Heading into 2020 I knew I was going to read considerably less. Not only was our daughter on the way, but I also planned on listening to podcasts. As small as that may seem, every minute spent listening to podcasts or music meant time away from “reading.” Rather than setting some ambitious goal of trying to read more than any year prior, I settled for 60 and then toyed around with the possibility of reading 60 hard copy books. That did not happen.
What I didn’t anticipate was how much having a child would throw me into a mental fog. If you look at the number of books read before June and after, you’ll notice a considerable decline. What it doesn’t show is just how much I struggled to actually comprehend what I was reading. I’m sure a number of books post-June belong on the top of the list but, for one reason or another, simply didn’t make it.
Unfortunately, I don’t think my list was nearly as diverse this year as years prior. I almost intentionally did not dive deep into race. There aren’t as many women, Christian books, or feminist texts here. Instead, I read a lot of nonfiction — memoirs, essays, biographies, etc. This wasn’t intentional. I just kept coming back to it and occasionally had to tell myself to read something else.
Going forward into 2021, I’m hoping to find some sort of normal but I’m keeping my goals low in the event that proves not to be the case.
Anyhow, here are my top five in no particular order.
1. Way of the Warrior — Erwin McManus
Part of what I’ve found over the years is that unexpectedness is what makes a book stand out to me. I was a big fan of Artisan Soul when I read it a number of years ago but was mildly disappointed by The Last Arrow. The Way of the Warrior sounded new age to me and yet when I read it, it was anything but. Sure, I still struggle with McManus in his descriptions of himself and I’m not sure how to reconcile his ministry beginnings with his current gig, but it was the first book of the year I wished I had a hard copy of because I wanted to highlight so much of it. The idea of fighting for inner peace and the role that plays in spiritual wholeness was interesting one.
2. Missoula — Jon Krakauer
There are a few authors I attribute my return to reading. Jon Krakauer is one of them. I read Into the Wild as a high school senior and immediately fell in love with the story and Krakauer’s ability to tell it. I read Under the Banner of Heaven and Into Thin Air that same year.
Missoula feels weird to put on my top list because the nature of the subject: sexual assault on college campuses and the difficulty in securing justice for victims. But I loved it for the same reason I loved Gary Haugen’s The Locust Effect. It opens your eyes to reality and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. It changes you in some way. This combined with Chanel Miller’s Know My Name and Jia Tolentino’s essay on University of Virginia in Trick Mirror sent me spinning. This hit particularly close to home having a daughter on the way.
3. Notes from a Young Black Chef — Kwame Onwuachi
A number of years ago, Misty Copeland’s Life in Motion made it to the top of my list. Hers was a Cinderella story of sorts with beautiful writing and a life that kept moving up. I loved Onwuachi for a similar reason, but the difference is that his doesn’t end with a bowtie ending. Instead, there’s humility. It’s a remarkable story of trying and failing, lostness and redemption, and how food can communicate story. This book showed me that we are more than the worst things that have happened to us. Each of us are greater than the sum of our mistakes. Even when all seems lost, the narrative of our lives is still being written. Mikel Jollett’s Hollywood Park could also be thrown in here for a recommendation.
4. Reappearing Church — Mark Sayers
book was instrumental for our staff team toward the tail-end of last year. We were trying to understand what was happening in our community and the church of as whole. Sayers helps us understand revival not as a moment in history but as a wave or a cycle. What if the church isn’t dying or in the decline? What if this is the pattern of renewal, waves of revival receding before the presence of God washes in again? What if our role is to contend for the presence of God?
5. Leading Change — John Kotter
This is almost embarrassing. To an extent, it shows how boring I’ve become. Part of it is that I recently finished a program on Ministry Leadership and change management was one of the things we tackled. Some of it too is that books that tackle things I know absolutely nothing about also tend to be the most memorable. There’s a reason this is a classic in understanding organizational change and why it so often fails to take hold. Written in 1996, it might be dated but I imagine it still carries relevance for today.
As always, some honorable mentions.
6. The Plot to Kill King — William Pepper
I don’t consider myself a conspiracy theorist, but maybe that’s what made this book so compelling. Pepper lays a compelling case that MLK’s assassination wasn’t a lone gunman. Rather it was a government conspiracy to silence a leader who opposed the Vietnam War, was advocating for economic justice, and was considering a presidential run. Maybe I would be more skeptical from anybody else, but this book has a couple of things going for it. First, Pepper is a lawyer that’s risked life and limb and has dedicated a considerable amount trying to find Martin Luther King’s real killer. Second, in doing so, he’s worked closely with King’s family and associates. They agree that there’s more to the story. In fact, in her stunning memoir, Coretta Scott King mentions that she doesn’t think Ray did it either. Another one I wish people read with me so I could discuss it.
7. Unsettling Truths — Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah
I don’t know if I agree with all the conclusions drawn here yet I think they ask some important questions and make some important observations. When people are tempted to blindly buy into the hype of a thing, you need people who will hold feet to the fire and tell the truth. If you know anything about liminal experiences, this book was one for me. Undoubtedly the most important book I read this year.
8. I Am Malala — Malala Yousafzai
This book makes it on principle. I don’t think I have as much courage or intelligence in my whole body as this woman does in the tip of her pinky. I take so much for granted being a man born in America (black yes, but a man nonetheless). This book was an experience in crossing cultures and learning of one girl’s brave fight against the Taliban for the education of her people.
9. Shoe Dog — Phil Knight
There’s a reason this book is mentioned everywhere, especially for CEOs. It’s a moving story. I’ve never seen Nike as an underdog of a company, nor have I ever thought about the brand it’s tried to create. I’ve always associated it with excellence (the best athletes in the world are sponsored by Nike) and yet this book made me a fan. It’s a guy, a dream, and the ragtag group of people crazy enough to see it through. The result is one of the most successful companies ever. It tugs on all the right emotions.
10. Gospel Fluency — Jeff Vanderstelt
While there are some wonderful tools and ideas in here, I loved this book simply for the way it challenged me. Do I believe the gospel as much as Jeff Vanderstelt does? If I do, why don’t I share it more? And if I don’t, what does that say about me?
The Full List (asterisks are for audiobooks):
January
1. Grant* — Ron Chernow
2. Letters to the Church* — Francis Chan
3. Dream Teams — Shane Snow
4. Digital Minimalism — Cal Newport
5. The Making of a Leader — J. Robert Clinton
6. Hero of the Empire* — Candice Millard
7. Notes from a Young Black Chef* — Kwame Onwuachi
8. Reappearing Church — Mark Sayers
9. Talk Like Ted* — Carmine Gallo
10. Developing Female Leaders* — Kadi Cole
February
11. Devil in the Grove* — Gilbert King
12. Faithful Presence — David Fitch
13. Dear Martin — Nic Stone
14. The Beautiful Struggle* — Ta-Nehisi Coates
15. Native Son* — Richard Wright
16. The Color Purple — Alice Walker
17. Money Matters in the Church — Steve Stroope
18. The Way of the Warrior* — Erwin McManus
19. The Street* — Ann Petry
20. If Beale Street Could Talk* — James Baldwin
21. Woke Church* — Eric Mason
22. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks* — Rebecca Skloot
March
23. The Impeachers* — Brenda Wineapple
24. Beloved — Toni Morrison
25. Why We Sleep* — Matthew Walker
26. Decisive — Chip & Dan Heath
27. Thrive* — Ariana Huffington
28. Gay Girl, Good God* — Jackie Hill Perry
29. Transformissional Coaching — Steve Ogne and Tim Roehl
30. Missoula* — Jon Krakauer
31. The Body Is Not an Apology* — Sonya Renee Taylor
32. How Women Rise* — Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Helgesen
33. Just Kids* — Patti Smith
April
34. The Birth Order Book* — Kevin Lehman
35. Coretta — Coretta Scott King
36. New Power* — Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms
37. The Art of Thinking Clearly* — Rolf Dobelli
38. The Lost World of the Flood — John Walton
39. And the Mountains Echoed* — Khaled Hosseini
40. The Alchemist* — Palo Coelho
41. The Three Signs of a Miserable Job* — Patrick Lencioni
May
42. Unfollow* — Megan Phelps-Roper
43. How to Be an Anti-Racist* — Ibram X. Kendi
44. Atomic Habits* — James Clear
45. The Unseen Realm — Michael Heiser
46. The New Dad’s Survival Guide — Scott Mactavish
47. Leadership Lessons of David — Denard Ash
48. With the Fire on High* — Elizabeth Avecedo
49. Minor Feelings* — Cathy Park Hong
50. Beyond Colorblind — Sarah Shin
51. A Wrinkle in Time* — Madeleine L’Engle
52. My Life on the Road* — Gloria Steinem
53. Living into Community — Christine Pohl
54. Landwhale* — Jess Baker
June
55. How to Lose Your Wife to Another Woman — James Oliver Chapman
56. Radical Candor* — Kim Scott
57. The Picture of Dorian Gray — Oscar Wilde
58. Managing Leadership Anxiety — Steve Cuss
59. The Plot to Kill King* — William Pepper
60. Unsettling Truths — Mark Charles & Soong-Chan Rah
July
61. The Color of Law* — Richard Rothstein
62. Learning to Speak God from Scratch* — Jonathan Merritt
63. All the President’s Men* — Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
64. No Future Without Forgiveness — Desmond Tutu
65. Gospel Fluency* — Jeff Vanderstelt
66. That Hideous Strength* — C.S. Lewis
August
67. 1984* — George Orwell
68. Practicing the Presence of God* — Brother Lawrence
69. Me and White Supremacy* — Layla Saad
70. The Next Pandemic* — Ali Khan
71. Everything is F*cked* — Mark Manson
72. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck — Mark Manson
73. Know My Name* — Chanel Miller
September
74. Everybody Writes* — Ann Handley
75. This is Marketing — Seth Godin
76. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs* — John Foxe
77. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* — Suzanne Collins
October
78. The Meaning of Marriage* — Tim Keller
79. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor* — Hank Green
80. The Hard Thing About Hard Things* — Ben Horowitz
81. The Dream Giver * — Bruce Wilkinson
82. I Am Malala* — Malala Yousafzai
83. The Rise and Fall of Movements — Steve Addison
84. Where Men Win Glory* — Jon Krakauer
November
85. The Power of Moments* — Chip & Dan Heath
86. Hollywood Park* — Mikel Jollett
87. Shoe Dog* — Phil Knight
88. The Infinite Game* — Simon Sinek
89. Range* — David Epstein
December
90. Trick Mirror* — Jia Tolentino
91. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes* — Brandon O’Brien and E. Randolph Richards
92. Canoeing the Mountains — Tod Bolsinger
93. The Water Dancer* — Ta-Nehisi Coates
94. Such a Fun Age* — Kiley Reid
95. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry* — John Mark Comer
96. Surrender to Love* — David Benner
Tomy Wilkerson 