Each January, I take a moment to share a brief recap of the books I found most interesting from throughout the previous year. Here are my top five from 2023 (as well as an honorable mention), and a few thoughts about each one (below their cover image):
Every once in awhile you catch one of those rare sunsets with just the right amount of clouds to make the sky look like it was skillfully painted with the most vibrant reds, oranges and pinks. Reading A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken felt something like that rare sunset—just simply beautiful. Beautiful in the sense that there is woven throughout the pages so much rich literature, philosophy and theology, and also so much real friendship, humanity and authenticity. The multi-dimensional nature of the book makes it that much more interesting. My sweet wife Mandy often buys me all sorts of random books when she goes thrifting, and every once in awhile a gem like this one emerges from the pile I find on the edge of my desk. After thumbing through the first few pages out of curiosity, it successfully won me over. The long and short of ASM is the author (Sheldon) sharing about how he came to know the love of his life (Davy), their unlikely journey to faith in Christ, and the “severe mercy” they had to face (trying not to spoil it for those who may want to read). There are at least three uniquely compelling facets of ASM that I feel are worth mentioning. First, Vanauken is a genuinely gifted thinker and writer. I was amazed by not only his command of language and human emotion, but his breadth of poetic and literary knowledge. Second, the love that Sheldon expresses for his wife Davy is challenging, almost surreal in the positive sense. (I found myself provoked to love my beloved Mandy even more, which is certainly a most welcome though unexpected fruit of reading about their journey.) Their self-described “inloveness” was something to aspire to for sure. Third, a person that had a real-life friendship with C. S. Lewis is simply fascinating to me. I love Lewis’ writing, and reading the letters exchanged between he and Vanauken was a very special part of the story that brought him to life in a unique way. Much more could be said about the depth of this fine read, but I must move on to the next recap. Suffice it to say, this is one that I would highly recommend to any avid reader, but especially to those exploring the Christian faith or looking to make sense of the trials we must all face in our own journey through life.
I don’t always buy the book when I like the movie, but this time I did—and am so very glad I did. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge by Booton Herndon is the official authorized story of Desmond Doss. Doss is far more than an inspirational figure; he is quite literally legendary for both his conviction and bravery—among the very greatest of the greatest generation. Just to give an example of the magnitude of his heroics, Doss is the only conscientious objector to ever be awarded the Medal of Honor*. In fact, many other Medal of Honor recipients, despite being heroic in their own right, refer to him as their hero. Doss was given this award for single-handedly rescuing 75 of his fellow soldiers in just one battle, even while under intense enemy fire, and while armed with only the little Bible he carried at all times. Toward the end of the book, Doss states, “My story is not about me so much as it is about the God that I serve. When I was on the escarpment**, after the first two or three men that I dragged on the ground to the edge, after the first few trips on the ground, I stood up while carrying men, with no attempt to avoid bullets. I figured if God had protected me on the first few, He might protect me for the rest. I just kept praying Lord, help me get one more, and after that one, help me get one more, until they were all down. In my mind I felt I would be killed up on top, but I was at peace with that if that was God’s will for me.” Long after the war, Doss had a conversation with a Japanese sniper that said he had Doss in his sights at one point, but was physically unable to pull the trigger—just one of many instances of the hand of God on this brave soldier’s life. What I appreciated about this book was not only the larger than life heroism, but also the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey would say) such as the details of Doss’ upbringing and post-war life. With so much packed into a relatively easy read, I definitely recommend adding it to your list at some point. You may even want to start with the movie (Hacksaw Ridge, 2016) and/or the documentary (The Conscientious Objector, 2004) like I did. If you do, though, I think you’ll be all the more likely to find the book in your hand, and unable to put it down.
* According to the National Medal of Honor Museum’s website, “the Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military decoration. Of the 40 million Americans who have served in the Armed Forces since the Civil War, only 3,517 have earned the Medal of Honor.”
** An elevated area on Okinawa where U.S. and Japanese soldiers fiercely clashed during WWII.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl was a very welcome discovery. I bought it because I heard it quoted favorably on a podcast I happened to be listening to and figured I’d give it a shot. What I initially imagined to be some sort of psychological take on life that would have a little meat and a lot of bones ended up being so much deeper and searching than I was ready for—and that’s an understatement. When you begin reading a book and suddenly realize that it’s about the author’s personal experience of living through the horrors of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps as “Number 119,104” who had to dig tunnels and lay railroad tracks for years while severely malnourished—including in freezing temperatures—it just hits different (to state the obvious). The depth of insight that resulted from living through this hell on earth is felt on nearly every page. I guess the way I would put it is that there’s a truly unique authority that someone writes with when their lived experience is among the most evil and debased suffering in human history. I found myself grieving over the cruelty of it all, but then also gasping over the meaning he found within his experience to help and serve others. Truly, in the most extreme sense, Frankl found beauty in the ashes of Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Kaufering III, and Türkheim. The latter half of the book is devoted to “logotherapy,” which is a specific type of therapy he theorized and developed with the hope of orienting his patients toward the meaning of their lives, even in the most abysmal cases of suffering. Throughout MSFM, I was ever so skillfully and surgically challenged to reframe my perspective in order to respond well to difficulty, trial and suffering in life. After all, if Frankl could find positive takeaways from his ghastly experience, and devoted his life to helping others, then surely I can navigate the far lesser pains I go through in a redemptive manner that in turn helps others. I try to read at least one book a year that is absolutely devastating—one that connects my heart to human suffering (and I recommend the same to every reader). As I opened the cover of MSFM, I didn’t initially know it would be this kind of read. It most definitely turned out to be. Also, I consider it divine timing to have read it a few months before the war between Israel and Hamas was to erupt. It’s voices like Frankl’s that help society remain grounded in historical truths and reality even as antisemitic rhetoric sweeps over the world with renewed demonic ferocity. When we read the first-hand stories, when we remember what really happened, the “never again” sentiment is forged into a much stronger, steely resolve.
It’s not every day that you get to read a book written by someone you know, let alone someone you consider a friend and fellow laborer in the work of ministry. Presence Over Pain: How God’s Presence is the Answer to Our Pain by Pastor Doug Rumbold was a joy to read for this very reason. What I appreciate about Presence Over Pain is the transparency—the willingness to share openly and honestly. The real-life, gut-wrenching stories that form us deeply are the ones that most credibly display the reality of Christ and His grace working in us. Truth be told, we will all suffer in some way, and we must all have a theology to respond to it well. Doug’s love for his family also comes through the pages in a way that inspires me toward greater love. I’m thankful to brother Doug for helping the local body of Christ (myself included) and beyond to love and respond well to those “terribly wonderful” things we must all face head-on at some point. I’ll leave you with one of Doug’s wise quotes that struck me: “You are either heading into unexplained suffering, in the thick of it, or just exiting it. Wherever you find yourself, it is important to not write this off simply because it is not your present experience.”
I received The Gospels: A Vault on the Life of Jesus Christ as a Christmas gift a few years ago and finally worked my way to it. It’s less a book, and more an art gallery, and I loved it. I would almost consider it the most unique, chronological Bible study I’ve ever done. Each page featured various works of art that were inspired by an aspect of Christ’s life or teaching. As I studied each painting, sculpture, mosaic, etc., I found myself seeing the text in new ways as well as appreciating how the artist depicted the story through their cultural lens. This was certainly one of the more fun undertakings of 2023, and most definitely gave me a renewed appreciation for the arts.
As an honorable mention among the most interesting reads of 2023, I wanted to go on record saying that I read a graphic novel for the first time in as long as I can recall. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Ray Bradbury and Tim Hamilton was not what I intended to buy, but figured I’d give it a go nonetheless. I enjoy expanding my horizons and partaking of various genres, but I do hope to read the actual novel at some point. I’m a fan of these types of prophetic, dystopian genres (i.e., Orwell) intended to critique the culture by means of a caricaturized vision of future society. More to the point of the story itself, a society that mindlessly repeats what it sees and hears on the screen, firefighters that no longer fight fires, but burn books and the homes of those who read them, and secret groups dedicated to preserving literature and knowledge—let’s just say I found its unusual message to be entertaining, thought-provoking and eerily relevant.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read through my Most Interesting Books 2023 list. I hope to post something like this each year as time allows. I would love to know if you plan on reading some of them this year. Also, what were some of your favorite or most interesting books from 2023? I might just add some of them to my 2024 list. Thanks once more for reading and sharing!
I’m always looking to improve and grow as a writer. If you spot any grammatical, punctuation or spelling mistakes, please let me know in the comments, or via email at derek@gphop.org so I can update the post. Also, feel free to send along any writing advice or pointers you may have picked up over the years as well. I appreciate it and would be in your debt!
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Images used from Amazon.
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