Integrity of the Southern Baptist Convention,” which was about the intrusion of homosexuality threatening to split the convention. As I was reading the comments for Marsh’s book on Amazon, I saw a comment condemning the book for the accusation that Bonhoeffer was gay. I have never been one to shy away from controversy, so I read the book anyway and would recommend (and have recommended) for other Christians to read it. So here is what I will say on the subject: do I think Bonhoeffer was gay? No (not only did he die a virgin, but he was engaged to a young woman for some years). And in fact, the Gospel Coalition wrote a fantastic article recently called, “Was Bonheoffer gay? And other adventures in missing the point!” I thought the most striking feature of this article was the obsession our culture has with not just sex but gender and sexual orientation. In our day-to-day lives we are saturated with themes that are sexual-centric and it becomes the pivotal point in determining what is important in the biographies of today (As a side-note, in the book I read earlier this year, “Washington” by Ron Chernow, he is convinced that George Washington was having affairs with various women). If this is the central point in the book (it’s not) to you or the only reason you won’t read it, then you are certainly missing out.
With that out of the way, Marsh is a beautiful writer. The imagery that he writes with made me feel like I was sitting with Bonhoeffer in the mountains as he read a book in the cool of the morning, or inside his childhood home having a most clear picture of what it would have looked like. Marsh explores several very interesting ideas regarding Bonhoeffer, particularly his theological convictions in the “revival” of the Lutheran church. Just like context is key when studying scripture, the same is true in looking at a man such as Bonhoeffer: we must look at neo-orthodoxy and view it through the lens of the early 20th century Lutheran Church to fully understand the perspective in which Bonhoeffer swore his allegiance to. [...]
September 25, 20192014 / Book ReviewsMark Owen, a pseudonym for former Navy Seal Matt Bissonnette, has recently come under heavy fire from the Pentagon for releasing classified information about his time as a part of Seal Team 6 and their raid to kill Osama Bin Laden. This story is even more intriguing when former Seal Team 6 teammate, Robert O’Neil, claimed that he shot Osama Bin Laden, miring a controversial situation in more uncertainty. In any case, after his participation in this secret operation, Owen wrote a book about his experience in Seal Team 6, and most notably the story behind bagging America’s most wanted criminal: Osama Bin Laden.
The story begins on the night of Operation Neptune Spear, which had gathered intelligence that Osama Bin Laden was hiding out in a home in Pakistan. Owen details the helicopter ride in and how things started to go very awry as the copter he was on has to make an emergency landing. He then goes back and details a bit of backround of his own story: how he joined the Seals, the evolution of his thought post 9/11, how he joined the elite Seal Team 6, some of the training they did etc.
The whole book seems anticipatory to the last three chapters which actually details the day of Operation Neptune. The reader is informed on the secrecy that shrouded everything from their training to the classified information they were receiving. Finally, Owen writes a detailed account of that day in it’s entirety, that we have already mentioned, isn’t without controversy.
For those of you who have seen the movie, “Zero Dark-Thirty,” the book reads much like this film in terms of the actual raid. For more details, I would recommend picking up a copy of the book.
As I have mentioned in another book of the same genre, one thing that bothers me is how artificial this book reads. Obviously Mark Owen did not write the entire book, and while it reads more intelligently than “American Sniper,” it still has a hollow feel that seems surreal. It is obvious that Kevin Maurer had a heavy hand in writing the book. Unlike “American Sniper,” it is also apparent that some liberties were taken such as dialogue. How Owen remembers specifically what people said years and years ago is beyond me. Yet it is played off as non-fiction. That seems a little farfetched if you ask me. It seems that the writers sacrifice historicity and scholarship for entertainment at times.
In all, if you are curious as to the dubious nature of Operation Neptune and don’t have big problems with the aforementioned controversies and inconsistencies but are looking for an exciting and interesting book to pick up, I would recommend this book for purchase. And to help give you an extra perspective, also see “Zero Dark Thirty.” [...]
September 15, 20192014 / Book ReviewsPeople are always looking for that “quick fix” for their lives: “All you have to do to find true happiness is steps 1, 2, and 3!” Unfortunately, the church has soaked up this harmful practice. Church attenders today, in America, are sadly drawn in by rhetoric that has little to do with the Bible in order to live “your best life now.” What you really need is to know Jesus: who he is and what he did and why it’s important.
I am so saddened when I talk to folks who show no interest in theology. Granted, theology has gotten a negative reputation as being something for academics and has little use outside the classroom. However, after reading John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ,” this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Not understanding theology is what is keeping you suckling milk when the academics are chewing on hearty meat. Understanding theology helps us in our sanctification and strengthen and deepen our relationship with God.
It was surprising to me to find out most Christians do not know the real reason why Jesus died on the cross (I’m getting to the book soon, I just need to stand on this soapbox for a minute), and the answers we typically give are mostly erroneous. Yes, he loves us, but why the cross? If he simply had to die because he loves us, that seems shallow and superficial. No, God has a hatred for sin, seen in Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” God’s wrath is against sin. Therefore, to be justified, or declared not guilty, someone had to take the penalty for God’s wrath. Therefore, the reason Jesus died on the cross was to satisfy (propitiation: see Romans 3:23) the Father’s wrath against sin, the exchange being Jesus’ righteousness for your sin.
How do we respond to this act of love? We fall down to our knees in worship! But we also consider the sin in our life. When we understand how much God hates sin, then we begin to hate sin. Our theology determines our methodology!
These are some of the truth’s found in Stott’s book. This is merely the surface however. This book is eye opening: it reveals what depth of love Jesus has for us, how much God hates sin, both of which are impossible to truly understand given a theology based on superficial presuppositions like “Christ died for YOU on the cross.” This cheapens both Christ’s death and Christianity. Stott’s book has solidified in my mind the need to educate the layman in theology: it is not merely an academic exercise. Understanding the cross is crucial to a correct understanding of who Jesus is and without it, we perpetuate the Church’s steady decline into irrelevance. This definitely deserves a second read because it is sometimes not easy to understand, but Stott presents such a sound argument with loads of evidence considering all the points (which can be confusing at times). I have learned much from Christ’s experience on the cross and the subsequent response we as Christian should have when we discover such magnificent truths. I would recommend you pick up a copy to read for yourself!
“If we spoke less about God’s love and more about his holiness, more about his judgment, we should say much more when we did speak of his love.” [...]
Black Hawk Down
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Daniel Commentary
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
A Christmas Carol
The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight
The Hobbit
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning
