Books I'd like to read...

After wandering around Borders the other night with my wife I decided to post of some of the current books on my, "I'd like to read that someday" list. Born to Buy The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture Juliet B. Schor "The United States is the most consumer-oriented society in the world..." Looks fascinating... Giving How Each of Us Can Change the World Bill Clinton The secular premise and primer on tithing...and written to one of the richest countries in the history of the world...yet the average American only gives 2.6% Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner This one has been out a while and I always read a few pages of it when I find it on a shelf but have never picked it up for myself... The Rough Guide to the iPhone No, I haven't decided for sure to get one...but...if I did, this guy looks fascinating. Shopping for God How Christianity went from in your heart to in your face... James B. Twitchell I'm speaking in February about societal misconceptions of Jesus and this guy might help in my prep... Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations One School at a Time Greg Mortenson I know it's kind of Oprah book clubish but a story about building schools in Pakistan, especially after watching Charlie Wilson's War, is interesting... Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light Mother Teresa A window into Mother Teresa's dark night of the soul and in her own words...evidence one doesn't always 'feel' God in the midst of serving Him Jesus in Beijing How Christianity is Changing China and Changing the Global Balance of Power David Aikman Duh. Mao: The Unknown Story Jung Chang After being in China I started to like this guy and almost bought a shirt... until I realized he might be responsible for more deaths in human history than any other person...hhmm...useful information when planning a wardrobe The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century Thomas L. Friedman Another no-brainer that has been out for a while... The Rabbi's Daughter A Memoir Reva Mann Hadn't seen this before yesterday but it looks interesting...here's the book description since it's not as well known: In this honest, daring, and compulsively readable memoir, Reva Mann paints a portrait of herself as a young woman on the edge—of either revelation or self-destruction. Ricocheting between extremes of rebellion and piety, she is on a difficult but life-changing journey to inner truth. The journey began with an unhappy childhood in a family where religion set the tone and deviations from it were not allowed. But Reva, a granddaughter of the head of the Rabbinic Council of Israel and daughter of a highly respected London rabbi, was a wild child and she rebelled, spiralling into a whirlwind of sex and drugs by the time she reached adolescence. As a young woman, however, Reva had a startling mystical epiphany that led her to a women’s yeshivah in Israel, and eventually to marriage to the devoutly religious Torah scholar who she thought would take her to ever greater heights of spirituality. But can the path to spiritual fulfillment ever be compatible with the ecstasies of the flesh or with the everyday joys of intimacy and pleasure to which she is also strongly drawn? With unflinching candor, Reva shares her struggle to carve out a life that encompasses all the impulses at war within herself. An eye-opening glimpse into the world of the ultra-Orthodox and their elaborately coded rituals for eating, sleeping, bathing, and lovemaking, as well as a deeply personal rumination on identity, faith, and self-acceptance, this is at its heart a universal story. For those of any faith who have grappled with their own spiritual longings, and for anyone fascinated by traditional religion and its role in modern society, Reva Mann’s chronicle of a journey toward redemption is an unforgettable read. Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Karl Jaspers Book Description: Arguably the four most influential individuals in human history, Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius and Jesus have cast shadows on history that are nearly inescapable even today. Who were they, what were their doctrines, and what was their influence? Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations Martin Goodman After preaching on the world at the time of Jesus' birth I've been curious about this subject and this book caught my eye. The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything Brian McLaren I've got serious issues with some of McLaren's stuff...but the back of the cover and the direction he takes with this I think I can handle...and it might go with my talk on societal misconceptions of Jesus

Book Description: In The Secret Message of Jesus you'll find what's at the center of Brian's critique of conventional Christianity, and what's at the heart of his expanding vision. In the process, you'll meet a Jesus who may be altogether new to you, a Jesus who is

• Not the crusading conqueror of religious broadcasting;
• Not the religious mascot of partisan religion;
• Not heaven's ticket-checker, whose words have been commandeered by the church to include and exclude, judge and stigmatize, pacify and domesticate.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible I think I might actually use my Borders gift card for this guy...looks fascinating and hilarious :) What am I missing? I realize there's not a lot of fiction of this list, I need to work on that. Read anything good lately I should consider? Comment!

This entry was posted by Josh Mann, on Friday, December 28, 2007. WEIGH IN.