Editor’s Note: Most Saturdays we feature this “Editor’s Notebook” column. MinistryWatch President Warren Smith will offer his opinion on stories in the week’s news or, sometimes, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do what we do. However, once a quarter (or so), we use the ‘Notebook” for Warren Smith’s list of books either released in the past quarter, or those he just got around to reading this quarter. To read last quarter’s list, click here.
Words that Shape Us by Ken Waters. A long-time Pepperdine journalism professor examines how four evangelical publications — Christianity Today, WORLD, Sojourners, and Christian Post — have examined important, recent political issues. I have written for three of the four (all but Sojourners), and I found his assessment fair and factual. Bottom line: if Waters could read only one of these publications, it would be Christianity Today.
The Perfect Tuba by Sam Quinones. I am a tuba player, so maybe I bring a bias to this conversation, but I absolutely love this book. In the 1930s, the York Band Instrument Company of Grand Rapids, Mich., made two tubas that have become Holy Grails. The Yorks have become the Stradivarius of tubas. Sam Quinones, a veteran journalist, tried to find out why these tubas sound so great, and along the way he found people who shared his quest. The result is a social history of 20th century America, with fascinating profiles of obsessive craftsmen, dedicated and compassionate educators, and the ties that bind tuba players — and, we can extrapolate, all communities — together.
Building Trust by Hyler Bracey. My 2021 book Faith-Based Fraud devoted a chapter to the idea of trust. How do you gain the trust of others? How is trust lost? How is it used to take advantage of other people? That chapter led me to a deeper dive into the topic, and one of the best books I have read is this self-published 2002 book. (Full disclosure: Hyler Bracey is a friend and mentor, and he walks his talk. In short, trust me and get this book.)
Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run by Peter Ames Carlin. I was in high school when “Born to Run” came out, but it was not until a year later, as a freshman in college, that a friend sat me down to listen to this album all the way through, from start to finish. I learned why this album has consistently been named one of the greatest albums of all time. It just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and this book celebrates its birthday with a deep dive into the joy and angst that brought this remarkable work to us. The Bible says the sons of Issachar “understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” If you want to understand the times in which we live, and how the 1970s shaped these times, this is a book for you.
A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken. I am working on my second novel, and literary agent extraordinaire Don Pape gave me this book over Christmas. I have found it nourishing and — at times — very funny.
When Politics Becomes Heresy by Tim Perry. This book explores how political beliefs harden into moral absolutes, turning disagreement into sin. Ideologies replace religions, political leaders with morally and logically indefensible views are hailed as prophets, and compromise is framed as betrayal. I found this book frustrating in places. His criticism of the political right is well-justified, but he often ignores similar or greater sins of the political left. Still, Perry’s ability to frame political positions in theological terms — and then to identify them as either orthodox or heretical — is enormously helpful.
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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. This book synthesizes Saunders’ theories of writing – as well as a course he has taught for years at Syracuse University. He examines seven classic 19th-century Russian short stories (by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Gogol) walking through each story line by line, pausing to show how small technical choices—sentence rhythm, point of view, withheld information—shape a reader’s emotional and moral response. I cannot say he made me a fan of the Russian short story, but I learned a lot about writing and about how to read with greater awareness. The book suggests that close reading trains us to be better thinkers and better people, by sharpening our sensitivity to others and to the complexity of moral life.
Small Town Author by John R. Erickson. Another book about writing. (I guess that is the season of life I am in now.) If you are a fan of the best-selling Hank the Cow Dog books, this memoir, by their author, is definitely for you. If you are a writer and want to dig into how one writer works, this book is also helpful (though not as helpful as the books mentioned above). If you like pithy anecdotes and thumbnail assessments of other western writers — including Larry McMurtry, Louis L’Amour, and Elmer Kelton — this book is for you. Erickson’s memoir cements his place in Texas literary culture and the traditions of Western writing.
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