Book Review: A God Named Josh by Jared Brock

About the Book:

The Life of Jesus Like You've Never Imagined.

Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" It's a question that still needs an answer today. With deft, insightful, and humorous strokes, award-winning biographer Jared Brock weaves archaeology, philosophy, history, and theology to create a portrait of Jesus we've never seen before.

This is a groundbreaking biography about the historical Jesus we don't usually think about: The child refugee. The "carpenter" who most likely worked with stone. The adult who walked at least 21,525 miles in His lifetime and yet never tasted tomatoes or potatoes. The itinerant rabbi whose real name wasn't Jesus. The political revolutionary whose brutal murder was secretly masterminded by a power-hungry mafia family.

More than a fascinating biography, A God Named Josh seeks to illuminate Jesus of Nazareth from new perspectives, grounded in history, that will surprise Christians and atheists alike.

Read an excerpt from A God Named Josh by Jared Brock on the publisher's website.

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My Thoughts:

Other than the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Scriptures, A God Named Josh: Uncovering the Human Life of Jesus Christ by Jared Brock stands as the first biography of Jesus that I’ve read. The book combined Scriptural accounts and secular history relating to Jesus of Nazareth aka Yeshua aka Yehoshua.

It took me nearly a month to read A God Named Josh as it’s a lengthy book. The author brilliantly organized this biography, and I loved learning new historical insights. Chapter 5 (The Relational Josh) uncovered Jesus’ familial connections and showed how interconnected his followers and family were. Chapter 7 (The Philosophical Josh) fascinated me and deepened my understanding of Yehoshua’s teachings. Chapter 8 (The Economic Josh) will challenge any Christian to think about the use of money. For me, the book’s greatest impact came from the chronicling of Yehoshua’s day-by-day journey from the triumphal entry to the resurrection. I’ll never look at a cross the same way and the author reconciled the resurrection accounts beautifully (something I’ve never been able to do in my own readings).

Every so often, Jared Brock stepped out of biographer mode and into a theologian or apologetic defender of the faith role. Most of the ideas in A God Named Josh stay within mainline evangelical framework, but sometimes the author challenges traditional interpretations and makes good cases for his ideas (though I didn’t come into agreement with every point). I recommend reading with an alert, discerning eye as there are plenteous suppositions (some presented as such and some quietly inserted). I often used the provided Scripture references to check up on the author’s ideas. Personally, I thought some of his interpretations were out of context or construed in a way that may or may not be correct and true. The book and its ideas made me examine certain Bible passages with a new view.

In A God Named Josh, Jared Brock writes in an intelligent, but relatable tone for Millennials, and included occasional crassness (mentioning the disciples’ stones) and infrequent misogyny (could have been easily avoided, and didn’t mesh with the way he elevated female disciples in other points in the book). I enjoyed this book and expect it to stay with me for a long time. 4.5 Stars.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Suncoast Empire by Frank A. Cassell

About the Book:

Silver Medal Florida Book Awards Nonfiction

In the early 20th century, Bertha Palmer was one of the best-known and wealthiest women in America. She was an art collector, women's rights advocate, businesswoman, owner of Chicago's Palmer House Hotel, and had elegant homes in Chicago, Paris, and London.

In 1910 she traveled to the small and rough settlement called Sarasota on the west coast of Florida. For some reason, she decided to spend much of each year for the rest of her life on one of America's last frontiers, investing in cattle and farming, creating communities out of marshlands, pine forests, and tropical jungles. The society queen and social reform advocate excelled as a frontier entrepreneur, just as she had in every other endeavor in her life. She managed to make a good deal of money and to change Sarasota forever.

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My Thoughts:

I loved reading Suncoast Empire: Bertha Honore Palmer, Her Family, and the Rise of Sarasota by Frank A. Cassell. I have a substantial bias as I spent much of my childhood in Sarasota and still live near the beautiful city. Though I’ve been in the area all my life, I found much history that I never knew prior to reading Suncoast Empire.

Frank A. Cassell, author of Suncoast Empire, is a retired professor and the narrative demonstrates his skill in conveying detailed historical information while interesting the reader/audience. My favorite part of the book was the biography of Bertha Palmer. This portion occupied substantial page space but felt just right for the book – not too long, not too short.

Following the biography, Suncoast Empire focuses mainly on the last few years of Bertha’s life and explores how her presence and business affected the small community of 1910’s Sarasota. Given her age and the short years she had in Sarasota, her accomplishments amazed me. Over 100 years later, Sarasota is greatly changed from Bertha’s time, but her imprints are still here in the streets named after her family, the areas of the county that she labeled, and the reputation she promoted of Sarasota as a beautiful, tropical playground for the wealthy.

Book Review: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

About the Book:

Rosa Parks is one of the most well-known Americans today, but much of what is known and taught about her is incomplete, distorted, and just plain wrong. Adapted for young people from the NAACP Image Award—winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert shatter the myths that Parks was meek, accidental, tired, or middle class. They reveal a lifelong freedom fighter whose activism began two decades before her historic stand that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and continued for 40 years after. Readers will understand what it was like to be Parks, from standing up to white supremacist bullies as a young person to meeting her husband, Raymond, who showed her the possibility of collective activism, to her years of frustrated struggle before the boycott, to the decade of suffering that followed for her family after her bus arrest. The book follows Parks to Detroit, after her family was forced to leave Montgomery, Alabama, where she spent the second half of her life and reveals her activism alongside a growing Black Power movement and beyond.

Because Rosa Parks was active for 60 years, in the North as well as the South, her story provides a broader and more accurate view of the Black freedom struggle across the twentieth century. Theoharis and Colbert show young people how the national fable of Parks and the civil rights movement—celebrated in schools during Black History Month—has warped what we know about Parks and stripped away the power and substance of the movement. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks illustrates how the movement radically sought to expose and eradicate racism in jobs, housing, schools, and public services, as well as police brutality and the over-incarceration of Black people—and how Rosa Parks was a key player throughout.

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My Thoughts:

Reading The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition by Jeanne Theoharis was a bit of a rollercoaster. At the beginning, I read slowly – just a chapter or two a night – as the hard realities that Rosa and other Black people faced weighed heavy in my mind. As the narrative progressed, I increased my reading as I was fascinated by Rosa and her fight against segregation and racism. Toward the end, my pace slowed again and I felt a bit more disconnected from the story than I previously had.

Growing up, I learned a whitewashed version of history and knew very little about Rosa Parks other than her refusal to give up her seat on the bus. After reading The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, I have a much greater admiration and appreciation for this remarkable woman. Her strength, her demeanor, her love of reading, her spiritual life, her pursuit of justice and equality. All of it inspired me. I’d love to read Mrs. Parks’ books, My Story (autobiography) and Quiet Strength. I imagine those books tell even more of her story as The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks focuses on her experiences with segregation, racism, and activism.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition is marketed for 7^th-9^th graders/ages 12-17. However, I learned much from this book as an adult and the writing is not simplified, though I suspect some situations may be less detailed than in the original edition. I felt that Jeanne Theoharis presented the information in this book objectively, except for perhaps a few parts near the end. I recommend this book to ages 12+ and I expect that we will use it as a resource in our homeschool program once my daughters reach middle school. Excellent book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product via the Amazon Vine program. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: 50 Pentecostal & Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know

About the Book:

Empowering Stories from Spirit-Filled Leaders Who Blazed the Trail.

Throughout history, countless believers have gained renewed strength and purpose by following in the footsteps of faithful servants of God who showed them the way. In sparkling prose and fascinating detail, Dean Merrill captures the bold, often surprising stories of fifty such leaders--notable Pentecostal, charismatic and Spirit-empowered trailblazers, including

• Smith Wigglesworth, bold as a lion
• William J. Seymour, igniting Azusa Street
• John G. Lake, making room for the Healer
• Aimee Semple McPherson, everybody's sister
• David du Plessis, bridge-builder
• Leonard Ravenhill, sounding the alarm
• John and Elizabeth Sherrill, scribes of the renewal
• Jesse Miranda, up from the barrio
• David Wilkerson, straight shooter
• Cindy Jacobs, the "general"

By taking you into the private worlds of these men and women of God, Merrill helps you feel the quickening pulse of fearless obedience to the Holy Spirit. Let their stories fill your own heart with courage for the road ahead.

Read an excerpt from 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know on the publisher's website.

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My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know by Dean Merrill. Although I grew up in a conservative, Pentecostal church, I knew very little about any of the men and women featured in this collection. Each mini-biography devotes four to six pages to providing condensed background information of the individual, an overview of the person’s spiritual journey and undertakings, and a perspective on how the man or woman impacted the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Although the biographies are kept short, many people reappear throughout the book and I thought the author did well tying it all together. I also appreciated that the author did not attempt to hide the short-comings of some individuals.

Reading 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know opened my mind to the diversity of Spirit-filled life. I was raised a certain way, I attend a church that operates differently than I was raised, and this book shines the light on how the Holy Spirit does not fit into a particular box. He ministers through diverse methods, peoples, and belief systems.

As I read the stories of healing and spiritual gifts, my own faith was strengthened and my desire for the fullness of the Holy Spirit grew. I recommend 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know by Dean Merrill to any Christian who enjoys biographies or is curious about the Holy Spirit.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Jane Austen: Christian Encounters

Jane Austen by Peter Leithart is a biography focusing on one of the most talented writers in history. Well-known classics such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma were written by Austen. Leithart presents Austen’s biography from a somewhat Christian perspective. He does not make her seem like a saint, but he does point out many details in her writing that he believes illustrates her personal faith. The biography covers Austen’s entire life and gives an extensive accounting of her family tree.

This biography of Jane Austen was very detailed and I certainly can appreciate detail. However, at times it was tedious to read because of the amount of detail. I greatly enjoyed chapter five which addressed Austen as a published author. This is a book that I would recommend checking out from the library before you buy. A Jane Austen fanatic would probably love it, but a less enthusiastic reader might not get past chapter two.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze.com as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."