For the next several posts in this series, I will be making some book recommendations in various categories. The lists will neither be exhaustive nor full scale endorsements of everything in each one. I generally read to learn (not to be entertained) and welcome points of view from a broad perspective.
The books mentioned will categorized this way:
- Biographies
- Favorite authors
- Sport
- Theology
- Coaching
- Leadership
- Psychology
- Business Management
- History
- Christian Living
Biography -
Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi - This remarkably candid and occasionally painful read provides tremendous insight into the heart and mind of a high profile, elite professional tennis player.
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (Paul Hewson) - I have been a fan of U2's music since Joshua Tree in the 1980s. This book provides tremendous insight into the band's origins, its growth and development, its influences, and the lives of its members. This is fascinating stuff for a man with virtually no musical ability.
Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel - This book shared a lot more of Pete's father's story than I wanted to know, but eventually chronicles the successes and failures of a uniquely accomplished basketball legend.
The Man Watching: A Biography of Anson Dorrance by Tim Crothers - I read this book over twenty-five years ago and was fascinated by this coach's approach to coaching elite female soccer players. It strongly influenced how I served a women's college basketball program for twenty-eight seasons.
Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame by Bary Zito, Robert Noland - Barry Zito was a remarkably talented pitcher in Major League Baseball and this book provides an unvarnished view of the life of professional sport in the USA. Warts and all. It becomes a tremendous story of redemption and a growing life in Christ Jesus.
Favorite Authors -
Eugene Peterson - Having received an early version of The Message in the early 1990s, I began searching for more from Peterson, and now my library is rich with his writing. He's a magical blend of pastor, theologian, and expert in ancient languages. His writing is rich with simile, metaphor, and meter.
John R.W. Stott - I began reading his books in the early 1980s and was immediately taken by his clear and direct style. Over the years, I began buying everything I could find from his pen. I was privileged to meet him in person in November of 2000.
Phillip Yancey - I greatly enjoy his writing as he tends to ask really hard questions and then carries the reader along in seeking answers. Yancey deals with thorny issues and offers genuine answers.
C. S. Lewis - Lewis' books are always challenging and insightful. From The Screwtape Letters' allegory to the more direct and candid volumes, the quotable Lewis has stretched my mind and challenged my heart.
Leonard Sweet - I iwas introduced to Sweet through Soul Tsunami in 2000, and was immediately confronted with the reality of how my "modernist' way of thinking would greatly inhibit my ability to communicate with younger "postmodern" thinkers. His writing on other subjects continues to challenge and inform my mind.
Malcolm Gladwell - I have enjoyed reading several of this gentleman's books, though we are widely different in many ways. His curious mind, depth of research, and playful writing style make his books easy reads with accessible insights.
