Book Review - 1776 by David McCullough

1776 by David McCullough
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You love history and are okay with reading a collection of facts.

You should not read this if: You're looking for a comprehensive account of the American Revolution or a bigger picture narrative.

For those unaware, this book is very literally an account of the year 1776, only covering events from this specific year . I expected a comprehensive end-to-end book on the American Revolution and was disappointed to be essentially dropped into a book scoped to a single year. This book felt more like a history book and a collection of facts than a coherent narrative or account. There are few overarching themes and George Washington is basically the only character that is significantly followed.

History geeks may appreciate the many trivia tidbits provided. From the dress of the soldiers to the underlying political motivations of the British general, there's a lot of "wow, that's interesting" moments in 1776. But that's about as deep as the engagement becomes. Emotional connection to characters are nonexistent, and there's really barely a real story that is being followed. For people not familiar with American history, I imagine this book would be exceedingly confusing.

Audiobook Note - The audiobook seems to have two readers - a male and a female - seemingly arbitrarily switching between the two readers, confusing and distracting me. The rhyme or reason to the different readers is not at all clear.

Reading 1776 reminded me of reading a textbook, giving the feeling that I might be quizzed at some point about the various facts presented in the book. Meh. I don't get the praise for this book.

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Book Review - George Whitefield [Abridged] by Arnold Dallimore

George Whitefield by Arnold A. Dallimore
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

You should read this if: You're interested in a fairly short overview of George Whitfield's life from various accounts, particularly his relationship with the Wesleys. Or if you're already very familiar with Whitfield's life and teaching and are interested in the primary sources presented.

You should not read this if: You're looking to learn about Whitfield's theological beliefs in-depth. Or if historical white-washing and hero worship turn you off.

Review

"George Whitfield was a great preacher who seemed to have a big influence, and everyone liked him. Except for John Wesley at first, but even he liked him in the end." Along with some historical details, that's basically the whole book. Given this is an abridgement of a much larger volume which I haven't read, the brevity on some topics is understandable but the outcome is underwhelming. While some details of Whitfield's life were interesting (I did not realize the extent of his travels between America and Europe), there's a noticeable lack of depth presented on Whitfield as a real human being, sinner but saved by grace. My view and knowledge of Whitfield is fairly unchanged before and after reading this book - he was a great evangelist who people loved to hear from.

Perhaps my judgement on this biography is shaped by a more modern, critical approach to viewing historical persons, but the effusive praise ends up giving a very shallow view of George Whitfield. What were his weaknesses and struggles? Other than his failure to repudiate slavery and being a slave owner (a significant issue which is addressed too briefly), what other failures did he have? What doubts or fears did Whitfield have, or was he really the superman presented who feared nothing? Is the sum of a man's life really just his external deeds and accomplishments? Instead of a well-rounded, relatable human being, we're presented with an essentially infallible figure, which is both certainly unrealistic but also unsatisfying to read.

This biography doesn't attempt to describe particular theological beliefs, denominations, or church structures, so only those with the appropriate background will be able to understand and appreciate some of the discussion. Readers are not presented with any background to what Calvinism is, Biblical support for or against predestination, or what a Maldovian is. While in-depth descriptions are likely intentionally avoided in this short biography, these omissions make the book significantly less accessible and difficult to recommend.

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Book Review - Molly's Game by Molly Bloom

Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker by Molly Bloom
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 of 5 stars)

Why you should read this book: It's a fun, almost unbelievable tale of career and influence success set in opulent luxury.

Why you should not read this book: As much it's a book centered around poker, it's not actually a book about poker.

Review

In an almost too-crazy-to-believe story, Molly's Game recounts Molly Bloom's rise in a celebrity-filled underground world. It's a really fun read/listen, as we listen to Molly's development and all the interesting and gloriously unrelatable challenges she ran into. At its core, the book is about how Molly was able to successfully read people and understand their motivations, desires, and "tells". Molly is a fantastically gifted and gritty character, almost feeling like a superhero at times with her ability to understand and satisfy/manipulate other extremely talented and successful people.

As much as I enjoyed the character-centric narrative, I wish Molly's Game spent more time on some the more nitty-gritty aspects of her operations, such as detailing the logistical complexities and describing the rich settings and their associated costs. For those of us who haven't even come close to experiencing the luxuries described, it can be hard to understand and picture what "the nicest room at the Four Seasons" is like. People are known to be bad at understanding quantities, so sometimes it can be hard to really internalize and really feel the enormous sums of money that are being discussed - for most people, a poker game with a buy-in of 5k, 50k, and 250k are equally unattainable!

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Book Review - Grit by Angela Duckworth

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You're interested in personal growth willing to do some self-reflective work. And if you're willing to re-read about some common self-improvement ideas.

You should not read this if: You're looking for a practical, step-by-step tutorial on building perseverance in yourself or others.

The influence of some individuals/books are so significant and sweeping that reading their works ends up seeming obvious and unoriginal or even boring (such as Mere Christianity). I suspect Angela Duckworth has influenced and evangelized herself out of a novel book, of which she should be proud. Grit covers many common self-improvement concepts, from passion to growth mindset to optimism, citing various interesting studies and examples. Readers well-versed in these concepts may find these sections tedious, but I didn't mind them too much.

Despite the self-help feel of the book, it's really more descriptive than prescriptive. The research on the effectiveness and importance of grit compelling, but I found the practical advice significantly weaker, ranging from self-evident (deliberate practice) to unhelpfully abstract (find something you're passionate in). As a new parent, the parenting section was helpful in theory (model grittiness, try various hobbies, commit to hard things), but I imagine that real life decisions will not be as cut and dry as portrayed.

That said, Duckworth does really highlight the importance of grit and the outcomes it achieves, balancing the talent vs effort question quite convincingly. In describing the environments and circumstances that foster building grit, she focuses significantly more on the personal and familial aspects, rarely discussing cultural factors. To me, this is a large omission. Immigrant populations of all races globally are disproportionately successful. Various cultures have deeply-embedded aspects of grit (the idea that a kid is simply "bad at math" isn't found in Asian households) and failing to consider or communicate cultural influences leads to an incomplete American individualistic perspective.

The best thing about reading Grit has been reflecting and discussing on my own level of grittiness, how it manifests, and how it was built, considering the various influences and experiences of my own life. Even though my wife didn't read this book, the accessibility of the concepts and general familiarity with the topics helped us have some long, meaningful discussions. This concepts in this book have helped us understand ourselves more and also clarify some of our parenting philosophy.

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Quotes:

"As much as talent counts, effort counts twice."

"Greatness is many, many individual feats, and each of them is doable."

"At its core, the idea of purpose is the idea that what we do matters to people other than ourselves."

Book Review - Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You're looking for a intriguing, well-written war account.

You should not read this if: You can't handle war crimes and atrocities.

Unbroken is an enrapturing, immersive account of one man's experience in the craziness and brutality of war. Unlike how the marketing materials portray the story, the book isn't quite "inspiring" or "uplifting". While it's true that in some ways the human spirit prevails, this book exposes the darkness embedded in humans and the evil of war.

There are parts of this story that I will never forget, which I won't spoil. The vivid descriptions, the smart pacing - all of it helps the reader really internalize and feel (as much as one who hasn't experienced this can) the physical and emotional experiences of the men. If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that it can seem like the author whitewashes and trivializes some of the mental health effects on the men. While she does go to some length describing some effects towards the end of the book, the tone from Zamp's perspective is surprisingly optimistic and generally hopeful throughout. Whether or not this was truly Zamp's disposition, it certainly would not be for all his comrades.

Hillenbrand provides historical context in interesting and immersive ways, which is key to readable and educational biographies. While primarily tracking Zamporini's life, she adeptly fills the reader in to the other happenings in the world, both personal (like Zamp's family) and global (state of the war). Hillenbrand also expertly introduces and builds familiarity with many different individuals, each with their own stories and personalities. I was honestly surprised at my ability to remember all of the names and their stories as the book progressed, a feat that many books have failed at and testament to the fine writing.

I read this book without watching the movie, which I recommend to anyone new to both. The book communicates the gravity of the situation, the length of time, and horrors of war much more clearly than the movie.

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Book Review - Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 of 5 stars)

You should read this book if : You're looking for an unpretentious guilty-pleasure page-turner with a generally likeable lead character.

Why you should not read this book: If murder isn't your thing, or you're looking for mindblowing insights about life.

Review

Stillhouse Lake surprised me. On one hand, other than the interesting premise of an innocent wife of a serial killer, there isn't much else that's novel about the book. Guns galore, paranoia, sketchy men - it's all been done before...but Stillhouse Lake does it really well. In particular, the main character in these on-the-run books are often unbearably irritating, making mind-blowingly idiotic decisions while constantly dripping in self-pity, causing me to root against them. In contrast, despite her understandable paranoia, I found myself quite invested in Gina and her kids. In addition to the immediate threat of being discovered, the developments in the kids and family dynamics was emotion and empathy-rousing.

I particularly enjoyed the whodunit nature of the interactions with the other distinctive, interesting characters. Possibly heightened due to having recently read "The Body Keeps the Score" and "What's a Girl Worth", the author successfully embedded a deep distrust of the all the men in the book. Who is safe and who isn't? Are all the men bad, or are there any good guys?

Discovering upon completion that this book is actually the first in a series was actually disappointing. I enjoyed the book a lot, but am not ready to sign up for 4 more books (how much progression could there really be?). That said, this book is still very readable as a stand-alone book.

Because it engrossed me and turning those pages late into the night, it's hard to rate this book anything under 5 stars.

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Book Review - Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You should read this if: You're willing to be challenged by the memoir of a man who has suffered much for Christ along with countless others. Also, if you need encouragement that God is alive and working.

You should not read this if: You're looking for a bigger-picture Christian historical accounts.

Summary

Tortured for Christ is a rightfully a classic - it's short and easy to read (the writing, not the subject material). Not only does Wurmbrand recount his ministry and suffering, he challenges the free church to love and care for our brothers and sisters in persecuted nations. Personally, accounts of the faithfulness of saints always stir the heart. In particular Wurmbrand's intention of directing attention to others is obvious, as he highlights the faithfulness of the nameless Christians who now are adorned with a crown of life.

The atrocities are great, but love is greater. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect presented is the love and forgiveness portrayed by Christians. Reading the book, I could feel my own anger well up within me, and God's protection over the souls of the believers truly surpasses human understanding. Praise God for his miraculous work of his salvation and his presence with his people. While I pray that I would have the faith of those Christians, I know it came at the cost of deep suffering. It is truly of great encouragement, however, to know that God truly is enough and graciously provides for his children for all circumstances.

Some Christians may reflexively be repulsed by some his strong political stances, but we should do some soul-searching and reflect on his challenge - that the suffering of peoples under our foreign or domestic policy is a Christian responsibility (which also is not dissimilar from arguments in McCaulley's Reading While Black). Have we wealthy, Western Christians used "separation of church and state" as an excuse, an absolution of responsibility?

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Quotes: 

“Bible verses remain true, even if the devil quotes them.”

“The Bible he gave me was written not so much in words but in flames of love, fired by his prayers.”

“Men are responsible before God, not only for their personal sins but also for their national sins. The tragedy of all the captive nations is a responsibility on the hearts of American and British Christians. Americans must know that they have at times unwittingly assisted the Russians in imposing on us a regime murder of and terror.”

“Ask yourself if it is not also your sin that such tragedies occur, that such Christian families are alone and not helped by you who are free.”

“My only prayer repeated again and again was "Jesus, I love you.”

“The value of the Bibles smuggled in by these means cannot be understood by an American or an English Christian who “swims” in Bibles.”

Book Review - The Big Short by Michael Lewis

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You've watched the movie and enjoyed it!

You should not read this book if: Financial markets really don't interest you and you're looking for a character-driven narrative.

Summary

Michael Lewis's fantastic writing is on display in this book, bringing to life what may otherwise be boring individuals in a dry topic. The subject material involved is complex and hard-to-understand, but Lewis makes the basic concepts accessible, and I was able to enjoy the book even though I never fully grasped the full mechanics of how credit default swaps work. There's something about Michael Lewis's writing that is absolutely hilarious - I remember chuckling throughout the book from imaginative descriptions, which lesser writers would leave as mundane and boring.

This may not be the experience of all, but I actually think that previously having seen the movie contributed to my enjoyment of the book. The detailed descriptions of Eisman were bolstered by my mental image of Steve Carrell's acting. My mental image of Wing Chao's smug, punchable face from the movie persisted in the chapter descripting the enlightening Vegas dinner. Without having seen the movie, readers may find the characters disconnected and the narrative jumpy.

I wish the book spent more time on both the immediate and long-term effects of the housing crisis, for both regular people and the complicit financial institutions. Despite the big buildup, the ending felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying, especially with an event of such magnitude.

Fun book. Watch the movie if you haven't seen it!

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Book Review - Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 of 5 stars)

Why you should read this: If you're looking for a beautifully-written, honest, authentic, and encouraging survey of Christian living, focused on God's grace in our every day lives.

Why you should not read this: If you're looking for practical "how-to's" and behavioral tips which are necessary but not foundational, as the contents of this book are.

Key quote: "What kind of people is our liturgy forming us to be?"

Review

Liturgy of the Ordinary deserves all the praises and accolades it's received. Beautiful in language, elegant yet ordinary, accessible yet deep. This is book provides both a refreshment for seasoned believers and a foundation for newer Christians. Rooting itself in the nature and promises of God rather than human effort, it identifies and addresses many of the fears and struggles of our specific moment - from the "addiction to stimulation" to our hypocritical pacifism to being "overstressed and overworked". Especially relevant in the midst of pandemic, seeing and experiencing God in regular "boring" life can seem unattainable, but Warren wisely shows us how God can use our everyday habits and experiences for worship and fulfillment in grace.

Books on Christian living and spiritual disciplines often fail to navigate the ridge between the chasms of moralism and antinomianism, as Richard Foster describes. Warren magically transforms what is often portrayed as a narrow ridge to a wide path of joy and freedom in living. Unlike many other books I've read, on similar topics, I did not leave feeling the guilt of "I don't pray enough" nor the discouragement of "I'll never be THAT spiritual". Rather, I left with the restful encouragement of "Wow, God loves me and life is hard but good."

This book is also great for book clubs or small groups to read through together, given the short, topical chapters and the helpful discussion questions at the end of the book. We read this book together as a church Community Group, and it was amazing to see how the chapters spoke differently but similarly to each of us, as we all struggled in some way or another to take hold of the grace God gives to us.

This book is delightfully chock-full of insightful and memorable quotes and illustrations - way too many to list out (just take a look at the quotes section). Liturgy of the Ordinary is a book I'll treasure and enthusiastically recommend.

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Book Review - Extinction Shadow by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Extinction Shadow by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You've already read the first series. Or if you're just down for a shoot-em-up zombie story.

You should not read this if: You don't like being confused at new characters. Or if you're looking for a good story.

Despite the author's note before the book that this series is for old and new readers alike, it simply was not enjoyable for a newcomer unfamiliar with the multitude of characters. The author does a fine job of ramping new readers up to the state of the world and the mechanics of the variants, but there are simply too many characters that seem too similar to remember, and it was difficult creating a mental picture of all of these characters (who I presume were introduced at greater length in the first series). Possibly exacerbated by the audiobook medium, I especially had difficulty figuring out the parent-children relationships - "Who is Javier's dad? Who is Timothy's dad? Is it Jake? Oh it's not? Who's Jake?" The men in the book are largely interchangeable, and the macho-man hero trope is simply too overused.

Similarly, this book doesn't orient the reader to the setting of each chapter, and I had trouble having any sense of both the spatial and temporal context, especially because the characters seemed to teleport to new locations between chapters. Where exactly is this island place? Where is the capitol where the President is located (I still have no idea)? The only person that I could place reliably was Fischer, who was very clearly from Texas. The book spends no time on physical travel, which disoriented me as a reader and actually made the book feel slower-paced than likely intended. From start to finish of the book, what is the length of time that transpires? For some characters, it seems like it's essentially 2 days (Fischer, President). But for others (Team Ghost), it must be at least a week, as they flew around the country.

Finally, this book lacked an arch (feel like I've been saying that a lot recently). It's not as big a knock on this book, because I think it's more by design, even if I personally find it a copout to have a 7-book series which is essentially just a single long story. But having completed the book which felt like a lengthy intro, there is very little payoff or satisfaction.

The book wasn't unenjoyable, but I imagine I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read the previous books. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

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Book Review - The End is Always Near by Dan Carlin

The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses by Dan Carlin
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You're looking for a broad survey of interesting historical tidbits, or if you're a Dan Carlin newcomer.

You should not read this if: You're a Hardcore History fan used to depth into specific historical narratives.

Summary:

As a huge fan of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, I've gotten used to his unique format and pace of history-telling, which starts with a large meta-point followed by hours and hours of in-depth story-telling. This book is not that. This book provides a a few loosely-related case studies of "apocalyptic" topics, which by Carlin's standards, only skims the surface of each.

The book is enjoyable, with many of the fun historical trivia tidbits we've come accustomed to. In particular, the chapter on pandemics is unfortunately timely and relevant, and is alone worth the read.

Perhaps my view on the book is more greatly skewed because I listened to the self-narrated audiobook, making the comparison to Carlin's podcast all the more obvious. I imagine for readers and listeners who are new to Dan Carlin, this book is a great, accessible introduction (in contrast to the 17 hours of podcast listening!). I really wanted to like this book more, and this rating might be a reflection of my high expectations for Dan Carlin.

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Book Review - The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah

The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity by Soong-Chan Rah
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 of 5 stars)

Why you should read this book: You're a white evanglical looking from an outsider's perspective on how white American culture has affected your expression of faith. Or you're a non-white evangelical considering how you fit into God's plan for his Church.

Why you should not read this book: If you're a white church leader looking for specific, practical steps to take. Rah mentions the first step in the book - go find a non-white mentor.

Essential quote: “At times, the evangelical church has been indistinguishable from the Western, white American culture.”

Summary:

The Next Evanglicalism describes the ways in which American evangelicalism has been influenced and beholden to white, American culture. For many non-white readers, this book provides important validation of common experiences (such as the lament of the decline of the white church) and much of it may seem like "preaching to the choir". Unlike other books that describe the global church, Rah focuses specifically on the American church, making it an important diagnostic read for Americans.

This book seems clearly directed at white evangelicals, but its goal seems to be more awareness than transformation, leaving a significant knowledge gap. White evangelical readers with little familiarity with multi-ethnic churches, black churches, or immigrant churches will likely have a hard time picturing how different church could actually be and end up doing exactly what Rah discourages - projecting their familiar white American evangelicalism onto global churches with significantly different practices and culture. The translation of good intentions into church culture is crucial but largely unaddressed. What practical steps can a majority-white church take to confront systemic racism? How is the theology of suffering embedded in black church culture and services, and what might that look like for white churches? How should the white church learn from and borrow the immigrant church's holistic care? I worry that white readers may only see superficial problems with superficial solutions rather than understanding the deep cultural transformation required to learn from and embrace non-white evangelicalism. Also, I wonder if white readers will recoil at what may be perceived as an overly-negative perspective of the American church, as Rah spends little time on the contributions of the Western church.

It was really refreshing to hear a perspective on Christianity that includes a vision for immigrant churches and their Asian-American progeny like me. Rah's description of the Korean-American immigrant church resonated with my personal experiences, as did the experiences of non-white people attending white church. His assertion that the children of immigrants could play an important role in the transformation of churches is both insightful and inspiring, particularly when the Christian elites tend to be white men.

Overall a 3.5-star book, rounded up to 4 for some especially phenomenal and insights

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Book Review - Flash Boys by Michael Lewis

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 of 5 stars)

Why you should read this book: For an accessible description of how high-frequency trading (HFT) works, even if you are not a financial or software expert.

Why you should not read this book: Instead of an overarching coherent narrative, it's more of a collection of stories intended to paint a bigger picture of HFT and the men trying to create a "fair" marketplace.

Honest book title: Understanding High Frequency Trading through a collection of short stories.

Summary:

Michael Lewis is a master at explaining difficult concepts for the lay person. As a software engineer with no finance background, I was simultaneously amazed at his brilliantly simple descriptions of both the intricacies of building software (open source, maintainability, legacy software, etc) and how HFT exploited the stock market (dark pools, [other financial terms that I don't remember]).

Unfortunately, the many characters and people in Flash Boys seem like a mechanism for describing HFT, Thor, and all the various revolutions in Wall Street. The archs presented for individuals are brief and flat, and you don't really care much about any of the individuals. The various individuals don't seem to connect too closely with the narratives of the other individuals (spoiler - the guy looking to lay the wire in the first chapter has nothing to do with the rest of the book and is simply a device to describe the importance of speed).

Reading this the week of the historic Gamestop (GME) short squeeze, I'm not sure there's a meaningful takeaway other than "The house always wins". Am I supposed to be enraged with the reality of hedge funds skimming off the top of my investments? Given that Lewis's portayal of legislation is that it only seems to make things worse, are we to simply resign ourselves to this effective hedge fund tax? Is there a risk for HFT to crash the market and significantly damage the economy, as a few people implied in the book?

Books don't all need to have takeaways. But only textbooks leave you without feelings and emotional investment. Flash Boys, unfortunately, was a cleverly-written textbook.

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