I recently came across a fascinating discussion about the role of literature in understanding the human condition. James Hillman, a pyschologist who had grown dissatisfied in his old age with the state of the discipline, said: Before there was psychology .. we had novels. All through the nineteenth century Jane Austen, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Balzac wrote … Continue reading Celebrating Black Stories
Much like 2020, I entered January 2021 hoping to read less than the year before. But, once again, circumstances both external (the ongoing pandemic) and internal (adding reading spiritual books to my sacred practices for the year, and audiobooks replacing podcasts as my primary listening material) conspired to have me read more. (In the immortal … Continue reading Top 14 Reads of 2021
[One of my goals for 2021 was to set time aside in the mornings for reading and reflecting on spiritual and theological books. Four months in, it's been a wonderful shot in the arm for my sacred practices and spiritual life. As I'm 'in between' series these days here on the blog, I thought I'd … Continue reading Book Review: The Very Good Gospel, by Lisa Sharon Harper
2020 was once again an incredible year for my reading life. While I'd planned on reading less this past year, the restrictions on events and gathering with friends made instead for even more time for reading. Because I read so much again, it was especially hard to narrow down my top reads this year. Here … Continue reading Top 11 Reads of 2020
2019 was a banner year for my reading life. Not only did I read the most books I've read in a year, but also read more diversely than ever, both in terms of author demographics and genre. While this wasn't a 'goal' for my year as such, it was gratifying to see that, without even … Continue reading Top 11 Reads of 2019
Matthew Root 