Books I Read in 2024, Vol. IX

 

AS A WOMAN: What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned
Paula Stone Williams

Dr. Paula Stone Williams was a married father of three who held several prominent jobs within the Christian community. Then, she made a life-changing decision: she would physically transition from a male to a female at the age of sixty. Feeling utterly alone after being expelled from the evangelical churches she had once spearheaded, Paula struggled to create a new safe space for herself where she could reconcile her faith, identity, and desire to be a leader.

In [this book], Paula pulls back the curtain on her transition journey and sheds light on the gendered landscape that impacts many in the LGBTQ+ community. She urges men to recognize the ways in which the world is tilted in their favor and validates the experiences of women who have been disregarded based solely on their gender, while also acknowledging how she was once like those men who are blind to their privilege.

I read this book in an attempt to better understand the world of transgenderism. It certainly told the tale of the author's personal journey and feelings, but in terms of understanding "why," it never went beyond "I've always felt like I was in the wrong body; that I should have been born female." And maybe that's really the only explanation for gender dysphoria. As for insights into "the patriarchy," I think Dr. Williams was confusing the shocked reactions of the evangelical ministries he led as a cultural sense of male privilege. But to be fair, the final third of the book DOES point out several instances of being treated differently, i.e., less respectfully, merely because of being a woman, and that is something to be ashamed of and to work on changing.

First Line: I had a big dream but could not hold on to the details, except some vague sense that I'd been immersed in water.

Page 56 / Line 5: Since the subject had been so much on the back burner during my college years, I was confident it was going to go away once I got married.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: Bible college is kind of like being at your aunt's house.

Last Line: To all who believe the call toward authenticity is sacred and holy and for the greater good, there are no guarantees you will find happiness, but you will know joy.

Books I Read in 2024, Vol. VIII

 

DRY BONES: A Longmire Mystery
Craig Johnson

When Jen, the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found, surfaces in Absaroka County, Wyoming, it appears to be a windfall for the High Plains Dinosaur Museum  -  until Danny Lone Elk, the Cheyenne rancher on whose property the remains were discovered, turns up dead. With millions of dollars at stake, a number of groups step forward to claim her, including Danny's family, the tribe, and the federal government. As Wyoming's acting deputy attorney and a cadre of FBI officers descend on the town, turning what should be a local matter into a political charade, Sheriff Walt Longmire is determined to find out who would benefit from Danny's death.

Continuing on my quest to read every Longmire mystery I can borrow from the Dakota County Library, I found another entertaining read. There's more dialog featuring Undersheriff Victoria Moretti, so there are more incidences of PG-13 and R-rated language, but if that doesn't bother you (and it comes nowhere NEAR Scorsese film level), I will recommend this tale with both my thumbs held at chest level. It's got action, meaningful character development, and humor.

First Line: She was close to thirty years old when she was killed.

Page 56 / Line 5: I watched McGroder and his staff examine and document all the parts of Jen's massive head, roughly the size of a sofa, on an assortment of clipboards and forms under the close observation of Trost.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: A lot of people might underestimate my undersheriff because she was wounded; a lot of people are morons.

Last Line: Save Jen.

Books I Read in 2024, Vol. VII

MESSY GRACE: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction
Caleb Kaltenbach

[The author] was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family. But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian…and a pastor. Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace. [This book] shows us that Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”—or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus loved everyone without compromising truth. So can we. Even when it’s messy.

I borrowed this book from the library as part of an ongoing discussion among the elders at Valley Christian Church about LGBTQ+ issues. The book does a great job of meshing the author's personal history with a general discussion about loving people without excusing their sin...and that includes ourselves, because gay people aren't the only sinners in the world, duh! Kaltenbach writes with a graciousness that models how we should "deal with" our neighbors. I'm glad he included thoughts on not only our individual responsibility to love like Jesus but how it would look to live this out as a local church family (though I wish he would have offered some practical answers to a list of questions he said "messy churches" need to consider).

First Line: For a couple of minutes after I pulled into the church parking lot, I continued to sit in my Ford Escape, my hands gripping the steering wheel as if I were still driving.

Page 56 / Line 5: During this season in Southern California, an unfortunate attitude of "us versus them" prevailed.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: God's Word should never be a catalyst for us to mistreat those who are different from us.

Last Line: By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Books I Read in 2024, Vol. VI

 

I AM PILGRIM: A Thriller
Terry Hayes

A breakneck race against time...and an implacable enemy. An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A father publicly beheaded in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square. A notorious Syrian biotech expert found eyeless in a Damascus junkyard. Smoldering human remains on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan. A flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity. One path links them all, and only one man can make the journey. Pilgrim.

This is another 4-for-a-dollar selection from the Dakota County Library. The above breathless description got me to take it home, and the mile-a-minute tapestry of a plot kept me reading. It was a little off-putting when a new character was introduced and all of a sudden there were several chapters of backstory...but it all was woven together with an expert eye for detail and an on-the-edge-of-your-seat urgency that made it forgivable. It's not surprising to learn that Terry Hayes is an award-winning writer and producer of several movies, including Payback and Road Warrior.

First Line: There are places I'll remember all my life  -  Red Square with a hot wind howling across it, my mother's bedroom on the wrong side of Eight Mile, the endless gardens of a fancy foster home, a man waiting to kill me in a group of ruins known as the Theater of Death.

Page 56 / Line 5: It was a good story, but it didn't mean anything to me, not now anyway.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: At that moment I realized what our mistake had been  -  we had been hunting him when we should have been trapping him.

Last Line: He is risen.

Books I "Read" in 2024, Vol. V

 

AS YOU WISH: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
Cary Elwes with Joe Layden

Reading Cary's book has brought back wonderful memories. He has so beautifully recounted what was for me, and I'm sure for all of us, one of the truly great creative experiences of our lives. He takes us, as only he can, through a Man in Black's eye view of the world of the R.O.U.S., the Shrieking Eels, and the Cliffs of Insanity. And he does it with style and grace. So curl up in a comfy spot and have fun storming the castle.  -Rob Reiner (from the Foreword)

Thanks to Spotify, I got to listen to Elwes read the book...along with Rob Reiner and others reading sections they had contributed to the text. It was nice hearing the sincerity in their voices (I know, I know...they're actors, but still...) as they talked fondly of the time spent filming the movie and the camaraderie the cast members felt for each other. It's exactly what you'd hope would be true about one of your favorite films. There are plenty of behind-the-scenes revelations and I highly recommend this book to any fan of The Princess Bride. Bonus Revelation: Cary Elwes is an amazing vocal mimic as he quotes several people.

First Line: Standing onstage at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, surrounded by cast members and some of the crew, many of whom I've not seen in years, I feel an almost overwhelming sense of gratitude and nostalgia.

Page 56 / Line 5 (Yes, I actually found a copy of the book in the library so I could be accurate with this): It wasn't just that he wanted the film to be successful; I think he was actually fearful it might fail.

Last Line: Nothing has made me more proud than my relationship to it.

Books I Read in 2024, Vol. IV

LETTERS TO THE CHURCH
Francis Chan

In his most powerful book yet, Pastor Francis Chan digs deep into biblical truths, reflections on his own failures and dreams, and stories of ordinary people God is using to change the world. As Chan says, "We've strayed so far from what God calls Church. We all know it. We know that what we're experiencing is radically different from the Church in Scripture. For decades, church leaders like myself have lost sight of the inherent mystery of the Church. We have trained people sitting in the pews to become addicted to lesser things. It's time for that to change."

This is a challenging book. Not that it's a challenge to read it. On the contrary, it is easy to understand and absolutely engaging. The challenge is in contemplating what to DO about it. As he tells the story of why he left the megachurch he helped create and is now one of hundreds (if not thousands) of pastors of We Are Church (a network of house churches in Northern California), I found myself agreeing with everything he said. But wow...could I really just chuck the current template of North American Churchianity and do the same? It's an attractive thought. It's a scary thought. It's weird to think I could read this and just keep on going the way I have been for 66 years. But that would be the easiest thing in the world to do. Sad to say.

First Line: Imagine you find yourself stranded on a deserted island with nothing but a copy of the Bible.

Page 56 / Line 5: Should we meet in a large group or a small one?

Last Line: Our Holy God offers to dwell with you if you have a lowly and contrite spirit.

Books I Read in 2024, Vol. III

 

THE PEOPLE VS. ALEX CROSS
James Patterson

Detective Cross has always upheld the law, but now he's on the wrong side of it. He knows he acted in self-defense, but will a jury see him as another policeman gone over the edge?

As Cross prepares to prove his innocence, his former partner brings him a gruesome video tied to the mysterious disappearances of several young girls. Despite Cross's suspension from the department, he can't refuse the case. The illicit investigation leads them to the darkest corners of the Internet, where murder is just another form of entertainment.

This is another of those 4-for-a-dollar books I bought from the library. I first met the Alex Cross character in two movies starring Morgan Freeman, Along Came a Spider, and Kiss the Girls. Because I liked those movies (hello...Morgan Freeman...), I was eager to give this novel a shot. And now I want to back up and start reading the other Alex Cross books. All two dozen of them! (One complaint: I could only guess how to pronounce some of the names in this book: Gary Soneji, Paul Fiore, even Alex's young son, Ali. [ah-LEE? Alley? AWE-lee?])

First Line: From inside a rambling white Colonial home on a shaded street that smelled of blooming wildflowers, a woman called in a pleasant Southern accent: "TW-Two?"

Page 56, Line 5: "I should be talking to Sampson or your wife."

Last line: I smiled and gazed beyond the breaking waves to the sea and the far horizon, feeling that these kinds of moments, these small triumphs, were more than enough to keep me working for the good in the world despite all the dark webs I'd been thrust into over the course of my life.