A brief summary of what I’m currently reading or have recently finished, why I read it, and whether I’d recommend it. Although really, it’d have to be truly terrible for me to bother writing about a book I wouldn’t recommend……
Till We Have Faces (C. S. Lewis) – There are some books I read because they intrigue me, and there are others that I read because I feel like I should, for any number of reasons. Till We Have Faces, Lewis’s last novel, is one of the latter, but it did not disappoint. The subtitle – “A Myth Retold” – provides a hint of the contents: a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth. (You can find a very brief summary here if you’re interested but unfamiliar.) The final chapter holds what may be the key to understanding the entire book: we cannot truly meet God face to face until we ourselves have faces, until we remove the mask of pretense and facade and approach Him as we are. Bonus: a trustworthy podcast has covered this book, and the hosts can talk you through the deeper meanings. (Episodes 61, 63-68 of The Literary Life.)
Caste (Isabel Wilkerson) – Full disclosure: this could be the most challenging book I’ve read this year, not in terms of reading difficulty but in terms of content. Wilkerson writes of the parallels between the Indian caste system, Nazi Germany, and the United States throughout its history, making the case for why race doesn’t fully explain the troubles of our country. Thorough research and solid prose make for a good book about a gut-wrenching topic.
The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson) – This chronicle of the “Great Migration” – the exodus of unskilled labor from the South to other areas of the country, beginning with the end of Reconstruction and continuing until the 1970s – was written before Caste. Having read Caste first, I could see the beginnings of the caste theory towards the end of this one. It’s not as overwhelming or depressing; it specifically follows three individuals, in different decades, from different origin points, and to different destinations, as they migrated for more opportunities and the hope of a better life. It could have easily turned dense and academic, but I think the focus on these specific individuals made it more personal and engaging. The book may be nearly 600 hundred pages, but it didn’t read like it.
Everything Sad is Untrue (Daniel Nayeri) – I first picked this book up because of the title, which is taken from Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Written in a conversational style from the viewpoint of a middle school Iranian refugee in Oklahoma, it took me a while – 75-100 pages or so – to really get into it, but once that happened, I was hooked. Nayeri shares memories of his life before fleeing Iran after his mother was arrested for becoming a Christian, as well as stories from the lives of his parents and grandparents. From descriptions of church potlucks – “dumping random cans of food into casserole dishes and convincing people you got the recipe from your grandmother” – to the concept of a god who always listens versus a god who always speaks (neither is good; you really want one who does both) to the idea of memories as patchwork that might not be accurate, this book was full of moments humorous, thought-provoking, and heart-breaking. This book was so good that I recommended it to multiple people, including someone I literally had just met, before I even finished it. I rarely reread books, even if they’re likely worth a second round, but this one will be, and I’m still processing one or two concepts.
So there you have it: 4 books I’m reading right now or have recently finished. If you’ve read any of these (or decide to after reading this post), drop me a note and let me know what you thought of them! And let me know what you’re reading right now too.