The Right Side of History, by Ben Shapiro

I really enjoy Ben Shapiro's perspective on his podcasts, Twitter, interviews, and media appearances.  In The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great, Shapiro demonstrates the philosophical and intellectual foundations on which he bases his perspective on contemporary political and cultural issues.

While Shapiro is best known for his up-to-the minute commentary, The Right Side of History takes the story back centuries, to Jerusalem and Athens.  The core of his argument is that the Western world has strayed from the Judeo-Christian roots of our moral code and the Greek roots of our intellectual and political traditions. 

Shapiro has great insights and gives an overview of intellectual and moral history that is worth reading.  I appreciate his balance and commitment to clarity.  The nature of the book--mostly a historical primer--doesn't lend itself to much excitement.  But it's definitely worth reading.

The Seven Longest Yards, by Chris and Emily Norton

Chris Norton was a standout on his college football team until a fateful tackle during his freshman season.  As hard as he tried to get up off the turf, he couldn't move a muscle below his neck.  In The Seven Longest Yards: Our Love Story of Pushing the Limits While Leaning on Each Other, he tells the story of his injury, his fight to recover, and of finding the love of his life.

First of all, fair warning: get the Kleenex ready.  I couldn't help putting myself in Chris's parent's shoes, thinking about how I would respond if my college-age son had a devastating injury such as Chris had.  He is privileged to have a loving, supportive family.  He was also privileged to benefit from NCAA insurance for injured athletes.  So he began his recovery on a solid foundation.

What sets Chris apart after his injury is his refusal to give up hope.  When doctors said he had a 3% chance of ever moving anything below his shoulders, or when a doctor told him he would never walk again, he rejected their predictions, determined to be that small percent to overcome the odds.  His mantra from the start was "Don't focus on what you can't do.  Focus on what you can do."  He has taken that attitude to launch a successful inspirational speaking career, as well as a foundation committed to providing medical care for other victims of spinal cord injuries.

Before he got there, though, he had a lot of work to do.  Having finished his coursework in the fall, he dedicated the spring semester to preparing to walk across the stage at his May graduation.  His girlfriend Emily agreed to assist him during this time.  She attended his therapies and was able work as his home assistant thanks to his insurance plan.

After his successful graduation walk went viral, he was inundated with media requests, appearing countless times.  It certainly helped that he proposed to Emily the night before graduation, adding their storybook romance to the tremendously inspiring story.  After the media buzz died down, Chris still had work to do, and Emily struggled with having given up her professional dreams to help him.  She spiraled into a deep depression, and writes about all she went through to overcome it.

I appreciated Chris and Emily's honesty.  They make no great claims about their faith or faithfulness.  In fact, when they became involved in a church after they moved to Florida, Chris writes that they each desired early on to date another Christian, but "our lives hadn't reflected that priority in a long time."  He said God "had never been a vital part of my everyday life."  Ultimately, they both grew in their faith together.  An elephant in the room that was never addressed is the fact that they lived together, moved to another state, bought a house, and started fostering kids together before they were ever married.  For a book about a Christian couple published by a Christian publisher, it's interesting that this time of cohabitation is never mentioned as such.

Chris and Emily are an inspiring couple in many ways: Chris overcoming the odds to walk, Emily overcoming her depression to function, the two of them committing to love needy children through foster care, and the vulnerability they have chosen to share their stories.  It's not the life they imagined, but it's "a life that exceeded anything we had ever imagined."  They have shown that "with God, all things are truly possible."


Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

By Reason of Insanity, by Randy Singer

Catherine O'Rourke is a popular crime reporter, but when she has disturbing visions that give details about a series of murders, she becomes suspect number one.  Randy Singer's novel By Reason of Insanity explores the world of multiple personality disorder, or dissociative identity disorder (DID) to consider whether someone could be a serial killer and not realize it.

Murder is the farthest thing from Catherine's mind, but when evidence seems to finger her, and her lawyers suggest that a claim of insanity related to DID is all that could get her off the hook, she begins to have serious doubts about her own innocence.  The victims are rapists, or lawyers who defended rapists.  Catherine grapples with a rape in her own past, so the suggestion that she may be exacting revenge does not seem that far-fetched.

Singer puts together the investigation and trial nicely, as he does in his novels.  His trial experience shows, bringing a sense of realism to the courtroom scenes.  I enjoyed the interactions of the two lawyers who are compelled to work together in Catherine's defense.  The DID angle seemed a bit overwrought.  While it's interesting to consider the possibility that someone could function as more than one person, none of whom is aware of the other, I thought very little about Catherine's story lent itself to a consideration of DID. 

Even though Singer writes for a Christian publisher, there was little Christian content in By Reason of Insanity.  I don't say that as a criticism, just an observation.  Singer is definitely a writer of legal fiction to whom I will return.

Dear Mr. President, by Sophie Siers and Anne Villenueve

Sam has a problem.  He shares a room with his big brother, but they don't get along very well.  He thinks the problem might be solved by building a wall between their two sides.  Sam has heard about the president's idea for a wall, so he begins a correspondence with the president.  Sophie Siers and Anne Villenueve record and illustrate his letters in Dear Mr. President.

This a cute idea, taking a political hot topic and giving it a mostly non-political, real-life application.  Sam weighs the pros and cons of building the wall, although he never can convince his parents or his brother that it's a good idea.  Sam's teacher points out that historically some walls "didn't quite work to plan," and Dad says that "communication and negotiation are always preferable to separation."  Eventually, their parents set Sam's brother straight and he begins to be a more considerate roomie. 

Sam never does hear back from the president, or at least that correspondence is not recorded in the book.  More than making a specific political point, Sam learns that when both sides work together, they can get along, and that coming to agreements and compromise is better than building permanent barriers.  It's a good lesson for domestic relations, but doesn't easily translate to international relations.  Still, this is a fun little book.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

The Drifter, by Nick Petrie

For people who love a good loner-vigilante story a la Jack Reacher, Nick Petrie's The Drifter is a good place to start.  This is the first novel of five (so far) in the Peter Ash series.  Ash is a Marine who, after tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, suffers from a form of PTSD.  He can't stand to be indoors.  After living in the mountains for a few months, he hears about a buddie's suicide.  To work off his grief and the guilt he feels for not being there to support his buddy, he shows up at the widow's house, claiming to be part of a Marine veterans' home repair program.

He does some repairs (out of his own pocket, of course--the program is a fiction he made up as a cover) but while he's there, he discovers that his buddy may have been involved in some criminal activity, and may not have committed suicide after all.  He gets the attention of the local bad guys and begins to unravel the threads of a plot that is much bigger than he would have ever imagined.

The comparison to Reacher is what drew me to Petrie.  Lee Child himself offers a strong endorsement.  Ash is his own man, but the comparisons to Reacher are apt.  He has the same propensity to lay low when he can, but to kick butt if he must.  Petrie focuses on PTSD and the plight of returning combat veterans.  He is not a combat vet himself, and I appreciate the sensitivity and humility with which he approaches the subject.

Is Petrie the next great action novelist?  I don't know.  The Drifter was an entertaining read, enough so that I would consider picking up book two.

Walking with Jesus on Campus, by Stephen Kellough

Stephen Kellough was campus chaplain at Wheaton College for 25 years.  Based on his lengthy experience of meeting, discipling, and counseling college kids, he has written Walking with Jesus on Campus: How to Care for Your Soul During College.  Kellough's passion for college kids, love of the scriptures, and heart to build disciples come through in this practical, pastoral book.

Kellough covers topics that many--all?--college students deal with from time to time.  Some are quite obvious.  Every campus, from small Christian colleges to large state universities, are full of young people ready to explore their sexuality.  Kellough offers biblical guidance on that hot topic.  The strongest, and perhaps most important chapters, deal with perfectionism, depression, self-worth, and serving others.  Kellough challenges students to find their worth in Jesus and in service to others. 

With a warm, pastoral tone, Kellough describes his own experiences with college students, provides scriptural illustrations, and offers plenty of opportunity to personalize and reflect on his message.  It's the voice of a warm, caring presence who must have had a huge impact on the lives of individual students and on the spiritual environment of the Wheaton campus.  Walking with Jesus on Campus is a helpful sourcebook for college students and those who care about their spiritual growth.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

80/20 Running, by Matt Fitzgerald

If you have ever used a training plan from Runners World or similar source, you've probably practiced the 80/20 running rule.  Matt Fitgerald develops this idea in 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Stronger by Training Slower.  Drawing on research, data, and the training experiences of runners from Arthur Lydiard, the father of modern distance running, forward to contemporary Olympians and marathoners, Fitzgerald describes training with the bulk of your miles run at low intensity.

Fitzgerald writes in such a way that runners at all levels of experience can implement and customize his plans.  Wherever you are in your running, or whatever distance race you are preparing for, you will be able to apply Fitzgerald's plans.  The 80/20 of the title refers to running 80 percent of your training miles at low intensity and 20 percent at high intensity.  Fitzgerald provides some scientific and anecdotal evidence that this works.  He also is happy to direct you to his 80/20 training app (it's not a hard sell, just a suggested resource).

For many runners, 80/20 Running is a great resource and remedy for overtraining.  For some runners, especially lazy runners like me, it's a reminder to increase intensity 20 percent of the time.  According to Fitzgerald, most recreational runners run mostly at moderate intensity.  For real improvement, moving toward an 80/20 balance will help.