Once again, I did not read nearly as much as I wanted to this past year. I’m down to about half the books I was reading a few years ago (and even that is still far less than I would like to read.) So, I’ve got a long list to read for this coming year, many of which will probably go unread as well, but we’ll see. As was the case with my music list, this list is not limited to books released this year, but simply books I read this year. I suspect, had I read more, some or most of these wouldn’t have made the list. But, with a short list to start with, this is what you get. So, with that said, here’s the books I enjoyed the most.

10. Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life
Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker

I’ve never been a Colts fan, but I’ve come respect Tony Dungy a lot over the last couple of years. A friend loaned me this autobiographical book recently and I appreciated learning even more about Dungy and his life as a disciple of Jesus, a husband, a father and now a Super Bowl winning coach. I’m not big on the “God had a plan for us losing this game” kind of talk he uses on occasion, but still an enjoyable read by a genuine “good guy” in professional sports.

9. I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith through an Atheist’s Eyes
Hemant Mehta

Not a great book, but certainly interesting. Mehta is not a Dawkins/Hitchens-like atheist (after all, his blog is called “The Friendly Athiest”) and is not hostile to Christianity. He states several times that he is open to believing, but he just hasn’t been convinced. This book is a chronicle of his year-long visits to a number of churches (more about that here), and his opinion of what was positive and negative about his experiences as a non-believing visitor.

8. Tobacco Road: Duke, Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and the
History of the Most Intense Backyard Rivalries in Sports
Al Featherston

Obviously, as a fan of Duke basketball and the ACC, a book about the “big four” of North Carolina basketball is right up my alley. Having read Joe Menzer’s Four Corners, also on the “big four”, a few years back, I didn’t find a lot of new material here. Still, it was fun to read again through the history of the four programs.

7. Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and
Threatens America: An Evangelical’s Lament
Randall Balmer

Balmer, a religious history professor and Christianity Today editor, feels that voting Republican has almost become a necessary tenant of Christianity in America. Balmer is a politically liberal evangelical and in his book he discusses how the Religious Right came to possess the power they have, and his objections and alternatives to their agenda.

6. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Barack Obama

Now-presidential candidate Obama shares his ideas for making this country a better place and improving the increasingly hostile political climate. He talks about faith, values, race and family, among other things, as well as his own experiences that have prepared him for public service. A good introduction to him and his vision for the country.

5. Cinderella: Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College Basketball
Michael Litos

Litos, a VCU grad, spent the 2005-06 basketball season with the CAA conference. Boy, did he pick the right year. He chronicles the season, beginning with Drexel’s near-upsets of Duke and UCLA in the NIT, and ending with George Mason’s magical run to the Final Four. A great read if you love college basketball as much as I do (and if you don’t, you should.)

4. Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father’s Questions
About Christianity
Greg Boyd and Edward Boyd

This book by pastor/author Greg Boyd (The Myth of a Christian Nation) is a collection of letters exchanged between himself and his unbelieving father over a period of a few years. His father asks hard questions about God and faith and he provides his Biblically-based answers. The exchanges eventually resulted in his father’s conversion.

3. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Francis Collins

Collins is a geneticist who was once head of the Human Genome Project. He speaks of his life as a scientist and an atheist, and how his study in the scientific world played a part in his conversion to Christianity. A very good read, especially since so many Christians seem to be under the impression that science and faith must be rivals instead of complimentary to one another.

2. It’s Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case
and the Lives It Shattered
Don Yaeger with Mike Pressler

It’s a travesty that the Duke Lacrosse case went beyond the first couple of weeks. This book by author Don Yeager and former Duke Lacrosse coach Mike Pressler provides great detail as to why. While the case eventually ended positively with the players being exonerated, much of the damage done was likely irreparable. An excellent read.

1. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Ishmael Beah

At the age of 13, Beah was, along with many other young boys, forced to become a child soldier during the conflict in his native Sierra Leone. He tells of his background, his experiences in the war, the loss of his family and friends, the daily challenges he faced, and his eventual escape from the war and Sierra Leone, ultimately landing in the United States. This is an unforgettable story about an amazing young man.

That’s it. That’s the list.

If interested, you can see the complete list of books I read this year here (although I haven’t kept up in providing ratings and reviews for them all.)