Sabbatical has allowed me much more time to read, a hobby I’ve always loved but often don’t set aside time for. Here are some of my favorite books I’ve read this sabbatical. I’m also trying out these “Amazon Affiliate” links; if you end up purchasing a book using my link below, I earn a small commission. (Not sure how I feel about Amazon on the whole but thought it’s worth a try.)
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, by RF Kuang – 4.5 /5 stars
This is a work of historical fiction with fantasy elements, taking place in the mid-1800s at the height of Britain’s power. A young man named Robin is brought from his native China to the Babel Institute in England, where he discovers that words have power – in a very literal sense! But as he learns more about how the British Empire uses the work of translation to advance its own interests, he becomes conflicted, ultimately getting caught up in an anti-colonial uprising. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which felt sometimes like a combination of Harry Potter (a young boy heading to university), Star Wars, and some other young adult adventure stories.
Interestingly enough, Kuang’s larger point about the dangers of empire and speaking a single language track exactly with the main points I made in this blog post from a few years ago. As a very talented young woman of color, Kuang’s writing and main critique ring powerfully, and I’m excited for her continued development as an author. The only issue I have with this book is that some of the phrasings feel a bit contemporary, as if the conversations the characters have about race, class, and empire happen in the 2020s instead of the 1820s. Perhaps that is an intentional choice by Kuang, but at times it brought me out of the flow of the story. That never lasted long though, as the well-paced narrative would immediately draw me back in.
The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation by Wilder & Hendricks – 4 / 5 stars
This book had been strongly recommended to me by numerous people, and so I was delighted to receive it from a friend. The authors explain with simple terminology and concepts drawn from cutting-edge neuroscience research that most of the discipleship that occurs in the (white, American) Church only engages the “left” side of our brains–the realm of intellect, information, and beliefs. While important, the reality is that we are whole-brained creatures who need to be engaged with our full brains. The right side of the brain in particular is the one that engages with community, emotions, and subconscious identity. A church that fails to address the right side of the brain will lead to at best shallow discipleship, and at worst narcissism, unaddressed trauma, and toxic communities. Wilder and Hendricks give concrete stories, examples, and practices for how to cultivate love-filled communities where people can engage with their whole selves. I think this is a great work for Church leaders to read, especially in groups where some of the practices can be tried out.
My one issue about this work is that, as a book with some advanced words and concepts, it often seems a bit left-brained oriented itself! And often many of the solutions that are suggested also feel left-brained, such as the suggested trainings, assessments, and checklists. Perhaps this approach is what is needed for the American Church to take this neuroscience research seriously. But I wonder if a more right-brained approach to discipleship might also emphasize different solutions, like hours-long dinner parties, charismatic worship nights, long hikes in the wilderness, or story-telling around the campfire. That’s messier and harder to quantify, but that feels like the approach Jesus took with many of his followers.
Backpacking with the Saints by Belden Lane – 5 / 5 stars
Most books I read quickly, scarcely finishing one paragraph before I’m already halfway through the next one. But this book forces me to go slow, every line carefully crafted and daring. In fact, I’m only about a quarter of the way through, but it’s already been one of my favorite books this sabbatical. Lane connects the spiritual practice of wilderness hiking to the lives and wisdom of ancient saints, particularly the Desert Fathers. As someone who appreciates hiking, reading this book makes me want to strap on my backpack and just disappear for a few days into the hills. Lane’s prose is provocative and vulnerable, calling us back to the wild that our ancestors knew so well but that modern humans rarely experience unmediated. To be without wilderness is to be less vulnerable, less open to awe, less in tune with our bodies and surroundings, less present — in short, to be without wilderness is to be simultaneously less human and less divine. Lane’s work points us back to nature and to the God who created it to remind us that the universe is so much bigger than us.