Addicted as I am to books and knowing that without the insight and stimulation that I draw from them I would stagnate spiritually and creatively, I scrupulously carve out some time most days to read. Given my ministry and personality, I also like to read various genres of books: novels, biography, critical essays, and, not least, books on Scripture, theology and spirituality.
In my freshman year at university, I was introduced to good novels. I realized then how impoverished I’d been without good literature in my life. Since that time, more than 40 years ago, I’ve never been without a novel lying open somewhere within my reach. Good novelists often have insights that psychologists and spiritual writers can only envy, firing the imagination and the emotional intelligence in a way that academic books often cannot. A good biography or a book of essays can also stretch my horizons. Finally, there are theological and spirituality books which, given both my temperament and my vocation, I read with passion. These also serve as a source of professional development for me.
So given these particular appetites, what are the 10 best books I read in 2014?
Among novels, I particularly recommend these four:
“All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. This isn’t just one of the top books that I read this past year, it is for me, making an exception for the great classics of English literature, one of the best novels that I’ve ever read. This is simply a great book; not quite the “Diary of Anne Frank,” but a story which moves the heart in a similar fashion.
“Lila” by Marilynne Robinson. Robinson picks up some of her characters from Gilead, inserts a lost young woman named Lila and, through her voice, gives us a near poetry of loneliness and faith. Aside from her emotional depth and perfect prose, Robinson also offers an apologia for the compassion and mercy of God that can help make faith more credible to many of its skeptics today.
“The Invention of Wings” By Sue Monk Kidd. This is a powerful historical novel about both the evil of slavery and sexism. Mirroring the Christian story of redemption, good ultimately triumphs, but not before someone has to sweat some blood in martyrdom. Sue Monk Kidd is always worth reading, but this book stands out, even for a novelist of her caliber.
“The Lowland” by Jhumpa Lahire. Like many of Lahire’s novels, this story also sets itself within the particular trials of emigrating from India to America, but the flashlight that it shines into human relationships helps lay bare some very universal struggles.
Among biographical essays, two books stood out for me this past year.
“The Road is How: A Prairie Pilgrimage through Nature, Desire and Soul” by Trevor Herriot. The flow of the book follows its title. Herriot does a walking pilgrimage across part of Saskatchewan’s prairies, a land roamed for centuries by the buffalo, and lets nature and desire speak to his soul. The result is a remarkable chronicle, a deeply moral book about nature, human nature, sexuality, faith and desire.
“In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother’s Suicide” by Nancy Rappaport. In this book, Nancy Rappaport does what all of us should do if we have lost a loved one to suicide, namely, work through that person’s story and find the threads to cleanse and redeem his or her memory.
Among theological and spirituality books, I recommend:
“Jesus: A Pilgrimage” by James Martin, SJ. This is Jim Martin at his best, offering a good, balanced, healthy Christology, presented in a reader-friendly way. Scholarship accessible to everyone.
“Learning to Walk in the Dark” by Barbara Brown Taylor. Taylor deservedly made the cover of TIME magazine for this book. She offers an insight into the dark night of the soul for those who can’t, or won’t, read more technical theological literature.
“Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was” by Gerhard Lohfink. This is more of a scholarly book, though still pretty accessible to the non-professional. It combines solid scholarship, creative insight, good balance and committed Christian faith.
“Christian de Cherge: A Theology of Hope” by Christian Salenson. Christian de Cherge was the Abbott of the community of Trappist monks who were martyred in Algeria in 1996. This book collects his key writings, particularly as they pertain to the question of the relationship of Christianity to other religions, especially to Islam. Faith, it is said, is built upon the blood of martyrs. Future interreligious dialogue can be built on both the blood and the writings of this martyr. An exceptional book, though hardly surprising, given the exceptional faith and character of Christian de Cherge.
May many good books find you in 2015.