Jonathan David Golden is a pastor, life coach, entrepreneur, and a bunch of other stuff. He wants to be, in a limited way, your life coach. In Be You. Do Good: Having the Guts to Pursue What Makes You Come Alive, he writes about many of his experiences and endeavors, especially the Land of a Thousand Hills coffee company.
After building a successful business consulting and coaching practice, Golden added pastor and church planter to his list of titles. Then, after meeting a bishop from Rwanda, Golden worked with coffee growers in Rwanda to build "the only coffee company in the world . . . that is completely vertically integrated. That means we tend the coffee form the bean to the barista, from farm to cup and every moment in between." In doing so, he not only has built a thriving company, but he provides employment for hundreds of Rwandans (and a few Americans). It's an admirable model of service and ministry, not to mention business.
As he tells the story of his path to get to where he is today, Golden has words of encouragement and motivation for the rest of us who may not have found God's calling in our lives. God wants to work with what we have, where we are, who we are. Golden writes, God "doesn't demand that we do something but rather says, 'Come along, and let's see who this goes.'" I especially like that Golden emphasizes that there's not one secret plan for our lives, and if we miss it we might as well give up. "Rather, God's Spirit offers countless entry points to the adventure you were made to live."
Golden tells great stories, and he certainly has had some adventures. I appreciate the solid guidance he offers, such as pursuing your passion and developing those inklings of ideas that we get. He reminds us that there may be big breakthroughs and a flurry of events to bring change in our lives, but "more often you'll be plodding bahora bahora [little by little], lurching in the right direction." The slow, faithful obedience is more often the normative way of life.
I may be exactly who Golden is writing for: someone who once had big dreams of what he might do for the kingdom or in his career, but finds himself in a work-a-day job, falling short on every measure of the expectations of his training, background, and education. Golden would say, "Be yourself, find your passion, and flesh it out." I might say, "My passion's dead, I just got home from work, and I have to be in early again tomorrow." To be honest, from where I am (and where I think many people are) to where Golden is and wants me to be is a chasm that seems impassable. I know Golden's purpose is to encourage me to get through that chasm, but I found it hard to relate. A better audience would be another Type A, entrepreneurial spirit like Golden. Besides his own example, he gives examples of individuals who have been successful in their careers yet are unfulfilled. Maybe I get tired of the "I've made a lot of money but my life feels empty" stories, when, for most of us the story is "I'm barely getting by and my life feels empty." That's cool that Golden's client was able to quit his job and garden all the time (and then start hosting a gardening show on TV. . . .), but most people in mid-career can't do that (unless of course they have enough disposable income to hire a "life coach"). Maybe I'll get there, bahora bahora, if I ever have the guts to do what makes me come alive. (And if I don't get out of an unsatisfying rut, that means I have no guts, right?)
Forgive my autobiographical rant. I really like the concept and execution of Land of a Thousand Hills coffee. If I liked coffee, I'd make a point to buy their products. I'm very impressed with Golden and that fact that he accomplished the dream of establishing this thriving company while serving as a pastor (and other business endeavors). There are plenty of people out there who will latch onto Be You. Do Good and totally relate to Golden. I'm afraid I wasn't one of them.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A self-improvement book
#vtReadingChallenge
Monday, January 11, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
To the Stars!, by Carmella Van Vleet and Dr. Kathy Sullivan, illustrated by Nicole Wong
It seems like another age, and, truly it was. When Kathy Sullivan was a little girl, people expected her to aim at being a mother, a nurse, or a teacher. Kathy had other ideas. She wanted to see the world, to fly, to do something exciting. Thankfully, she had boldness and support of people around her to pursue her dreams.
To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space introduces kids to Kathy. Her dreams were always bigger than the world around her. She decided she wouldn't let gender roles determine her career and life choices. Against the odds, she ended up flying in three space shuttle missions, including one in which she became the first woman to walk in space!
To the Stars has lovely illustrations by Nicole Wong which capture Dr. Sullivan's love of life, even from an early age. Girls and boys alike can draw inspiration from Dr. Sullivan's determination and, most of all, the enthusiasm with which she pursued her dreams. Mothers, nurses, and teachers are vital roles, and I hope little girls everywhere will continue to pursue these occupations and be the best they can be. But I am glad that women like Dr. Sullivan have paved the way to broaden opportunities for women, giving girls more to aim for.
Kathy always wanted to see the world . . .
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book for children.
#vtReadingChallenge
To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space introduces kids to Kathy. Her dreams were always bigger than the world around her. She decided she wouldn't let gender roles determine her career and life choices. Against the odds, she ended up flying in three space shuttle missions, including one in which she became the first woman to walk in space!
To the Stars has lovely illustrations by Nicole Wong which capture Dr. Sullivan's love of life, even from an early age. Girls and boys alike can draw inspiration from Dr. Sullivan's determination and, most of all, the enthusiasm with which she pursued her dreams. Mothers, nurses, and teachers are vital roles, and I hope little girls everywhere will continue to pursue these occupations and be the best they can be. But I am glad that women like Dr. Sullivan have paved the way to broaden opportunities for women, giving girls more to aim for.
Kathy always wanted to see the world . . .
And one day, she really did. . . .
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book for children.
#vtReadingChallenge
Friday, January 8, 2016
Supernotes: A Thriller, by Agent Kasper and Luigi Carletti, translated by John Cullen
There are spy novels, and there are real-life spy stories. Former spy Agent Kasper teamed up with Italian novelist Luigi Carletti to write Supernotes: A Thriller, a novel based on his experiences as a spy. Kasper was an airline pilot, an Italian agent, and a CIA asset. While living in Cambodia, the CIA recruited him to help with their investigation into counterfeiting of US currency in southeast Asia. That didn't work out so well for him, as, in the course of events, he was arrested (kidnapped? detained? renditioned?) and spent more than a year in Cambodian prisons.
Supernotes tells the story of Kasper's arrest and time in prison, with extended flashbacks of his career. He also has a girlfriend in Italy who hires a lawyer to try to get him out. His government refuses to help, the CIA only makes demands, and the Cambodians extort money from Kasper's family simply to keep him alive. Kasper becomes obsessed with trying to escape; he'd rather die trying to get out than die of malnutrition, illness, or lack of medical care after extensive torture.
As with any "based on a true story" work of fiction, the reader is left wondering where reality ends and fiction begins. I googled one character (Victor Chao, owner of the Marksmen Club and the Manhattan night club) and found him to be just as Kasper described him. The prison where Kasper was held is an actual prison in Phnom Penh. I'm sure other characters and events could be easily corroborated. But I'm curious to know how true to life were the depictions of the events themselves.
Does this matter? Novels frequently build stories around actual people and events without the story itself being true. It probably doesn't matter, except that I felt like this would have been a better book had it been written as a non-fiction account of Kasper's imprisonment and events leading up to it. The narrative is choppy as it shifts time frames. I think it would read better as a non-fiction account rather than elaborating on events to dramatize them.
Kasper clearly led an interesting life. He is the type of character that you might think only exists in movies, but he and others like him are out there. Supernotes gives a glimpse of what life is like for some of those who "in silence and far away from any spotlight, contribute to the security of the society we live in." If you've watched spy movies, you'll see some of the same themes in Kasper's account. It's no mistake that Supernotes has been optioned for a movie. True, fictional, or somewhere in between, Kasper's story has all the drama, action, and intrigue that you expect in the life of a spy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book with a one-word title.
#vtReadingChallenge
Supernotes tells the story of Kasper's arrest and time in prison, with extended flashbacks of his career. He also has a girlfriend in Italy who hires a lawyer to try to get him out. His government refuses to help, the CIA only makes demands, and the Cambodians extort money from Kasper's family simply to keep him alive. Kasper becomes obsessed with trying to escape; he'd rather die trying to get out than die of malnutrition, illness, or lack of medical care after extensive torture.
As with any "based on a true story" work of fiction, the reader is left wondering where reality ends and fiction begins. I googled one character (Victor Chao, owner of the Marksmen Club and the Manhattan night club) and found him to be just as Kasper described him. The prison where Kasper was held is an actual prison in Phnom Penh. I'm sure other characters and events could be easily corroborated. But I'm curious to know how true to life were the depictions of the events themselves.
Does this matter? Novels frequently build stories around actual people and events without the story itself being true. It probably doesn't matter, except that I felt like this would have been a better book had it been written as a non-fiction account of Kasper's imprisonment and events leading up to it. The narrative is choppy as it shifts time frames. I think it would read better as a non-fiction account rather than elaborating on events to dramatize them.
Kasper clearly led an interesting life. He is the type of character that you might think only exists in movies, but he and others like him are out there. Supernotes gives a glimpse of what life is like for some of those who "in silence and far away from any spotlight, contribute to the security of the society we live in." If you've watched spy movies, you'll see some of the same themes in Kasper's account. It's no mistake that Supernotes has been optioned for a movie. True, fictional, or somewhere in between, Kasper's story has all the drama, action, and intrigue that you expect in the life of a spy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book with a one-word title.
#vtReadingChallenge
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Defenders of the Unborn, by Daniel K. Williams
Sure, after Roe v. Wade (1973) there was a lot of pro-life activism. But where did these people come from? As Daniel K. Williams writes in Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement before Roe v. Wade (Plus Some After) (that's my addendum to the title), anti-abortion activism was alive and well before Roe v. Wade, and it may not have looked like what you would expect.
In the first half of the 20th century, pro-life activism began "as a defense of human rights for the unborn." The first activists, according to Williams, were not political conservatives, but "people who supported New Deal liberalism and government aid to the poor, and who viewed their campaign as an effort to extend state protection to the rights of a defenseless minority (in this case, the unborn)."
Many of those favoring fewer restrictions on abortion did so on utilitarian grounds: women die because of illegal abortions, poor women don't have access to safe abortions, women should have the option to abort a baby with birth defects, families who can't afford to raise children should be able to choose to abort, etc. Williams makes little of the inherently racist and classist attitude that drove much of the abortion rights movement, but it's there.
Catholics were the most vocal in resisting the move toward more liberal abortion laws. They prophetically pointed out that therapeutic abortion would inevitably lead to elective abortion, or abortion on demand. There were many supposedly well-meaning doctors and religious leaders who promoted repeal or reduction of limitations on abortion for health reasons, but the justification of "harm to the mother" became less and less meaningful, and the pro-abortion voices came to be dominated by feminists who wanted abortion to be available to all women all the time.
The swiftness with which abortion became more acceptable to the American people is truly remarkable. What would have appalled one generation became commonplace to the next. Almost as remarkable is the ground the pro-life movement was able to gain back. They figured out that using visuals was the most effective argument they could make. Images of small but fully-formed babies that had been aborted had a huge impact on public awareness and attitudes.
Williams doesn't speak in these terms in Defenders of the Unborn, but I couldn't help thinking about spiritual warfare in the battles over abortion. Satan must be giddy with the victory of convincing people that the killing of an unborn child is a good thing. After getting a foot in the door with cases of rape and saving the mother's life, abortions became more and more common until it was a mildly inconvenient form of birth control. The fact that many churches, including one I once saw celebrating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade on its marquee, embrace abortion is an ultimate victory for the powers of darkness.
Defenders of the Unborn is heavy on political maneuverings, the formation and dissolution of pro-life and pro-choice organizations, and the tracking of legislative actions and court rulings. Williams emphasizes the shifting of the center of the pro-life movement. Given the Democratic Party's emphasis on human rights, the pro-life movement initially had a home there. But voices calling for individual rights and equal rights for women eventually deemed that the rights of the unborn take second place, and pro-life voices were no longer welcome. The Republican Party became the party of choice for pro-lifers, to the point that Republican candidates were forced to take increasingly pro-life positions. This shift is a source of interesting paradoxes, as we see Jesse Jackson and Teddy Kennedy articulating strong pro-life messages, while prominent Republicans were consistently pro-choice, then both groups backtracking and "growing" in their views.
Williams's book examines a very important issue in a crucial era of American politics. As the Catholic bishops argue, all other issues take second place to the issue of the sanctity of life. As one who has grown up in the post-Roe v. Wade era, I find it hard to imagine a world in which abortion is not viewed as the killing of a baby. I still have a hard time understanding the cavalier way in which abortion is accepted in some circles. Although I've never been an activist, Williams has helped me to see where pro-life activism has come from and the ways it has, to a limited extent, succeeded, in spite of its failures.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book about abortion
#vtReadingChallenge
In the first half of the 20th century, pro-life activism began "as a defense of human rights for the unborn." The first activists, according to Williams, were not political conservatives, but "people who supported New Deal liberalism and government aid to the poor, and who viewed their campaign as an effort to extend state protection to the rights of a defenseless minority (in this case, the unborn)."
Many of those favoring fewer restrictions on abortion did so on utilitarian grounds: women die because of illegal abortions, poor women don't have access to safe abortions, women should have the option to abort a baby with birth defects, families who can't afford to raise children should be able to choose to abort, etc. Williams makes little of the inherently racist and classist attitude that drove much of the abortion rights movement, but it's there.
Catholics were the most vocal in resisting the move toward more liberal abortion laws. They prophetically pointed out that therapeutic abortion would inevitably lead to elective abortion, or abortion on demand. There were many supposedly well-meaning doctors and religious leaders who promoted repeal or reduction of limitations on abortion for health reasons, but the justification of "harm to the mother" became less and less meaningful, and the pro-abortion voices came to be dominated by feminists who wanted abortion to be available to all women all the time.
The swiftness with which abortion became more acceptable to the American people is truly remarkable. What would have appalled one generation became commonplace to the next. Almost as remarkable is the ground the pro-life movement was able to gain back. They figured out that using visuals was the most effective argument they could make. Images of small but fully-formed babies that had been aborted had a huge impact on public awareness and attitudes.
Williams doesn't speak in these terms in Defenders of the Unborn, but I couldn't help thinking about spiritual warfare in the battles over abortion. Satan must be giddy with the victory of convincing people that the killing of an unborn child is a good thing. After getting a foot in the door with cases of rape and saving the mother's life, abortions became more and more common until it was a mildly inconvenient form of birth control. The fact that many churches, including one I once saw celebrating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade on its marquee, embrace abortion is an ultimate victory for the powers of darkness.
Defenders of the Unborn is heavy on political maneuverings, the formation and dissolution of pro-life and pro-choice organizations, and the tracking of legislative actions and court rulings. Williams emphasizes the shifting of the center of the pro-life movement. Given the Democratic Party's emphasis on human rights, the pro-life movement initially had a home there. But voices calling for individual rights and equal rights for women eventually deemed that the rights of the unborn take second place, and pro-life voices were no longer welcome. The Republican Party became the party of choice for pro-lifers, to the point that Republican candidates were forced to take increasingly pro-life positions. This shift is a source of interesting paradoxes, as we see Jesse Jackson and Teddy Kennedy articulating strong pro-life messages, while prominent Republicans were consistently pro-choice, then both groups backtracking and "growing" in their views.
Williams's book examines a very important issue in a crucial era of American politics. As the Catholic bishops argue, all other issues take second place to the issue of the sanctity of life. As one who has grown up in the post-Roe v. Wade era, I find it hard to imagine a world in which abortion is not viewed as the killing of a baby. I still have a hard time understanding the cavalier way in which abortion is accepted in some circles. Although I've never been an activist, Williams has helped me to see where pro-life activism has come from and the ways it has, to a limited extent, succeeded, in spite of its failures.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book about abortion
#vtReadingChallenge
Monday, January 4, 2016
Amish Zombies from Space, by Kerry Nietz
A couple years ago, Kerry Nietz wrote Amish Vampires in Space. It started out as a joke with his publisher but ended up as a really good space adventure. So why not write a sequel? Nietz has followed up AViS with Amish Zombies from Space. This story, primarily based on a new Amish settlement planet, introduces a new peril to the Amishers: zombies.
AZfS takes place a few years after the events of AViS. Some of the Amishers from Resolve have settled in on Miller's Crossing, reestablishing their community. A mysterious ship lands, bringing with it a new threat that reminds them of the vampires they faced on the Raven. But this time it's different.
As he did in AViS, Nietz takes familiar sci-fi/horror themes and shapes a fresh and original story. Flesh-eating zombies? Yawn. But Nietz turns the zombie cliche on its head (in a way that I won't go into in the interest of not giving away spoilers. . . .). Amish Zombies is solid sci-fi with well-written action scenes and a great story. While not the focus of the book, Nietz also engages faithfulness to Amish values, challenges to living the Christian life, and the call to live as a witness to people around us. I know, you don't often see that in a sci-fi novel!
Readers who liked AViS won't be disappointed with the follow-up. Although it stands alone, there are enough ties to AViS that I would recommend reading AViS before reading Amish Zombies from Space. Nietz's voice is original and welcome. Amish Zombies is listed as Book 2 in the "Peril in Plain Space" series. I hope to see a book 3!
2016 Reading Challenge: A Christian novel
#vtReadingChallenge
AZfS takes place a few years after the events of AViS. Some of the Amishers from Resolve have settled in on Miller's Crossing, reestablishing their community. A mysterious ship lands, bringing with it a new threat that reminds them of the vampires they faced on the Raven. But this time it's different.
As he did in AViS, Nietz takes familiar sci-fi/horror themes and shapes a fresh and original story. Flesh-eating zombies? Yawn. But Nietz turns the zombie cliche on its head (in a way that I won't go into in the interest of not giving away spoilers. . . .). Amish Zombies is solid sci-fi with well-written action scenes and a great story. While not the focus of the book, Nietz also engages faithfulness to Amish values, challenges to living the Christian life, and the call to live as a witness to people around us. I know, you don't often see that in a sci-fi novel!
Readers who liked AViS won't be disappointed with the follow-up. Although it stands alone, there are enough ties to AViS that I would recommend reading AViS before reading Amish Zombies from Space. Nietz's voice is original and welcome. Amish Zombies is listed as Book 2 in the "Peril in Plain Space" series. I hope to see a book 3!
2016 Reading Challenge: A Christian novel
#vtReadingChallenge
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Knight Rider: Knightstrikes, by Chuck Dixon, et al.
KITT. Knight Rider. Any child of the 80s will be taken back by those names. In the TV show, Michael Long, played by David Hasselhoff cruises around in his artificially intelligent supercar KITT fighting crime and being cool. Now the duo has returned in graphic novel form. Knight Rider: Knight Strikes features six "episodes" in which Micheal and KITT win the day while exchanging their trademark banter and displaying some new technologies.
The story elements and plot lines will be familiar to those who remember the TV shows. The comics do seem to amp up the action and explosions, if for no other reason than that it's much easier to draw stuff blowing up than to actually blow something up. These stories update the Knight world with some modern technology, but also indirectly demonstrate how far ahead of the technological curve the original show was.
These stories would be fun to see as TV episodes, or perhaps incorporated into a movie revival (which has been rumored from time to time). In my opinion, Michael in this book doesn't look that much like Hasselhoff. Maybe that's just me. In any case, Knight Rider: Knight Strikes will delight Knight Rider fans, and stands on its own even for readers who never saw the show.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A graphic novel
#vtReadingChallenge
 |
| Because "We're going to run into a tree and this bomb will blow up!" would be too simple. |
These stories would be fun to see as TV episodes, or perhaps incorporated into a movie revival (which has been rumored from time to time). In my opinion, Michael in this book doesn't look that much like Hasselhoff. Maybe that's just me. In any case, Knight Rider: Knight Strikes will delight Knight Rider fans, and stands on its own even for readers who never saw the show.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A graphic novel
#vtReadingChallenge
Friday, January 1, 2016
And West is West, by Ron Childress
Behind the headlines, the lives and loves of today's young people look a little different than they used to. In Ron Childress's And West is West, two young people in positions that were unimaginable just a generation ago have to recreate their lives after they are pushed out the door in their respective positions. Ethan writes the code that helps his bank make billions on arbitrage trading of foreign currency. A decimal error (or a planted decimal error) loses the bank millions in seconds, and he finds himself jobless. Jessica sits in a desert warehouse in Nevada flying drone missions in the Middle East. When one mission goes wrong, she leaves the Air Force and lives under the radar.
Childress brings these two parallel stories together in an interesting way. Readers will dwell on consequences, family histories, and the realities of the fast-moving, accelerated way the modern workforce can become distant from their actual work. Part of me became frustrated that Jessica and Ethan's stories had so little to do with each other. Even though Childress introduced the personal link rather late, he ultimately makes it work.
The story of the characters' lives does not to be as epic as the roles they played, or potentially played, in their careers. Childress focusses on the drama of relationships and family, not on the global implications of the buttons Ethan and Jessica pushed. As the world becomes more interconnected, and as finance and warfare become more impersonal, linking consequences to our actions and faces to our interactions becomes more tenuous. And West is West illustrates that reality well.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book written by a first-time author
#vtReadingChallenge
Childress brings these two parallel stories together in an interesting way. Readers will dwell on consequences, family histories, and the realities of the fast-moving, accelerated way the modern workforce can become distant from their actual work. Part of me became frustrated that Jessica and Ethan's stories had so little to do with each other. Even though Childress introduced the personal link rather late, he ultimately makes it work.
The story of the characters' lives does not to be as epic as the roles they played, or potentially played, in their careers. Childress focusses on the drama of relationships and family, not on the global implications of the buttons Ethan and Jessica pushed. As the world becomes more interconnected, and as finance and warfare become more impersonal, linking consequences to our actions and faces to our interactions becomes more tenuous. And West is West illustrates that reality well.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
2016 Reading Challenge: A book written by a first-time author
#vtReadingChallenge
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