Bookshelf

HEARD ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

Elaine Garrison reads a lot in her Communications Team editing job, so she limits eye stress by listening to audiobooks.

THE MISUNDERSTOOD JEW: THE CHURCH AND THE SCANDAL OF THE JEWISH JESUS BY AMY-JILL LEVINE The intersection of Christianity and Judaism fascinates me, which led me to Misunderstood Jew. I’ve had the honor of interviewing the brilliant Amy-Jill Levine, my favorite modern Jewish scholar. Her well-reasoned, easily understood thoughts are the basis for Levine’s explanation of Jesus’s Jewishness and the era in which he lived—important for anyone interested in the context of his teachings. Levine’s sense of humor is priceless. THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA’S GREAT MIGRATION BY ISABEL WILKERSON Over several decades, six million Black Americans left the South for Northern and Western cities, wanting better lives for themselves and their families. This migration changed the USA, a process told by Isabel Wilkerson in the lives of three individuals. This is a long read/ listen, but well worth the time invested to understand how this migration brought Southern food, faith, and culture to US cities.

QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN’T STOP TALKING BY SUSAN CAIN Listening to this book was a relief: I finally realized that I didn’t need to be fixed, that introversion is how my brain is wired. I wasn’t shy, not “distant.” Once I realized this, I could build on the talents God gave me without constantly battling society’s expectations of “normal” (extroverted) behavior. The author thoroughly explains what it means to be introverted and tells how introverts have contributed to society.

AN ARMADA OF CATS: TRAVELS IN ISRAEL BY SAM ARONOW This small (paperback only) book has some, er, challenges, but it’s worth the read to enjoy the author’s millennial perspective and humor. In the process of moving to Israel, American Sam Aronow couldn’t find a book about his adopted country that had the information he wanted. So he wrote one about the nation’s regions as he explored them. While he’s a decent writer, Aronow’s talents are better displayed in a YouTube series about the history of Jews in the world, which I highly recommend.

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GET TO KNOW

Elaine Garrison

Pronouns: she/her Location: Kansas City, Missouri, USA Congregation: Country Club Christian Church, Kansas City Jobs: formerly a copy editor at The Kansas City Star; now senior communications coordinator at Community of Christ’s International Headquarters.