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09 + 09 from 09 :: The Dusting Off the Shelves Best Reads of 2009

Putting together the list of my best reads of 2009 has been very difficult for me.

To begin, I sort of hate to post this because more than 30 of my friends had books published this year. And to each of you whose book didn’t make this list, I apologize.

Also, I am pretty selective about what I’ll read, so almost everything I picked up this year was pretty solid. That makes it super duper hard to narrow down the list of what I thought was the very best.

Finally, in 2009 I read almost 90 books worth 18,000 pages. That’s my best reading year since 1999. And still, there is a pretty tall stack of books I really had hoped to read before the year ended. If your book didn’t show up on this list, it may be on the 2010 edition.

It will be helpful for you to understand some background here, so let me explain a couple things about this list.

First, I cannot presume that I would be able to name the best books of 2009, that would be impossible for anyone—so rather than this list being the best of books published in 2009, it’s the best of what I read in 2009.

Second, it’s not fair to compare fiction to non-fiction, so the books that made this list aren’t competing with other books, they are simply the books that left the biggest impression on me.

Third, because I don’t think you can really compete books against each other, this list is ordered alphabetically by author.

Fourth, I endorsed a number of excellent books this year that didn’t make this list, however each of those books is fantastic and I whole heartedly recommend them.

Fifth, this might not be fair, but I will only list one book per author—not fair because I read a pretty tall stacks of books by Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, Henri Nouwen, Tony Jones, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and others. Many of those titles are deserving of much more attention than they’ve received, but I will only list my favorite title of theirs from what I read in 2009.

With that, here are my favorite books read in 2009:

• The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga (HarperCollins, 2008). The winner of the 2008 Booker Prize. I usually know I’ve just finished a great book when I get sad that I’ve finished it. I could have used about 300 more pages of this gorgeous novel. It’s good to see that the Booker Prize awarded a deserving book after missing a few winners in recent memory.
• The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Penguin Books, 1970). Just before bed during November and December, Phileena and I would read little bits of this one to each other. Captivating. Compelling. Fast-moving. Surreal. Along with Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea and Martel’s Life of Pi, this little novel completes the trilogy of classics on the mysteries of the ocean.
• Teaching of the Twelve: Believing and Practicing the Primitive Christianity of the Ancient Didache Community, Tony Jones (Paraclete Press, 2009). “Do your best.” At least that’s how Jones sums up the message of the Didache, and not a bad way to live life. This little book is helpfully informative, but moves beyond mere observations into thoughtful analysis. It’s also beautifully written. Fantastic. In addition to this title, I also have to highlight another of Tony’s (many) classics, New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier (Joseey-Bass, 2008).
• Mirror to the Church: Resurrecting Faith after Genocide in Rwanda, Emmanuel Katongole with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (Zondervan, 2009). Honest. Accessible. Provocative. Challenging. Katongole’s newest book is thoughtfully organized and engaging. His reflections are an important and crucial contribution to the literature on the Rwandan genocide. His own story informs the way he translates what happened in 1994 with a deep investment that ensures an honest narration of the tragic events. Look forward to his next book, The Sacrifice of Africa (Eerdmans, 2010) should drop by summer 2010.
• Pretty Shield: Medicine Woman of the Crows, Frank B. Linderman (University of Nebraska Press, 1974 but first published in 1932). Ohhhhh… this is such a sweet book. It’s the transcript of an interview of Pretty Shield, an older Crow woman. She reflects on her life, her tribe’s traditions and stories, and the changes she saw devastate her people throughout her lifetime. It’s beautiful and tragic, compelling and honest.
• Home Tonight: Further Reflections on The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 2009). Just about everything Nouwen wrote resonates deep in my soul. No exception here. Not sure if this will be as good for everyone as it was for me, it might be one of those “time of life” reads that means more at certain moments. I also have to highlight his, Beloved: Henri Nouwen in Conversation with Philip Roerick (Eerdmans, 2007)—there is an audio CD that comes with this book, it’s the actual interview that the book is transcribed from. Hearing Nouwen’s voice is pretty moving.
• The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity, Soong-Chan Rah (InterVarsity Press, 2009). Too bad this book wasn’t published sooner, in some ways it’s way ahead of its time, but in other ways we’ve been needing this for quite a while now. Soong-Chan unpacks “White Captivity” as the dominant consciousness needing to be confronted, challenged and dismantled. It’s hard to read, but if you have the courage to face it this book will transform your self delusions of power and inspire you towards a more authentic way of living into the richness of community.
• From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality, Father Richard Rohr (Saint Anthony Messenger Press, 1990). I’m not really a fan of Wild at Heart or the Promise Keepers version of male spirituality, so I picked this one up with a good bit of suspicion. But Father Richard Rohr brilliantly pinpoints some very fragile elements of what men need to understand about a spirituality of descent. This one is brutal and hopeful. And not just for dudes. I also have to add that a couple other of his books should have made this list, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (Crossroad Publishing Company, 2009) and Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer (Crossroad Publishing Company, 1999)—both have tucked seeds of transformation deep in my soul.
• The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, Phyllis Tickle (Baker Books, 2008). Some of us have been asking questions about the emerging/emergent movement and what its impact is on the Western church. In this little book Phyllis Tickle maps its history against 2,000 years of church formation and puts the emerging church in historical context. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year and one that illuminates where the post-modern expression of Christianity is headed. It’s also the densest little book I’ve ever read, I’m still wondering how she said so much without wasting a single word. Pretty impressive. I also have to note that her book, My Father’s Prayer: A Remembrance (Upper Room Books, 1995), is absolutely beautiful—I don’t think I could name an author who uses such gorgeous language in her writing, Phyllis is legit.

Honorable Mention:

• Faith and Human Rights: Christianity and the Global Struggle for Human Dignity by Richard Amesbury and George M. Newlands (Fortress Press, 2008). This little book is packed with substance. The first chapter sets the context in the relationship between Sobrino and Romero, documenting how Sobrino actually opposed the appointment of Romero to archbishop, then after Romeros’ “conversion” sided with his struggle, and then following his martyrdom embodied the message of Romero’s life. The rest of the book unpacks what ARE human rights, human dignity, and the role of the church in it. Really solid and really profound. It’s tight and deep.
• Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace, Cathleen Falsani (Zondervan, 2008). I was pretty sad when finished Sin Boldly, because I wanted it to keep going. It’s a book to savor. Moving. Simple. Profound. Honest. Confessional. Not only does it communicate great things, but it is simply written with beauty and style. It’s exquisite as a piece of art and provoking as a piece of literature. What Wild at Heart did to perpetuate misinformed and dehumanizing stereotypes of men, Sin Boldly recovers as a pure and humanizing ballad for humanity to rediscover ourselves and live into the potential and possibilities of what we can become at our best and worst.
• Evangelical Disenchantment: Nine Portraits of Faith and Doubt, David Hempton (Yale University Press, 2008). Here are troubling biographical sketches of women and men who experienced a meaningful Christian faith, only to collide with aspects of it that rejected or pushed them away. Vincent Van Gogh, James Baldwin, George Eliot and others lives invite us to reconsider the damage our hypocrisy and small mindedness has in excluding people who’s faith is real, but whose lives challenge the institutions of modern religion.
• Divine Commodity: Discovering A Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani (Zondervan, 2009). I almost got out of 2009 without having read this. Ordered it because saw it recommended. The cover sold me, like I always say, you can’t judge a book by its cover but you can sell one by it. I was also bit skeptical, I feel like I’ve read about half a dozen versions of this book, or at least similar books on this topic. By Skye makes the conversation fresh. And the guy can write. It’s provocative and thoughtful and a relevant take on an important conversation. Plus, he’s got like the coolest name I ever heard.
• Caretakers of Our Common House: Women’s Development in Communities of Faith, Carol Lakey Hess (Abington Press, 1997). Hopefully by now most, if not all of you, have read this book. It’s an excellent introduction to the issues of gender equality in community and how women’s development impacts human development. It’s accessible and honest, something that has become a Word Made Flesh staple.
• The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine, Somaly Mam  (Spiegel & Grau, 2008). Painful. Because of my job I end up reading a good deal of material on human trafficking and the commercial sex industry, however, it’s rare when an actual victim is the author of what I read. Somaly recounts her torment and suffering as a child victim of prostitution. Rough stuff. It’s graphic and horrible. It’s also hopeful as she fights back for freedom and opportunity. Not all these stories end like this, and of course it’s still an uphill battle for her, but Somaly is a beacon of hope and restoration. 
• Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community, Andrew Marin (InterVarsity Press, 2009). Andy courageously tackles questions about faith, sexuality and identity. In this book Andy offers an impassioned and spirited dialogue around the issue while maintaining a sense of evangelical diplomacy. It’s a really great start for some of us who don’t know where to begin in this conversation. Super readable and a good one to pop open a conversation that most Christians don’t know how to have.
• Girl in the Orange Dress: Searching for a Father Who Does Not Fail, Margot Starbuck  (InterVarsity Press, 2009). Last but not least (and not actually last, these are alphabetical by author), Girl in the Orange Dress is already a classic. Sometimes humorous and ironic, other times tragically painful. Margot’s memoir provokes echoes of awakening, realizing identity and embracing proper confidence. It is packed full of the best of our humanity. I read this in Korea and immediately ordered a stack of these to pass out to friends. In the book, she somehow captures the most intimate parts of all us—desire, longings and yearnings, the need to be embraced in relationship and the mystery of curiosity. It’s really beautiful and accessible, it’s almost like the book wraps itself around you in embrace as you read it. Pretty solid too. Might as well order a few of this one because you’ll definitely want to pass it along as it makes a meaningful and thoughtful gift.

And here’s just one more, my “Most Anticipated” book for 2010:

• Pilgrimage of a Soul: Contemplative Spirituality for the Active Life, Phileena Heuertz (InterVarsity Press, 2010). Of course this is my most anticipated book of 2010. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the copy-edited version of this manuscript. Phileena’s story of her own feminine awakening and journey into the Catholic church is mapped against the metaphor (and her real life experiences on the Camino de Santiago) of pilgrimage. The book is a confessional and winsome voyage through 7 movements of the soul. When this one drops it’s gonna change a lot for everyone who reads it. Get ready.

That’s what I got. Nine “Bests” and eight “Honorable Mentions” and my “Most Anticipated,” the one book I can’t wait to see published. All solid. All worth buying, reading and passing along to friends.

Alright, so if you stumble across (or write) something that you think I need to tuck into my 2010 reading list hit me up.

Happy reading.