Non-Fiction

The Making of Biblical Womanhood

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by Beth Allison Barr
First sentence: “I never meant to be an activist.”
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Content: While this isn’t a true work of scholarship, there is scholarship there, and it might be a lot for some people. It’s in the Theology and Religion section of the bookstore.

Barr wrote this book after her husband was fired from his job as youth pastor at a Baptist church in Texas. The reason? Simply put, he supported having women in leadership/teaching roles. This book, on the evolution of the idea of “Biblical womanhood” and the “God-given” roles that men and women are supposed to have, is the result of that firing. Barr is a medieval Church historian, and as she shows time and time again, the way conservative Christians think things have always been is, in fact, not the case.

I found this fascinating and enlightening. Barr tackles the Pauline creeds, puts them in context, and explains that really it’s the combination of the Restoration and the current trend for Biblical inerrancy that has led to women needing to be silent, submissive to their husbands, and focused entirely on being a wife and mother above all else. Barr is a good writer, helping someone like me without much scriptural knowledge or historical background through the murky waters of history and theology.

Absolutely worth picking up.

Audiobook: The Wager

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by David Grann
Read by Dion Graham
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are some gruesome details about the status of the survivors once the ship wrecked, as well as mentions of cannibalism. It’s in the History section of the bookstore.

In 1742, a small boat washed up on the shore of Brazil, holding 30 emaciated men. They said they were what was left of the crew of His Majesty’s ship, The Wager, and that they had been shipwrecked off the coast of Patagonia for months. After nearly starving to death, they escaped through the Straits of Magellan and to Brazil. When they finally made it back to England, they were regarded as heroes. Then, a few years later, three more men show up after having arrived in Chile. They told a story of mutiny and rebellion, of bad decisions and murder.

I’ve had this one on my TBR (or to-listen, actually) pile for a couple of years, ever since it came out. I knew it was going to be good; co-workers who don’t usually read history read this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I was still surprised just how much I liked it. Part of that was Graham’s narration – he’s an excellent narrator and he made the already compelling narrative that Graham wrote even more compelling. We listened to this one driving to St. Louis and back, and we hung on every word. So much so that we couldn’t listen to it while navigating around the town – there was no talking over the book. I knew Grann was a good historian, I just didn’t know how compelling he was. It was a fascinating story told really well and read by an amazing narrator. A perfect storm of excellence.

Audiobook: Abundance

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by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
Read by the authors
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It gets a bit policy-wonky at times. It’s in the Politics section of the bookstore.

In this slim, yet dense, book, Klein and Thompson take the Democrats/liberals to task for not doing enough to support the politics of plenty. We have enough, they argue, we should be able to have a more equal society. And yet, we don’t. They look at history and policy and ask questions about why we aren’t making progress in technology, science, climate change, housing, and transportation. And it boils down to: we have let government regulations slow everything down to the point of inaction.

This was a challenging book for me at least. I’ve always been on the side of government is and can do good for the bulk of the people, and I’m a big supporter of things like universal health care are and universal basic incomes. But, given that our government is the way it is (or isn’t anymore, honestly), why can’t we have a country that distributes its abundance more equitably. Klien and Thompson break it down, and challenge the status quo, insisting (rightly) that it doesn’t work. They admit that they don’t have answers – because the answers for one place will be different than answers in another – but they do recommending asking one question: why? If something isn’t working, if something is broken: ask why? Why does Wichita have a problem with the homeless? Because there is a housing shortage. Well: why? And then go from there. Talk about policies that address the why.

I don’t have any real hope that this book will change anything at a national level, but I found it challenging enough to rethink some of my ideas about how things Should Be. And perhaps that’s all Klein and Thompson can ask for.

How We Learn to Be Brave

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by Mariann Edgar Budde
First sentence: “On Monday, June 1, 2020, at 7:06 p.m., the president of the United States strode defiantly across Washington, D. C.’s Lafayetter Park – trailing a retinue of aides, Secret Service agents, his daughter Ivanka, the attorney general, and America’s top military leaders, including the secretary of defense and the chairmen of the Joint Cheifs of Staff – in order to be photographed holding a Bible in front o St. John’s Church, whose parish house had sustained minor fire damage during protests during the previous evening.”
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Content: It’s kind of dense in some spots, though it’s mostly accessible. It’s in the Religion and Philosophy section of the bookstore.

Like many people, I picked up Budde’s book in the wake of her sermon pleading Trump to have mercy for those who are less fortunate. I picked it up partially because of the backlash against her (“who was she to criticize the president?”), but also I was curious. This was written in the aftermath of Trump’s performative use of the church and the Bible to prove that he was… something (Christian? Devout? He is neither.)… and her explanation of how she came to speak out against him at the time. It’s a bit of a self-help book, as she explores different aspects of bravery from choices (or not) to perseverance.

I don’t think I was expecting anything when I picked it up, but I did find some interesting insights into Jesus and some insights into how to be more mindful in the world. I’m not sure Budde set out to create a blueprint, or to put herself up as an example (I know that she didn’t intend to be an example, as she used many other people’s experience as well), but I found it to be a thoughtful look at what bravery, in a Christian framework, means.

I’m glad I read it.

Everything is Tuberculosis

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by John Green
First sentence: “Around the turn of the nineteenth century, the Scottish tinkerer and chemist James Watt began working on a new project.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: March 18, 2025
Content: There’s a couple of milder swear words. It will be in the Health section of the bookstore.

When John started talking about tuberculosis on the vlogbrothers YouTube channel, I didn’t know what to think. I mean, I knew about tuberculosis – I got the TB tests when I was a kid – but I didn’t really think about tuberculosis. And so, I watched in fascination as John shared his research and stories over the years in his videos, and learned about how much tuberculosis has influenced human history.

This book, in many ways, is a synthesis of those videos. But, what I found remarkable was how John (can I call him John? I’ve been watching the videos until 2008, and it feels kind of weird to call him Green) made the disease personal. He focuses on Henry, a young man with tuberculosis that John met in Sierra Leone. He focuses on Henry’s struggle with the disease, his struggle to get treatment, and the reasons why. Interspersed with Henry’s story, John gives us the history of the disease and the development of treatment for the disease.

But, what I found most powerful in the book was the ending. John writes: “We cannot address TB only with vaccines and medications. We cannot address it only with comprehensive STP programs. We must also address the root cause of tuberculosis, which is injustice. In a world where everyone can eat, and access healthcare, and be treated humanely, tuberculosis has no chance. Ultimately, we are the cause. We must also be the cure.”

It’s a book that is absolutely worth reading.

P.S. If you’d like to do something to help, may I suggest supporting good.store? The Green brothers have set up a way to get subscriptions of things you might need (from coffee/tea to soap to socks and underwear) and all the profits go to help either building a maternal health center in Sierra Leone or tuberculosis treatment programs. It’s not a lot, but it is something. (And the products are really good as well: I’ve done the Awesome Socks club, and we’re currently getting the soap, and the tea is excellent.)

Audiobook: Food for Thought

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by Alton Brown
Read by the author
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: I don’t think he swears, but if he does it’s mild swearing and not very often. It’s in the Food Reference section of the bookstore.

I have been fond of Alton Brown for years. I use a handful of his recipes and he came and did an event at the store and was entertaining and not a dick to me (he’s kind of persona-non-grata at the store for reasons):

Goodness, we were young.

Anyway, I picked up a galley of his book, but C stole it from me and read it and really enjoyed it. So, when it showed up on audio, with him reading it, of course I had to listen. It’s a series of small essays, “thoughts” if you will, ranging from his childhood to his career as a food host (not a chef, never a chef), to his thoughts on food in movies and Food Network. It’s a slight read/listen, but it’s entertaining, he’s a smart person and a good writer, and a lot of fun. Which, honestly: what more do you want out of a food book?

Nothing, honestly. (And yes, I may, eventually, try his roast chicken “recipe” he includes.)

It’s Only Drowning

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by David Litt
First sentence: “Matthew Kappler is my brother-in-law, and we’re very different, and one of the biggest differences between us is that if I lived like him I would die.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: June 24, 2025
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It will be in the Sports section of the bookstore.

David Litt is a former Obama speech writer, author, and all-around politics wonk. He and his wife, who is a congressional aide, split their time in DC and are the sort of liberals you probably think they are. Which means, he doesn’t really get along with his wife’s brother, Matt, an non-voter, Joe Rogan-loving, anti-vaxxer. But, when COVID-19 hit, and he was stuck in pandemic lockdown, he realized he needed to find something new to do. So, he picked Matt’s favorite sport: surfing. At the ripe age of 35, David decided to pick up the sport, and then made a goal to be good enough to surf the North Shore of Hawaii in a little over a year.

This book is that journey.

And what a journey. I learned a lot about surfing – especially Jersey shore surfing – enough to have a lot of respect for anyone who not only tries it, but does it successfully. I love how Litt writes about the sport, making it accessible enough to those of us who have never even attempted it. I loved the way he writes about the ocean, both it’s power and it’s beauty. I loved learning about the culture surrounding surfing, and appreciated that Litt was honest enough to admit that he felt he was on the outside. I also liked that Litt didn’t downplay his ambitions with surfing and developing a relationship with his brother-in-law. It’s heartfelt and honest, and I love it for that.

An excellent memoir.

A Cook’s Tour

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by Anthony Bourdain
First sentence: “Dear Nancy, I’m about as far away from you as I’ve ever been – a hotel (the hotel, actually) in Pailin, a miserable one-horse dunghole in northwest Cambodia, home to those not-so-adorable scamps, the Khmer Rouge.”
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Content: There’s a lot of swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Cooking Reference section of the bookstore (which is where we put all foody books like this.)

C went on an Anthony Bourdain kick last year, reading a number of his books (and we eventually watched the documentary about him as well), and this is the one she ended up talking about the most. It’s his eating tour – a narrative of the year he spent filming for a Food Network show he did – going to places like France, Portugal, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia in search of the “perfect” meal.

My thoughts? Well, this man would eat literally anything. You put it in front of him, told him it was edible, he would eat it. Which is simultaneously terrifying and impressive. (Seriously: some of the stuff he ate is not for the weak to read about!) He does, however, know how to write about food. It comes off the page, and much of it sounds like it’d be amazing to try. His description of the 20-course meal at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, had me looking up to see if I could afford the place. (Spoiler: I can’t.) I really liked his descriptions of the food markets in Vietnam, the weirdness of Tokyo, and the whole experience he had in Portugal where they slaughtered the fatted pig for him.

However, Bourdain was an ass, and maybe he mellowed in his later years, but in this one, he’s still very much an ass. He’s a snob, he knows he’s a snob, he doesn’t care that he’s a snob, because you know what? He’s right. If something is bad, he will let you know. If he doesn’t like someone, he will let you know. He has this sense that he’s working class (sure, he was a chef, but working class? No one in working class summers in France!) and he doesn’t like it if you don’t respect that, or if you think you’re like him and you’re not. He still has a lot of anger (not as much as Kitchen Confidential, but still) about the world in this one, and it comes across loud and clear on the page. I think that’s part of what took me so long to read this book (it took 2 weeks for a 274-page book): I just didn’t want to spend the time with him. Or at least not long amounts of time. He’s abrasive and unapologetic about it.

Still, the man knew how to write about food. And that’s worth something.

Audiobook: Every Valley

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by Charles King
Read by Juliet Stevenson
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: October 29, 2024
Content: There’s talk of slavery, colonialism, affairs, and general debauchery. It will be in the History section of the bookstore.

Much like anyone who grew up involved in music, I’m very familiar with Handel’s Messiah. But, until I saw this book in the November IndieNext, I never really gave much thought to how Handel came to compose the work. I probably assumed it was just something he composed at one point in his life. What I didn’t realize was the political and social circumstances that surrounded the piece. I never stopped to consider who wrote the libretto – I suppose I just assumed Handel adapted it from scripture – or the role it might have played in 18th-century England.

All this to say, I found this book fascinating. Stevenson is an excellent narrator for this journey. I learned a lot about Handel, but also the political circumstances in England and Europe and the eccentrics surrounding the piece of music. It sounds outlandish because it’s just an oratorio, but there is a pretty remarkable story about how a random oratorio in Handel’s repertoire became The Messiah.

All this to say: this book is excellent.

Field Notes for the Wilderness

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by Sarah Bessey
First sentence: “Dear Wanderer, Welcome, Welcome, my friend.”
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Content: It’s an epistolary book, so if that’s not your jam, it might be hard to read. It’s in the Thought/Religion section of the bookstore.

I picked up this book mostly because I have been thinking about faith and church and religion a lot lately. It’s not an easy thing for me to process; I’m so used to just doing things that I don’t really stop and think about the Why behind them. I don’t know if I was hoping that this book would give me some sort of blueprint to figuring out what I feel. At any rate, it’s a series of letters by Bessey exploring what it means to be in the Wilderness of your faith, finding oneself on the outside of religion for whatever reason.

First off, this took me six months of reading on and off, so I honestly don’t remember much from the beginning. I do remember being glad that I’m not alone in my questions and doubts and that it’s not an abnormal part of faith. She does have some good advice for not being so rigid in one’s worship, and the importance of remembering that Jesus is really at the center of all things.

So, while it wasn’t what I wanted (or maybe even needed right now), it was worth reading, if only for the things that resonated with me.