Really well-written with complex characters and a fascinating storyline. The story never lulled and the characters were woven together deftly. One of the more unique fictions I’ve read in a while!

I felt pretty let down by this book. While it was very well-written, I do believe it would have made a better long-reads magazine piece.

So very glad I heeded the advice of a friend and picked up this book. It is unique and gripping and glamorous. The characters are endearing yet flawed and the whole thing was just great. Most anyone would enjoy!

The story is moving and engaging yet somehow feels ordinary, as if, while tragic, it is not unique. One reviewer wrote that “this books dips below the deafening headlines and tells a true story with subtlety and power,” which I think is a lovely way of putting it. The structure is very creative, evoking the characters’ emotional tumult.

D.L. Mayfield is a really thoughtful writer, exploring the complexities of a Christian life and how it is ultimately at odds with the values of America (affluence, autonomy, safety, and power). She draws on research as well as her own experience working with refugee populations to explain how we have forgone the call to be good neighbors in favor of protecting or privilege. I was particularly moved by the section on Safety and how demonizing any group of people makes us more likely to listen to our fears when making decisions, even if they are unfounded. I’m grateful for Mayfield’s book, giving me words to explain a lot of the tensions I wrestle with daily. 

Thank you to InterVarsity Press for the advanced copy!

I’ve been following Kaitlin Curtice for a couple years, ever since hearing her speak at the first Evolving Faith conference, the first person I ever witness perform a land acknowledgement. Her teaching broadened my perspective, a general guide towards a more loving, just world and church. 

This book explores Curtice’s identity as both a Potawatomi woman and a Christian. She challenges white supremacy and its insipid hold over many of our institutions. But, as is her style, she does so gracefully, almost poetically. She is learning to bridge the disparities and nuances of her own life and inviting us to do the same, convinced that this will bring healing for all. There are definitely some tough truths woven in, and this book is not for the faint of heart or easily offended.

I had the chance to read this as part of Kaitlin’s launch team, thanks to Net Galley & Brazos Press.

This book was absolutely fascinating. The subtitle gives you a good idea of the contents, but doesn’t let you know how fun it is to read. Deirdre Mask’s writing style is incredibly approachable as she explains the history and implications of addressing around the world. She couples anecdotes with thoroughly researched analysis. I learned so much from this book and found myself sad it was over because it sort of felt like sitting at a bar with a captivating friend who knows a ton and can tell engaging stories for hours with both humor and substance.

Starting in the 1950s and set outside Philadelphia, “The Dutch House” tracks the drama of the Conroy family, focused on the two siblings Danny and Maeve.

I listened to this on audiobook and loved the narration by Tom Hanks. Something I really liked about the book was Maeve and Danny’s relationship and their loyalty to each other. I also enjoyed being in a time period that I don’t have much acquaintance with. That said, I found many of the other characters to be fairly flat and the heavy emphasis on the tension between Maeve and Celeste tiresome. I was quite engaged with the story for the first half, but found it lost steam in the second. On the whole it was enjoyable and well-written, but not my favorite.

Written by an Aboriginal scholar, this book is about how indigenous thinking can be applied to large-scale world issues in order to achieve a sustainable society. Yunkaporta makes a point of expanding beyond the truncated view of sustainability as related solely to environmental topics. He emphasizes the importance of holistic worldview that is based in understanding systems and listening to the land. ⁣
I learned so much from this book. He tackles complex issues by using metaphor and visualization — one example of the application of indigenous approaches to storytelling and knowledge-sharing. His writing is unflinching and at times self-deprecating. He is a scholar in the western, credential-happy sense of the word, but he makes a point of being humble and amplifying voices of traditional knowledge keepers. It’s very clear that Yunkaporta put a ton of thoughtful effort into the compilation of this work.⁣
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My one criticism is one that Yunkaporta himself acknowledges. At the start, he mentions that he was hesitant to write the book at all, as written words are antithetical to indigenous knowledge-sharing and become outdated the moment they are written. His hesitance comes through at points with harder-to-follow logic that seems a little under-developed. That said, there were plenty of sections when I was convinced he was making a brilliant point and I simply couldn’t wrap my head around it. You definitely get the sense that you are learning from someone who has figured out a way to unlock some next-level brainpower! ⁣