The Books I Read in 2022

A few years ago, I set a goal to read at least one book a month (your numbers may vary, I realize) as I had allowed my phone, social media, etc. to greatly lessen my ability to stay focused on longer reads. In 2022, I continued this challenge. 

Here's what I read in 2022. 

JANUARY 

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund

Non-Fiction, Theology

Thoughts: My advice would be to read this excellent book slowly and try to really grasp what the author is saying. The chapters are a few pages each. It's worth your time. One of my favorite quotes from the book is "... do you know what Jesus does with those who squander his mercy? He pours out more mercy. God is rich in mercy. That's the whole point." Accepting the love of God in Christ has been a challenge, personally. This book helps rub that sleep from my eyes a bit more. 

FEBRUARY 

Introverts In The Church: Finding Our Place In An Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh

Non-Fiction, Church Studies

Thoughts: There are some good thoughts in this book. The goal, according to McHugh, is not to de-extrovert the church, but to include everyone — including introverts — to use all manner of gifts for the Kingdom of God. That being said, there are challenges as church culture is almost predominately extroverted in nature. However, McHugh pushes back against a narrative saying introversion is (borderline, if not outright) sinful. He points us to Jesus who, in Scripture, is shown to exhibit qualities of both introversion and extroversion.

MARCH 

Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock

Non-Fiction, Entertainment

Thoughts: The first rock music I remember very vividly was 1980s rock (aka "hair metal"). while it can be pretty ridiculous lyrically (and musically), I still find myself enjoying it at times. I'll also be straight with you. I'm a sucker for rock and roll biographies and oral histories of various cultural touchstones (whether they be important TV shows, movies, music, etc.). Clocking in at 500+ pages, Nöthin' But A Good Time looks intense, but it's a breeze to read and, if you have a passing knowledge of the people involved, I think you'll find this fascinating. Yes, there's tales of rock and roll excess (and debauchery) but there's also insider information on various tours of the era and "what-might-have-been" stories of various musicians who became famous almost ending up in other bands (Slash auditioned for Poison prior to being in Guns N' Roses, for instance). It also helps correct the narrative that Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc. and grunge music killed "hair metal" — a fairly disrespectful term for the genre, for what it's worth. Finally, one thing I really enjoyed was the sorting of the different strains of the music of the era. Bon Jovi was not Poison was not Nelson was not Ratt was not Cinderella was not Twisted Sister ... etc. If you're a sucker for books like this like I am, I recommend this one.

APRIL 

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire (A 500-Year History) by Kurt Andersen

Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies, History, Sociology

Thoughts: When a person lifts weights, they are utilizing resistance in order to gain strength. This, among other reasons, is one reason I read Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire (A 500-Year History). I believe it's important to challenge your own views and see if they hold up to scrutiny. The resistance will, hopefully, make you stronger, even if it breaks down some walls along the way. 

Recently, I posted a graphic for our church's Easter services with the text, "If Jesus literally rose from the dead, it's the most important thing that has ever happened. Easter is a special chance to celebrate this momentous event." We promoted the post to regions surrounding our locations and many people outside of our doors had a chance to see it. The comment section, more or less, exploded with people angry we were daring to ask "if." Honestly, I was dumbfounded, but also not completely surprised, people would be so unwilling to consider there are people with views outside of their own. So much so that even attempting to borrow the phraseology Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15 caused such a great deal of comment-section consternation. I thought of this often as I read this book.

Author Kurt Andersen spends nearly 500 pages tracing how America has gotten to its present state — a land of "alternative facts" and a place where "factual truth is just one opinion." His thesis: Delusion is baked into our country's DNA and not simply momentary glitches in the American matrix. 

There is much to glean from this book, but the largest issue I had was the repeated assertion Christianity is a prime culprit for our land of make believe (while more or less ignoring any perceived benefits). Andersen, an agnostic ("I'm agnostic about God, always ready but never expecting to be persuaded," he writes) pins much of the blame for our descent into delusion on religious belief. To be fair, he does delineate between the various flavors of Christianity and saves much of his criticism for the various strands of Pentecostalism (and again, to be fair, I'm sympathetic to some of his views in this regard). However, he also points to economic fantasies as the engine of what drives America. From the dreams of gold of the earliest settlers, to our shameful history of slavery, to today's lotteries targeting the fantasies of the lower-class, Andersen says dreams of riches — no matter how logical — are as much to blame for our loose grips on fact as anything. 

One other criticism I will share, while he takes on delusions of the right and left (the rise of Donald Trump, the allure of Oprah, and  the "your/my truth" paradigm), he misses the chance to really dive into the delusions of some sacred cows I see in our culture. He dissects some — but fails to mention many others (I won't list them here, but I believe they are important). There is also, as a New York Times review mentions, a repetitiveness to the book, with not much in the way of solution — not that every book *has* to offer solutions to problems. However, there is also a fair amount of "red-string-on-a-cork-board" theorizing happening in the book. These thoughts don't exactly rise to the conspiracy theories he decries (and I agree with him on that regard), but there *is* a lot of conjecture on Andersen's part.

"You’re entitled to your own opinions and your own fantasies, but not your own facts — especially if your fantastical facts hurt people,” he writes, paraphrasing (and expanding upon) a comment by Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The fantasyland of our culture can yield some fairly harmless results, but also tragic real-world consequences.

There is, honestly, way too much in this book to discuss with any amount of nuance (and nuance is dead on the realm of social media, anyway) here. I am a follower of Jesus, so, with that in mind, I would only recommend this book if you're ready to be challenged (which I think all Christians should be ready for at some point). If you can get around that hurdle, there is also much thought to be gleaned from this book. Two thousand years ago, Pilate said "what is truth?" And, it seems, we're asking it as much now as ever. 

MAY 

The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman

Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies, History, Sociology

Thoughts: Chuck Klosterman is one of my favorite writers. To be honest, I don't always understand him, but he has a way of breaking down seemingly small cultural events and explaining them in ways that help the reader see a larger picture of the world. I first discovered his writing because of the pop-culture manifesto Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and the rock & roll-obsessed memoir Fargo Rock City. This is the tenth book of Klosterman's that I've owned (the eleventh book I've read — I do not two of his fiction works, but read one of them as a borrowed book years ago). 

The Nineties may be my favorite Klosterman work yet. As a friend of mine messaged me, "I want to say it's his best book, but then I feel biased because it's a book about my entire lived experience." I would wholeheartedly concur with this line of thinking. I'm sure Klosterman has written better works, but none have been so directly tied to such a pivotal time period in my own life as this book.

Tackling Generation X and "ambiguous disappointment (that) was never that bad," Klosterman traces the decade from its real start (Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit) to its real end (the morning of September 11, 2001). He also helps us see how this decade was a pivotal point in history — ending one era and ushering in another, more revolutionary one (one where "there were only two sides to everything").

If you are in a similar age range as me (40s and 50s), I think you may enjoy this book. Klosterman is sometimes a bit oblique, but, if you can digest it, he has some important thoughts about our culture.

JUNE 

The Book of Enoch (Ancient Literature)

Non-fiction, Religious Studies, Ancient Literature

Thoughts: The Book of Enoch is ascribed by tradition to Enoch — the great-grandfather of Noah. While not a part of the biblical canon (for the vast majority of the worldwide Church, at least), "The Book of Enoch" is said to have played a crucial role in forming the worldview of the authors of the New Testament. I came to this out of a curiosity about the stories of the Nephilim in Genesis. While this is the part that drew me to pick up the book, the actual Book of Enoch only covers this strange tale in a portion of the book. Otherwise, it's apocalyptic literature. There is much that mirrors the themes and imagery of Revelation. While definitely not a part of the Biblical canon, The Book of Enoch is intended to be a supplemental resource when studying the Bible. It's not tremendously difficult reading, but it's also not completely what I had thought it might be and sometimes gets tedious. With that in mind, The Book of Enoch did offer a slightly peeled-back look at Genesis 6:1-4 and the story of supernatural rebellion.

Messy Grace by Caleb Kaltenbach

Non-Fiction, Church Studies, Cultural Studies

Thoughts: In our modern era — especially within the church, there are probably no other topics or issues more explosive than the conversations surrounding sexuality and LGBTQ+. Author and pastor Caleb Kaltenbach arrives at the issue from a unique perspective. Raised by both a mother (and her partner) and father (who came out later in Caleb's life) that were in the LGBTQ+ community, Caleb became a Christian and then a pastor (in a sense, he experienced a "reverse" coming-out scenario). Messy Grace is part memoir, part cultural study, part theology lesson, part Christian living handbook all rolled into one. Primarily, he explores the tension between grace and truth and our inability to navigate those two dynamics. Ultimately, he argues for a "messy grace" — one where we teach and preach truth, but welcome in anyone who wants to hear and love everyone just as Jesus did. He says, "... we shouldn't try to make gay people straight. Instead, we should try to help people whose overriding identity is *LGBT* to become people whose overriding identity is *disciple*. They can replace a false identity with a true identity in Christ." It's not lost on me that I read this during June — Pride month. It's such a either/or mine-field issue in society, our churches, our culture, and our homes, but — like He did with so many other things — the way of Jesus is a third way that makes few people happy, but is the true way.

What The Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies, Sociology

Thoughts: If you are a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, Revisionist History, this collection of essays is probably right up your alley. Like the podcast itself, some of these essays are absolutely gripping and some are, well, less gripping — but still interesting for the curious. Most of the essays are from the late 1990s and early 2000s. It's an older book, but was a perfect read for our summer vacation. Clocking in at more than 400 pages, it initially felt like a task to get through, but was quite enjoyable.

JULY

The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher

Non-Fiction, Church Studies, Cultural Studies

Thoughts: In the final pages of The Benedict Option, author Rod Dreher writes "The Benedict Option is a call to undertaking the long and patient work of reclaiming the real world from the artifice, alienation, and atomization of modern life." In the prior paragraph he says "(It's) not a technique for reversing the losses, political and otherwise, that Christians have suffered. It's not a strategy for turning back the clock to an imagined golden age. Still less is it a plan for construction communities of the pure, cut off from the real world."

There is *much* to digest in this 2017 book. In fact, I'm not sure I could sum up in a few sentences what all the Benedict option entails. I do know, however, that Dreher has done a decent job of identifying some major problems for Christians in our modern, post-Christian nation. Sometimes, it feels like his solutions are unrealistic and sometimes it seems as if he advocates a removal from the world — but he does not, in fact, argue this point.

I found myself agreeing with much of his diagnosis of the myriad problems the church faces — from political idolatry, to truly living a sexual ethic vastly out of step with — and considered a heretical view to — the mainstream culture. His solutions are an attempt to walk the increasingly thin tight-top of "in, and not of, the world," something Christians have struggled to live out for 2,000 years.

I recommend this book if, for nothing else, a chance to think on a deeper level about how we should live out our faith in society. I highlighted many, many passages in this book, so it's full of wisdom, I believe.

AUGUST 

Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace by John Mark Comer

Non-Fiction, Church Studies, Cultural Studies

Thoughts: John Mark Comer's book Live No Lies is, for followers of Jesus, a fairly needed book for our times. The central thought is not just that we've been told lies by our culture, but that we end up living them. The book is broken down into three sections: the devil, The Flesh, and The World. It is a manifesto for the war we are in against lies. Truth matters. In a culture where truth is shaped by what narrative you follow, Christians are called to live a counter-cultural life. Instead, we buy lies and our lives are marked by pain and suffering because of it — the exact opposite of the life Jesus meant for His followers. Recognize the enemies. Resist them. Do not fear.

SEPTEMBER

 

Jesus Is Better: The God Who Likes and Enjoys You by Zach Maldonado

Non-Fiction, Theology

Thoughts: One of the elders at our church (Redemption Christian Church in southern Indiana) gave a copy of this book to the other elders (of which I am one) to read and discuss together. I've listed it as a read for September but, in reality, we read it over the course of months and months — as discussion of each section took longer than expected. The book is not terribly difficult to read and digest, but some of the thoughts are challenging, especially if your foundation is one of God being perpetually disappointed in you and you seeking to curry favor with God by your actions. Author Zach Maldonado counters this way of thinking and living with lots of Scripture and helps us to see ourselves as people loved and cherished by God. It's a fairly gospel-rich book with some way of phrasing things that made me think he was being intentionally theologically provocative in his writing. However, I think he's on to something that I need to be reminded of. Because Jesus has lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and rose from the graves, I am accepted by my Creator. More than that, I am LOVED by Him. That's powerful.

Confederates In The Attic: Dispatches From the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz

Non-Fiction, History, Cultural Studies, Literary Journalism

Thoughts: I first read Confederates In The Attic in the very late 1990s for a journalism class in college. At the time, it was a hot, new, Pulitzer Prize-winning work of literary journalism. It quickly captured my imagination as well. I listened to the audiobook sometime in the very early 2010s on a road trip and decided this year that I would read it again — 10-plus years later — as I always remembered it fondly. For a book that is now almost a quarter of a century old, it's amazing — and sorrowful — how relevant it remains. The issues examined and the people Horwitz meets as he explores the aftermath of the (then) 130-year-old Civil War are not out of place 24 years into the future in 2022. There is much to unpack in a book that remains a favorite, but this graph, towards the end of the book, helps sum it all up — in 1998 AND 2022.

"The issues at stake in the Civil War — race in particular — remained raw and unresolved, as did the broad question the conflict posed: Would America remain one nation? In 1861, this was a regional dilemma, which it wasn't anymore. But socially and culturally, there were ample signs of separatism and disunion along class, race, ethnic and gender lines. The whole notion of a common people united by common principles even a common language seemed more open to question than at any period in my lifetime."

Horwitz, who sadly died in May 2019, was a stellar writer who is fair to his subjects, treating them with dignity and respect. Critics, especially, sympathizers of The Lost Cause, often paint him as condescending, but I don't find that to be true at all. He's a journalist of a bygone era, it would appear, in that he attempts to be fair, to hear each person's story, and attempts to contextualize it for his readers — so they may understand better. 

I look forward to my next reading of this book in the mid-2030s to see if it holds up.

OCTOBER 

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

Non-Fiction, History, Theology

Thoughts: Every year, I try to pick up something from my bookshelf that I missed along the way. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton is one of those books. Meaning "right opinion," this book was written as a response to one of his earlier works, Heretics. Not having read that book, I feel there's some "inside baseball," so to speak, I am missing in the reading of Orthodoxy. It was not a tremendously easy read for me — though it was short — as it is a more than 100 year old piece of work. There are many great passages in the book, but this one really stood out to me in the final chapter. "This, therefore, is, in conclusion, my reason for accepting the religion and not merely the scattered and secular, truths out of the religion. I do it because the thing has not merely told this truth or that truth, but has revealed itself as a truth-telling thing, All other philosophies say the things that plainly seem to be true; only this philosophy has again and again said the thing that does not seem to be true, but is true."

NOVEMBER 

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono

Non-Fiction, Autobiography, Music, Entertainment

Thoughts: When I was in high school, I met the country singer Marty Stuart after a show at the Acuff Theater on the grounds of the former Opryland theme park in Nashville, Tenn. Knowing I had but a moment to spend with a guy who was a musical hero, I could only muster a "hey man, great show" to a guy with whom I would love to have more than a 30-second conversation. It felt like a swing and a miss, but, in reality, meet and greets don't normally yield deep conversation ... and I was in high school — not the peak level of conversational acumen.

Bono, the lead singer of the legendary rock band U2 is another musical hero. Whenever one of those theoretical questions like "if you could have dinner with five people, living or dead, who would you invite?" comes along, Bono is among those on my personal list. Realizing, as a rational adult, this will never be the case, the next best thing I can have is his new book, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. While it is an autobiography, it is formatted via 40 U2 songs (40 being an important number in U2 lore as well as in Scripture). As a fairly die-hard U2 fan (I've seen them live in 2001 in Lexington, Ky., 2011 in Nashville, Tenn., and 2017 in Louisville, Ky. — all three times were epic experiences in one way or another), this book would have had to be pretty bad for me not to enjoy it. However, it gave me a greater appreciation for the artist and the man, and, yes, fellow brother in Christ, I believe. There are, essentially, five major characters in this story, outside of the author: His wife and the love of his life, Ali, his often-difficult father, his gone-too-soon-mother, his bandmates in U2, the Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton, and, Jesus.

Biblical themes are THE undercurrent of many, if not most, U2 songs, but they could never be labeled as "Christian Music" — as if that musical genre, as a marketing tool, could even know what to do with a band like U2. Witness a song like I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. It's, likely, my favorite non-"worship" worship song ever written. Dealing with the tension of the "already/not yet" of Christ's inaugurated Kingdom (the already) and the longing and striving life naturally brings living in a fallen world (the not yet), this song is but one example of the Scripture-soaked, but not "headlights on bright" nature of so many U2 songs. Reading Surrender helps me appreciate this undercurrent even more.

While Bono is but one man, his life is out of the ordinary — from advocacy to showmanship and all in between — he describes himself as an "acutal-ist," someone who takes their idealistic activism and surrenders it to a dose of realism in the name of "getting things done." His music is legendary, his activism and ability to work with those whom he may disagree has saved actual lives across the globe, and his commitment and love for his wife is unusual in the world he inhabits. As a human being, he's definitely not perfect, but this book does give me a greater admiration for what he has accomplished in his life and helps me listen to a band I love, U2, with a deeper sense of understanding.

In short, the 500-plus-page Surrender is a fantastic work.

DECEMBER 

Gifts of Grace: 25 Advent Devotions by Jared C. Wilson

Non-Fiction, Theology, Christian Living, Devotional

Thoughts: This is a fantastic devotional book with 25 very short chapters each leading to Christmas Day. It's a bit of a cheat to claim this as a full book for a month, but it's December and the end of the year, so I'm counting it. Jared is one of my favorite writers and this devotional book is a great example of his ability to bring simplicity and understanding to complex and weighty theological concepts. "Gifts of Grace" tackles a different gift of God each day in anticipation of the coming messiah.

ALL YEAR 

The Holy Bible (English Standard Version Bible) 

[ESV Study Bible Plan via YouVersion Bible App]

Non-Fiction

Thoughts: It's always a good decision to read the Bible throughout the year. Some days are highly impactful, some days I get done and can't remember much of what I've read, but the time I spend there is always worth it.

MY TOP FIVE*

1. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono

2. The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman

3. Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund

4. Confederates In The Attic: Dispatches From the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz*

5. Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock

* Besides The Bible, of course.

** Confederates is one of my favorite books ever, so it gets inclusion anytime I may read it. However, it's a bit unfair to put it too high on the list, but it DOES get to take at least one of the spots in my Top Five list.