Browsing Tag

book review

Pirate Hunters

This isn’t a long review of the book Pirate Hunters, by Robert Kurson, but I wanted to post a strong recommendation for this modern day adventure story. It caught my attention because of my love for Belize (a nation on the Caribbean coast with a long history of pirates).

There’s nothing quite like a true life adventure, and this book delivers a fast paced account of modern treasure hunters using the latest technology — and thorough research — to identify an actual sunken pirate ship in the Caribbean. Not just any pirate led this particular ship, but the multi-talented …

Book Reviews,

Driven by Difference, by David Livermore

Years ago I was given a little book by David Livermore about the importance of cultural understanding in short term missions. Since then I’ve read pretty much everything David has written, and his most recent book Driven by Difference: How Great Companies Fuel Innovation Through Diversity is my new favorite.

What I like about this book is the emphasize on “how” instead of the “why.” I’ve read all the books and articles about why diversity is important. I’ve watched the TED talks and sat in seminars about cultural awareness. I’ve taken the CQ and IDI and all the other tests …

Book Reviews,

Create vs Copy, by Ken Wytsma

Several months ago my friend Ken Wytsma asked me to comment on a book he was writing. He sent the pdf version and it surprised me to learn the topic was on creativity. Not that Ken isn’t a creative person — just the opposite actually. He’s written two books already, started the significant Justice Conference, pastored a church in Bend, and launched a new college. He’s plenty creative! But it’s rare to see a ministry leader focus on a topic that is usually the domain of social scientists or tech leaders.

The first draft of Create vs. Copy: Embrace Change. …

Book Reviews,

Making Hope Happen

Shane Lopez has been called the preeminent expert on hope. In his book Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others, he explores the anatomy of hope as he looks at what hopeful people have in common. In many ways this book is a self-help book about how to manufacture hope in yourself.

In keeping with my past Journey of Hope reviews, here are a few quotes:

“Hopeful people share key beliefs that underlie their approach to any challenge. These beliefs have a power that distinguishes hope from optimism, wishing, and other ways of viewing …

Book Reviews,

Psychology of Hope

Have you ever wondered if we can manufacture hope by changing the way we think? And what is it that we would change to generate more hope?

These aren’t necessarily the questions C.R. Snyder asks in his book Psychology of Hope: You Can Get Here from There. But he definitely offers insights into what makes hope attainable. This review is a continuation of my Journey of Hope book reviews for 2015.

Snyder finds very hopeful people and analyzes what makes them the way they are. The results are intriguing. As with all my Journey of Hope reviews, I’ll quote …

Book Reviews,

Essentialism

What is essential? It’s an age old question, but all the more important in our hurried world. Obviously the answer is different for each person — in my world my wife and family only take a back seat to my relationship with God. Well, they are suppose to anyway. But whatever the personal answer, it’s an important question and one we have to answer….or it will answer itself.

Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to asking and answering this question. His latest book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, is a much needed counterweight to a world caught up …

Book Reviews,

The Wright Brothers

Can we all just admit David McCullough is the greatest living historian? His books combine the scholarly work of a brilliant academic with the comfortable style of a story your grandparents would tell. His latest, The Wright Brothers, continues the tradition.
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We all know the Wright Brothers were the first to fly. We all know it was in Kitty Hawk. But there is so much more to their story, and McCullough weaves the tale of family, friendship, diligence, success, fame, and struggle into a personal portrayal of Wilbur and Orville (and their sister Katharine). Without ever minimizing the …

Book Reviews,

The Road to Character

The recently released book The Road to Character by David Brooks is my first “must read” recommendation of the year.

The book looks at a variety of men and women, all leaders and inspirational thinkers, who built a strong inner character. Each faced different circumstances, had different weaknesses and strengths, lived in different eras, and overcame different challenges. Brooks teases out lessons about developing our character from the stories of these men and women, concluding with his thoughts on why we need to imitate them and how to apply the lessons we’ve learned.

I like the simple image he uses …