2023 in Books

I set a goal to read 40 books in 2023. I only completed 37 (though I started a dozen more . . . some of them abandoned, some still in progress). Here is the breakdown by category of those I finished, with all the details on GoodReads:

• 9 memoir 
• 1 poetry
• 5 fiction
• 12 Biblical studies
• 7 practical theology / ministry
• 2 academic theology
• 1 self-help

If you decide to order a copy of any of these books, may I recommend my favorite bookstores? Hearts and Minds Books takes orders and ships anywhere in the US. Three Hills Books in Alberta and Regent College Bookstore in B.C. are great sources for books in Canada. I'm not making commission on the sales of any of these books, but I believe in small, well-curated bookstores!

The surprising blessing for me this year was memoir. I loved reading about people's diverse experiences of the world: from the deep South to the South Side of Chicago, and from the rust belt to the White House, and from Down Under to Ethiopia. All ten of these were worthwhile (or I wouldn't have finished them), but two that were especially excellent were Beth Moore's and Esau McCaulley's. 

• 
  Beth Moore, All My Knotted-Up Life
• Esau McCaulley, How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South
  
• J. D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
• Michelle Obama, Becoming
• David Bennett, A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus
• Wendy Widder, Every Road Goes Somewhere: A Memoir about Calling
• Tripp Johnston, Soul Brothers: Two Men, Two Worlds, One Purpose (an encouraging story about true partnership and friendship in cross-cultural missions)
• Joan Didion, A Year of Magical Thinking (about grief)
• Octavio J. Esqueda and Benjamin D. Espinoza, eds., The Hispanic Faculty Experience (about Latino/a faculty experiences in Christian higher ed)

The single book of poetry I read was breathtaking. I highly recommend Amanda Gorman, Call Us What We Carry. Gorman is a wizard with words, wise beyond her years. Highly recommended.

Most of the biblical studies books I read this year related to gender issues because of a paper I was writing. Each one of these was helpful, with a special shout out to Carolyn Custis James' Malestrom, which constructively answers one of today's most pressing questions: What does it look like to embrace manhood without perpetuating the toxic versions that have left so much hurt in their wake? Karen González's book on immigration was also very accessible and insightful. Every one of these was worth my time:

• Carolyn Custis James, Malestrom: How Jesus Dismantles Patriarchy and Defines Manhood 
• Susan Hylen, Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like
• Celina Durgin and Dru Johnson, The Biblical World of Gender: The Daily Lives of Ancient Men and Women
• Hilary Lipka and Bruce Wells, Sexuality and Law in the Torah
• Wilda Gafney, Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel
• Nijay Gupta, Tell Her Story: How Women Taught, Led, and Ministered in the Early Church
• Karen González, The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong
  
• Matthew Theissen, A Jewish Paul: The Messiah's Herald to the Gentiles
• Walter Bruggemann, Delivered Out of Empire: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus
• Ray Lubeck, Reading the Bible for a Change (2nd edition)

In the category of practical theology I read books on prayer, discernment, purity culture, and social commentary. My favorite was Dennis Edwards' new book on humility, which offers crisp insights on why the pursuit of humility pairs well with the pursuit of justice. I blogged about it here.

• Dennis Edwards, Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character
• Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America
• Tyler Staton, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools
• Rob Dixon, Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships

The best academic book I read in theology was without a doubt Christa McKirland's God's Provision, Humanity's Need: The Gift of Our Dependence. In this adaptation of her doctoral dissertation, Christa makes a strong case that to experience flourishing, humans must enter into a relationship with God. That is, we need God. We are dependent on the God who made us. In the Western-European world, which values independence, self-sufficiency, and autonomy, Christa brings us back to the truth about ourselves and the beauty of dependency.

I also released two books myself this year. Being God's Image is a prequel to Bearing God's Name (IVP 2019). They can be read in either order. One highlight this year was recording the audiobook myself! The Illustrated Psalms in Hebrew has been four years in the making and is my first book coauthored with one of my students. 

• Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP) is a book that explores what it means to be human. In a nutshell, I claim that every human being is the image of God, and that our status as God's image was not lost or diminished at the Fall. Our vocation as stewards of creation opens up a whole host of creative and collaborative possibilities that extend into the new creation. A few highlights in its first 6 months in the world: Being God's Image was a finalist for the IVP Reader's Choice awards. The Englewood Review of Books recognized it as one of the Best Books of 2023. The Holy Post Podcast chose it for their book club, and it made the bestselling new releases list in September for the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association. I blogged about it here.
• Illustrated Psalms in Hebrew (GlossaHouse) is a co-authored project with R. Mark Reasoner that pairs the entire Hebrew book of Psalms with beautiful illustrations and my own English translation. If you're learning Hebrew and want to incorporate daily language practice in your devotional life, this book is for you. I blogged about it here.

I also wrote a book this year. It will be a while before it hits the shelves, but Oscar Baldelomar and I co-authored the first draft of a book on Scripture and Multicultural Identities. It's aimed at youth pastors, high school teachers, and parents of minority and multicultural families to help adolescents navigate their ethnic identities in light of Scripture. I'm excited about this project!

In the new year, I plan to read more books about Exodus as well as books about the church--especially recent works that explain trends in church attendance and participation. I'll be continuing to work on my commentary on Exodus for Baker Academic as well as a book for IVP on why the church still matters. 

Since I enjoyed memoir so much this year, do you have any others to recommend? 

I'd also love to read another book of poetry. Do you have a favorite that's a must read? Let me know in the comments below.

Here's to another great year of reading and writing!