MY TOP 10 BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ IN 2020
Last year I read 77 books, and as you can see from the following reviews, they certainly do not all fit in the same category. But I highly recommend each of these 10 titles (plus a bonus book at the end). All of them will contribute to your outlook on life, each in a different way.
1. Five Presidents
My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy Johnson, Nixon, and Ford
By Clint Hill
Hill was a Secret Service Agent assigned to the White House for the administrations of five presidents. He is the agent seen in every documentary or history of the Kennedy assassination; after the first shot was fired, he crawled on the back of the Kennedy limousine and is credited with saving Jacqueline Kennedy’s life. He retired in 1975 as Assistant Director of the Service, responsible for all protective forces.
If you’re interested in history, this book will give you behind-the-scenes stories you may not hear anywhere else.
2. As You Wish:
The Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride
By Cary Elwes
Here’s another behind-the-scenes treasure, this one sharing never-before-told stories by the actor who played the iconic role of Westley in the movie. If you’re a Princess. Bride fan (and I know there are many of you out there), you won’t be able to put this one down.
3. Undisputed Truth
By Mike Tyson
Warning to readers: world heavyweight champion Tyson riddles his autobiography with profanity. But you may decide it’s worth wading through it all to discover the most unlikely success story you will ever read.
His early trainer Cus D’Amato saw in Tyson the potential to become a truly great boxer. His interest in Tyson saved his life. As a lifelong boxing fan, I’m intrigued by Tyson’s story. He would have been in prison or dead by the time he was 15 if it were not for boxing.
4. I’m No Angel
From Victoria’s Secret to Role Model
By Kylie Bisutti
If you have daughters, read this book. If you are a daughter struggling with issues of self-image and identity, read this story from a Victoria’s Secret Runway Angel who walked away from her career as a supermodel to become a role model.
Bisutti made the move because she found Jesus and realized she couldn’t reconcile her career with his demands on her life. In her book she unpacks what the industry did to her as a girl and as a woman and how Jesus has changed her life. She has “surrendered her life to God and dedicated her life to preaching a message of modesty and inner beauty” (Amazon).
5. Team of Rivals
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
Lincoln created what some have called the most unusual cabinet in history, populated by opponents including one man who ran against him in the 1860 election, William H. Seward. Lincoln used the advice and insight of his rivals to change the country. There are lessons for all of us here. This is a compelling look at history, full of examples for leaders today.
6. Blood Brothers
The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel
By Elias Chacour
Whatever you think you know about the Arab-Israeli conflict will be challenged as you read this book. The author brings a unique perspective to the issue: Born in a small Palestinian village in Galilee. Witness to the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians and the move of nearly a million forced into refugee camps in 1948. Since then, his struggle with how to respond has led him to share historical research as well as his personal view of the conflict as he seeks to discuss whether bitter enemies can ever be reconciled.
7. Alienated America
Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse
By Timothy P. Carney
The author has traveled across America, in the process gathering data to show how failing social connections are behind the great divide we see in our country today. From the Amazon review: The book “confirms the conservative suspicion that these places [declining communities in our country] can’t be fixed with job-training programs or more entitlement spending and backs up the liberal belief that new Trump voters aren’t coming to his rallies for the corporate tax cuts and Obamacare repeal.”
8. The Captain Class
A New Theory of Leadership
By Sam Walker
The author makes clear that every great team is led by a captain who knows how to motivate them. By looking at sports dynasties, he has written a book hailed as a must-read for business leaders. But I have found many parallels for church leaders. I like this review by Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback with the Chicago Bears:
“The book taught me that there’s no cookie-cutter way to lead. Leading is not just what Hollywood tells you. It’s not the big pregame speech. It’s how you carry yourself every day, how you the people around you, who you are as a person.”
9. Shoe Dog
A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
By Phil Knight
At age 24, Knight decided to forsake working for a big corporation and, instead, to risk everything to create his own new vision. I can’t recommend the book any better than how Bill Gates praised it. He called Shoe Dog “an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to do.”
10. Extreme Ownership
How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win
By Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Willink and Babin were leaders of the SEAL team charged with helping U.S. forces secure Ramadi, one of the most violent and challenging tasks of the war in Iraq. Later they trained SEAL leaders with the leadership principles they learned on the battlefield. And now they travel and speak worldwide to show leaders in every situation how to win. I learned from the book that the leader must take ownership of the bad in the situation he’s facing, and he must credit others on his team for the good they accomplish.
This certainly isn’t a Christian book, yet I believe many of its principles are biblical. It is one of the great influencers on how I lead.
BONUS: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
Cultural Studies in the Gospels
By Kenneth Bailey
The author is a minister, theologian, researcher, and professor who spent 40 years living and teaching New Testament in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Cyprus. He gives unequaled insight into the impact of Jesus’ teaching on those who heard it first. “Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context” (Amazon). This book is one of my must-read resources every time I preach or teach from the Gospels.
There you have it…that is my list. What did you read last year that I need to read this year? Let me know in the comments below.