Book Reviews

The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement

April 21, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Narcissism is a serious and real issue in the modern world. May be even more important spiritually.

Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition

First admission, I got bored with this book. I started it in January and read about the first third in a day. But then I started something else as I often do and I just had a hard time reading more than a little bit at a time.

The first section, which talked about the definition, myths and some of the benefits of Narcissism was very interesting. I sped through that and spent a lot of time talking about it to anyone that would listen.

The next section talks about why there is an epidemic. The chapter on parenting I thought was incredible. I was convinced that there really is a big problem with the way that the US thinks about parenting. Then the book started talking about the rise of celebrity culture, digital natives and web culture and school and I was less impressed. It is not that I do not think that Narcissism is not a big deal and it is not that I do not think that celebrity, the web and ‘everyone wins’ is not a problem.

Till We Have Faces…A Myth Retold by CS Lewis

July 27, 2026April 20, 2011 by Adam Shields

Till we have faces;: A myth retold Takeaway: An unusual re-telling of a greek myth.

I have never heard of this book before I stumbled across it on Audible. I was in the mood for some fiction and wasn’t really interested in any of the books that I had in my wishlist. After surfing around a little while I found that this book. It was the last real fiction book he wrote. It was written and published during his early relationship with Joy Davidman.

Till We Have Faces

According to Wikipedia and the book’s introduction, this was a book Lewis was thinking about from his early days in college. It is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. (Although I had no idea what the myth was till after I read the book.)

The basic story is that a princess, Orual, raised her sister after the death of her step mother in childbirth. The sister, Psyche, was the most beautiful girl anyone had ever seen while Orual was very ugly. The sisters were separated and the younger sister was married to a God. But the Orual was convinced that the God was not real or that if there was a husband, it was actually a man that was wrong for her sister. She convinces Psyche to violate the conditions of the marriage and the God leaves. But Orual and Psyche are not reunited.

Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions Books Discussion: Chapter 1

April 18, 2011 by Adam Shields

Cover of "When Harry Met Sally" — Cover of When Harry Met Sally

Over the next couple weeks a group of people will be reading and responding to the book Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions by Dan Brennan (my earlier review). A chapter will be discussed each Monday, Wednesday and Friday until we are done. Please come back and interact with us. You do not have to have read the book, but it will likely help in the discussion.

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Brennan understands that he is working against the grain to suggest that not only is it possible, but it is important to have friendships between men and women that are ‘non-sexual’, but still intimate and deep. The classic movie When Harry Met Sally has the line “…Men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.” And most of us believe, and are taught, that Harry is right.

SuperFreakonomics by Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner

April 15, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: More unconventional ways of looking at the world around us.

Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook

I like economics. Overall I like this book and the movement of micro-economics and behavioral economics books that was created out of the original Freakenomics (although I think some people need to think of some better titles.)

The method of Freakenomics is to find an issue, then think of a way to look at that issue using mathematical models. The Freakenomics guys and their counterpart research economics that do a lot of the research are creative. They have to be creative, and willing to balk conventional wisdom, to come up with their research ideas. (And hope the mathematical models really explain the reality.)

The Pastor: A Memoir (The Audiobook Review) by Eugene Peterson

July 27, 2026April 14, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: On Audio, still the best general book on what it means to be a pastor I have ever read.

Purchase Links: Hardback, Kindle Edition, christianaudio.com MP3 audiobook

I read this immediately after it came out just over a month ago. I wrote a gushing review. Then I was asked if I wanted to review the audiobook as well. At first I thought I would just listen to a little bit of the audiobook and rework the original review a bit. But this is a very good book. And ‘reading’ it twice in less than six weeks is not too much.

Eugene Peterson reads the introduction and afterward himself. So you get a sense of his own voice. But it is narrated by Arthur Morey. His voice is not the same as Peterson, but his reading understands the nature of the book. As with many good narrators you forget the narration and hear the voice of the author, as the authors intends you to hear.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

July 15, 2026April 11, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Sarah Vowell is both one of my favorite narrators and one of my favorite historians. That probably says a lot about me.

Sarah Vowell is a unique historian. She may be the only historian known as much for her unique speaking voice as she is for her writing. She has been a regular on This American Life, the voice of the daughter on the movie The Increadibles and is the author of six books.

So it is her voice (both actually and literary) that will lead you to love or hate her. To get an idea of her actual voice you can watch the book trailer below. But that will really only matter if you want to listen to the audiobook (which I did.)

Hannah Coulter: A Novel by Wendell Berry

July 15, 2026April 9, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Progress is not always an improvement. How do you discuss a book like this? It is a beautiful story. Berry knows how to draw you into the world of rural 1930-2001 in a way that makes me almost miss not living it. I have not read anything by Wendell Berry before, but he has … Read more

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr

November 8, 2024April 8, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: Maturing is not a straight line and it does not automatically come with growing old.

Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition (Kindle available now, paperback is a pre-order for April 19, 2011)

Today is my birthday so I thought it appropriate to read and review a book that is primarily about how to age better. I must admit I was a bit put off of this book when I first started. Rohr is a Catholic priest and it took a while for me to sink into his vocabulary and understand how he was using his words.

After I picked it up again a week or so later. I started to see a spirituality that was formed by story in a way somewhat akin to Donald Miller. The 30 page intro is rough going no matter how you look at it. But once you get to the early chapters where Rohr uses the story of Odyssius to explain his point I was hooked.

The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II: Words of Inspiration

April 7, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: One of the most inaccurate titles ever. Actually a series of letters to lay Christians working around the world.

Purchase Links: Hardcover, Audible.com Audiobook

This is a book that I picked up because it was free on Audible (I think it was given away to commemorate his death.) Obviously I did not get right to it. I stumble across it when looking back through my audio archives.

It is very short, just over 2 hours of audio (did not realize until now that it is an abridged audiobook). The full book is actually a collection of 150 letters (fairly short blog/newsletter length) that were written to the Secular Institutes. My understanding from the introduction is that these are people that live and work in the secular world, but take on vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Mostly they are lay people (not ordained) and unlike monks or nuns (which are also often not ordained) live alone outside of a community. I had never heard of this status before, but according to Wikipedia, there are about 60,000 people that live as ‘consecrated persons’.

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

April 6, 2011 by Adam Shields

Takeaway: More inspiration about how to start something new from whatever position you are in. Godin is about innovation and if we want a strong economy, we need people at all levels that follow through with this book.

Purchase Links: Hardcover, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook

I am a mixed relationship with Seth Godin. On the one hand I think that he is very inspirational, a good writer and has been very good at communicating to a large group of people.

But I have been frustrated with some of his concepts in the past. But there is not a lot controversial in this book. Essentially, the book is giving people permission to start something new, be innovative and ‘poke the box’ to see if there is a better way to accomplish or create something.

That is really all that the book is about. It is worth reading because Godin has the ability to really get at the heart of a matter. Accomplishing something big is about actually starting something, seeing it to the end and learning from failure, then trying something else.