books for 2021

As I transition from 2020 into 2021, it feels amiss not to highlight and share some of the many books that have shaped me over the past year. Despite being neck-deep in my master's program, I managed to read a lot of additional books. I read a lot of ancient stories and texts that helped me see "scripture" in a whole new way. I read novels as a way to get out of constant academia. I read memoirs to help me find new angles on life. I read a lot of non-fiction about Christianity, religion, and Jesus as I searched for new ways of thinking about my old ways of thinking. Here are some of my favorites that I hope can be as a much a gift to you as they have been to me. (And many thanks to all the people who gave me these recommendations along the way!)

My top recommendations from this list: Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor, and The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. Read them. 

Novels 

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd - The story of the fictional wife of Jesus, but it's not "weird," I promise. It's the most fascinating and beautiful portrayal of Jesus I've ever read, given from the perspective of someone close to him in the years leading up to his ministry as portrayed in the gospel. Also a powerful depiction of what life would have been like for women in the first century Palestine. (Thanks Gina!)

Lost Stars by Claudia Gray - My first Star Wars novel, super fun. (Thanks Ian & Cassie!) 

Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis - Mom read this to us when we were little and we thought it was strange and sad, but I finally re-read it and it was a stunning character in Lewis' retelling of the myth of Psyche. (Thanks Rachel A!)

The Giver by Lois Lowry - A mind-bending dystopian novel that made me see life differently. (Thanks Claire!)

Ancient Texts 

Gospel of Thomas - A collection of teachings attributed to Jesus from the early church. Some of them are strange, some misogynistic, but I found them fascinating. The sayings I didn't understand were my favorite because they made me consider what it would be like to read the New Testament teachings - especially parables - for the first time. Here is my favorite: "Jesus said, 'The Father's kingdom is like a woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking along a distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her along the road. She didn't know it; she hadn't noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty.'" 

1 Enoch - A well-known text among the Jews of the Second Temple Period, I've gotten to read this text for my own research. It's a crazy retelling of the story of the Watchers and Giants from Genesis (yes, there are giants), and the beginning of the Noah traditions. 

Religious Non-fiction 

Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor - The most honest and hopeful author/speaker I've encountered this year, writing about her experience teaching Religion 101 to Christian university students. She helped me see how Christianity could still have a beautiful purpose and place in the world, even if it isn't the only religion that can offer access to God. (Thanks Macaela!)

Mansions of the Spirit by Michael Ingham - Similar to Holy Envy, this book addresses religious pluralism from a Christian perspective. Interestingly, both authors affirm some kind of religious pluralism, and yet are committed to their own roles in Christianity as clergy. I love finding that people don't always fit into the categories we've created! (Thanks Chelsea!)

You Are Your Own by Jamie Lee Finch - A short and punchy exposition on Finch's upbringing in extreme fundamental evangelicalism and her journey to finding herself again. (Thanks Sara!)

Leaving the Fold by Marlene Winell, Ph.D. - A therapist's combined research around her experience and clients' experience with fundamental evangelicalism. She explores what motivates religious involvement, what good and bad effects come from this involvement, and what can come up in the process of leaving it. (Thanks Chris & Keelia!)

Love Wins by Rob Bell - Easy to read and refreshingly optimistic, Bell examines evangelical ideas around hell and other possibilities for reading Scriptures about justice, punishment, and love for everyone. (Thanks Gina!)

The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr - I was very much looking forward to reading this book after hearing so much about Richard Rohr and hoping for a way to see Jesus in a more universal light. While he gave a profound explanation of the more traditional idea of "Christ," it fell a little short for me personally. 

Memoir

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen by Lisa Gungor - This book is worth it just for the prologue about growing up in a female body. The book follows Lisa and Michael's journey from Christian celebrities to uncertain and very different people who still choose a beautiful life with their daughters. 

Untamed by Glennon Doyle - This may be the first book I have ever bought simply because it was the bestseller. It was fabulous and thought-provoking, though sometimes so bold that it could be taken out of context. I loved her description of women as cheetahs who have been domesticated their entire lives, and yet know deep in their beings that they are wild animals. (Thanks Karin!)

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi - A post-humous reflection on life from a scholar and neuro-surgeon dying from cancer in his thirties. His writing helped me face mortality. 

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler - Read back-to-back with When Breath Becomes Air without realizing that both deal with cancer and mortality. Bowler tells of her experience with cancer as someone who studies the prosperity gospel. She is funny, profound, and honest in her approach to suffering and faith. (Thanks Rachel E!)

Biblical Studies

The Historiographical Jesus by Anthony Le Donne - I read this book for a class on Social Memory Theory and was fascinated by the academic approach to the gospels in a way that peels back layers of story and memory, attempting to get as close as we can to the "historical" Jesus. (Thanks Dr. Hatina!)

How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman - In my personal research around the figure of Jesus, I came across this book. Ehrman is a renowned scholar who provides historical background of the time leading up to Jesus and the development of Christian ideas about Jesus' divinity.  

In Memory of Her by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza - I've had this book for years and been eager to read it, and finally got the chance in my directed study class on gender historiography. Fiorenza examines Christian origins through a feminist lens; it's beneficial but certainly dense. (Thanks Dr. Healey!) Perhaps my favorite part was this little poem at the dedication: 

You have set sail on another ocean

without star or compass 

going where the argument leads 

shattering the certainty 

of centuries  (Janet Kalven)

Four Kingdom Motifs Before and Beyond the Book of Daniel by Andrew Perrin & Loren Stuckenbruck - I had the privilege of assisting in the editing and publishing process of this book thanks to Dr. Perrin, my supervisor. While the Four Kingdoms motif is not an area of specialization for me, the hours I spent reading over this book (and making an index...) earn it a place on this list. Plus Dr. Perrin gave me the honor of putting my name on the cover... you can check it out here! I'll take this opportunity to also thank Dr. Perrin for being a scholar worth imitating: rather than storing this book in a highly academic context where only universities would be able to afford to own a copy (as with many academic books), he chose to make this one open-access, aka, free. (Thanks Dr. Perrin, and well done!) 

I'm so grateful to live in a time in history where I get the chance to place myself in the mind of so many authors. There is so much collective wisdom to be found in the world, and I'm soaking in every page!