Recommended Reads, 15th in a Quarterly Series

Stuff I've read lately that I'd recommend:


Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian (Steinberg).  Since my wife used to work in a prison, this was a particularly insightful book.

Pete Rose: My Prison without Bars (Rose).  Interesting to hear Charlie Hustle's story in light of all of the recent debate over PED users.

The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why it Endures (Wade).  An intriguing premise - religion exists today because religious behavior conferred advantages to early humans.

The Master Plan of Evangelism (Coleman).  An old classic that I've read before, I also like to call this book "The Master's Plan of Evangelism" since it is so much about what Jesus' strategies for reaching people would actually look like in our lives.

Betsy Ross and the Making of America (Miller).  Solid biographical research, a delicate balance between dispelling myths while giving a historical figure her due, and a great look at the role of Philadelphia/women/artisans in America's revolutionary period.

How the Other Half Lives (Riis) and At the Children’s Gate (Gopnik).  I read these two books back-to-back, and found it jarring how much New York City has changed in 100+ years.