This book follows the true story of a pastor who gets in a horrific accident with a tractor-trailer, and subsequently dies.  Through another man's obedience to pray for him (when stirred to do so) he ended up returning to life.  The author takes great care to explain the details of his accident in order to provide as much credibility as possible to his claims of being clinically dead, and also his experience of heaven.  The rest of the story follows him through his long and painful physical recovery from the accident, and the process of figuring out what to do with the experiences he encountered and in finding purpose behind them.

Admittedly, since I'm a Christian, I did not truly approach it skeptically.  I already believe in Heaven, and the way Mr. Piper describes what he encountered does not conflict with what I have read in the Bible and/or what I believe.  But as with other books (such as "This Present Darkness"), even though I already held these beliefs, reading about them in this manner gives me an entirely different perspective to them.  Having a mental image of what it will be like to experience Heaven for myself changes the way I visualize the big picture of life and encourages me to make decisions that could have a positive affect for myself and others on that fateful (and joyful) day that I get to meet my maker.
 

Agape Leadership by Robert L. Peterson & Alexander Strauch (11/03/11):
My friend Brian gave me this book to read.  It wasn't dramatic, comedic, or anything really exciting.  In fact, it was somewhat of a dull read.  But if you're a Christian, then the man that this book is about will definitely inspire you.

Until receiving this book, I had never heard of R.C. Chapman (link is to Wiki entry).  And even then, the picture on the cover of it looks like a sad, lonely, perhaps grumpy old man.  But he died more than a century ago (in 1902), and cameras weren't becoming popular until the late 1800s or early 1900s, so he was probably in his 90s when this picture was taken of him (he died at the ripe old age of 99).

Bad cover picture aside though, the stories that this book contains describe a man that followed Jesus closer than any that I've ever heard of before.  He lived a life of discipline, constant prayer, receptiveness to being led by the holy spirit, and complete servitude to God and other people.  Even though I consider myself a serious, dedicated Christian who pursues God and desires to follow Jesus, I cannot even fathom being as passionate, selfless, and godly as Mr. Chapman was.  Truly, such spiritual strength and dedication as his seems way beyond my grasp. 

In the end, I don't think that reading this book has instantly transformed me into a better Christian, but the standards by which I measure myself have assuredly been raised, and oddly enough I feel blessed because of it.
 

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (09/25/11):
I've heard about this book for a long time now.  So when this somehow came up in conversation with our roommate at the time, Marion, she mentioned that she owned it and would be happy to let me borrow it.  As it turned out, I had a daily devotional that she had wanted to read for some time too.  So we swapped books, and this one did not disappoint me, as it was filled with great suggestions and stories about developing beneficial interpersonal habits and incorporating them into your life.

In all honesty, when I first heard the title, I pictured a slimy salesman or politician, striving to manipulate people and finding new ways of conniving his/her client.  And yes, it's true that the ideas that are presented in the book certainly could be used as tools to accomplish selfish purposes.  I think though that if more people were to use these techniques, then the world would be a better, more peaceful place to live in.  This is because the methods promote a more graceful and gentle approach to persuasion and conflict resolution.

As for myself, I have always had a natural disposition to be a better than average listener (I think).  And after receiving training in mediation and peer consulting at UCF, these natural tendencies were still improved upon.  So truth be told I didn't believe I had a whole lot to gain by reading this book ("Yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know all this stuff").  But I now realize just how much I still have to learn about interpersonal communication and my ability to influence others, and reading this book is definitely a step in the right direction.
 

Somebody's Gotta Say It by Neal Boortz (12/21/10):
Back when I lived in Florida (over six years ago), I used to listen to Neal Boortz on a regular basis.  He defended his positions better and was verbally tougher than Sean Hannity, he didn't toe Republican party lines like Rush Limbaugh, and he wasn't a conspiracy-theorist conservative like Michael Savage.  Unfortunately for me though, none of the local radio stations broadcast him here, and my company blocks all streaming media content, so I can't listen online either.

When I was able to be though, I was a pretty loyal listener, but I never did take the opportunity to read any of his books.  Recently however, I was looking for books on CD at my local library and found this one on the shelf, and I was excited about the opportunity to finally read/hear it.

While I did enjoy the book, I was a little disappointed to hear so many topics and perspectives that I was plenty familiar with already from his radio show.  I think this was his first book that was published though, so it's not too surprising for this to be the case.  And not all of the content was old-hat either, as there were many interesting stories of his experiences and emails from his years of broadcast experience.

All things considered, I enjoyed the book.  And if you aren't as familiar with him as I am, then you will probably love it.  I still disagree with him on a few of the issues he discusses, but he makes his points really well and is also entertaining while doing so.
 

It's the story of Jesus, as told from his family's perspective.  I don't know a whole lot about the culture and setting of that day and age, but Ms. Carter seemed to have done her homework.  She presented enough historical and cultural background to provide her readers with some explanations as to why the characters were thinking and acting as she portrayed them.

I thought it was a very interesting concept, and a very enjoyable read.
 

My Life by Bill Clinton (11/9/10):
Yes, I voted for him.  There, I said it.  And while my political opinions have changed significantly since that election and his first term back in 1993, I still don't think he was too bad of a president.  Hey, at least he could balance the budget!

I found this book on CD at a hospice/goodwill store and thought it would be interesting, and it was, especially because Bill Clinton read it too.  He mentioned some his political battles to gain not only the presidency, but also local positions, including that of Governor of Arkansas.  He spoke of numerous events that occurred with him as president, including terrorist attacks, his efforts to broker peace in the middle east, budget battles and other struggles against the Republicans led by Newt Gingrich, Whitewater, and even Monica Lewinsky.

Excerpts from many of his major speeches were quoted with more pride than I cared for, but I guess speeches are a major aspect of the presidency.  While some of the political battles he narrated were surprisingly respectful of his adversaries, others were decidedly one-sided and/or sugar coated, such as the 2000 election.  For this (the election), his perspective was similar to the majority of democrats/liberals, speaking as if it were stolen from them.  Numerous independent recounts agree though that Bush legitimately won the state of Florida.  Surely he realizes this.

It was fun to hear the ex-president read the stories of his life, from childhood up through just after his two terms as president.  I would be interested in reading/hearing the stories of any and all major historical figures, but especially the two-term presidents.  That type of position and duration provides a rich supply of stories and experiences.
 

This is the first book I've read on my Kindle.  The benefits are that the Kindle is light weight and easy to hold, and the cost of the book is cheaper.  After finishing the book though I realized one big drawback to using a Kindle - you can't pass the book on to someone else!  Sure, I can let someone (like my wife) borrow my Kindle to read it, but then if I want to read another book on it then we can't both read at the same time.  I think I'll stick to paperback next time.
 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (8/11/10):
Amanda read this before me, as well as her mother, my sister, our neighbor, and every other woman in town it seems.  And as you can guess by the gender of the aforementioned readers, this is a very estrogen-rich book.

The story is told from three different points of view, and all of them are women.  Not only that, but 95% of the sub-characters are women too.  Taking place in the deep American South of the 1960s, it delves into the life of two black maids and one white writer who attempts to write and publish a book about their lives.  While the book was fiction, I can't help but wonder how much truth there is to the emotions, actions, roles, and experiences in it.

I have heard and read about the history of segregation and racism before, but it was gratefully never part of my life experiences.  Black kids in my schools were treated with just as much love and respect as everybody else in the class, if not more.  So while reading historical facts provides knowledge, it produced very little comprehension.  While I never disbelieved the history, I have a hard time really absorbing it as a reality.  But walking in their shoes, even if was only based on truth, gave me a whole new appreciation of what black people experienced during the trials and difficulties of racial desegregation.

As a whole, I loved this book.  It was well written, emotionally gripping, had a positive message, a slight underlying spiritual tone (for Christianity, but against hypocrisy), and epitomized the greatest reason why I love reading - to put myself in someone else's shoes and to see what life was like for them.  To gain a better understanding of different places and times.  To not only use my imagination, but to expand my knowledge of people, cultures, and events.
 

After the main character and some of his childhood as a zookeeper's son is introduced, he experiences being present on a sinking ship, then being stranded on a lifeboat for 200+ days.  While the details of his daily struggle to survive were certainly interesting, you can imagine that time slows down significantly for someone in that sort of predicament.  Similarly, the reading felt slower for me as the reader.  It was still enjoyable, mind you.  But it wasn't one of those books that I had a hard time putting down because of the drama, action, and/or suspense.

At the end of the book, there were two possible realities that occurred, but I still don't know which one was correct. "Which is the better story?" Pi asks two men who are interviewing him.  Then after they gave him their answer he replies "Thank you.  And so it goes with God."  Huh?  Does that mean that God gave us a spectacular story to help us to remember it, but it wasn't really true?  Or does it mean that the story that we are told is the real one, but it is so weird in order to make it more interesting, palatable, and/or memorable for us? Or...?

But the last and most significant complaint I have with this book is that Pi passionately pursued all three of the world's major religions equally.  Now, while this is unique, that in and of itself is not the problem for me.  The annoying part about it is this: throughout his entire ordeal of 200+ days at sea, he doesn't really encounter or talk much about anything spiritual.  All three of these religions, Hindu, Islam, and Christianity are different in some very significant ways.  Yet Pi never attempts to seek the answers, the Truth?  Heck, even if he chooses not to sort out what the Truth really is, I would think he would have some awesome moments of prayer and/or reflections with God!  But he doesn't! 

To summarize, I think that while it was certainly a unique story that I did enjoy overall, it was still a bit of a let down.
 

The Falcon and the Snowman by Robert Lindsey (4/27/10): 
I picked up this book at my work, when the library was getting rid of it.  To me, the most intriguing aspect of this story is that it actually occurred at TRW in San Jose.  Not only is that just a couple of hours away from here, but the facility of Northrop Grumman that I work at was previously owned by TRW, before they were acquired by NG.  So while the connection between my life and the plot in this book is tenuous at best, there is still some there.

Having worked in a high-security environment, the first thing that fascinated me was how lackadaisical TRW used to be regarding the decisions about who to hire and how closely (or not) they monitor the activities of those individuals.  Things have changed a lot since then, and probably largely due to the series of events that are told about in this book.

This book covered the complete story of the two main characters, from their affluent upbringing to their major influences, then to their espionage activities, through their trial, and even beyond.  It wasn't as action packed as a Robert Ludlum novel, but it was certainly more realistic.

I wouldn't say it was a great novel and/or story.  But non-fiction is always a more interesting read (or movie) to me, so I'm still really glad I read it.  In fact, it's inspired me to read a story or see a movie about Robert Hanssen someday.

Was it all it was built up to be though?  It was definitely a really good book, with a unique angle of narration and some very interesting scenes and characters.  My only gripe would be with the author's perspective on heaven and the afterlife - there were just too many questions that the book leaves not only unanswered but even unmentioned.  But then again I also recognize that that is not the intent of the story.  Just let it go Michael, just let it go.

I think the biggest reason why I (and probably the critics) liked this book though is that it was not only unique, but unpredictable.  I thought I knew what the ending would be and where some of the characters would end up well in advance of the ending.  But it threw me for a loop on many levels, while still leaving me satisfied with the conclusion.
 

Monster by Frank Peretti (9/13/09): 
I really loved the book that Frank Peretti is most famous for - This Present Darkness (link is to my review).  But when my friend Brian offered to let me read this one when he was done, I'll admit I was a little reluctant, mainly because a)I've never heard of it, and b) the title made me think of a cheap B-movie.  That being said, the first chapter was a great way to hook me - a very intense scene takes place in it that left me with goose bumps.

After that, the book was definitely different than anything else I have read - telling a very weird, but interesting story about bigfoot-like creatures.  In the end, the whole premise behind this odd but enjoyable book is basically to make numerous arguments against evolution.  And as with This Present Darkness, Mr. Peretti does a pretty good job of using the readers imagination and visualization to help make his points.

While this was definitely not in the league of his "..Darkness" novels, it was still a well told, interesting story and also a fairly effective way to get his points across too.