Some Books
I read a lot. I read fewer books in the Internet Age. I still manage to read some. Some of my reviews are here. The entries about succeeding in business and such are not mine. Let's have some thumbnail reviews.
John Oliver focused his main segment on the problems with chocolate production. Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World's Favorite Treat by Kay Frydenborg is a young adult book from 2015.
It covers all the angles about chocolate, including the problematic use of child labor. A book to nibble on along with leftover Halloween candy.
The new House speaker had brought to mind a lot of thoughts about Christian nationalism and other matters of church and state.* There's more than one podcast for that. Amanda Tyler will provide you with the Baptist take.
The FFRF crew had her on, but they are less gung-ho about religion in general. FFRR had Steven Green on in the past. He wrote academic books on church and state, including Inventing Christian America and Separating of Church and State. A bit hard going for the non-specialist. Nonetheless, they provide helpful historical context.
Weed: Cannabis Culture in the Americas by Caitlin Donohue is another book that is geared toward young adults. Like many young adult books, fiction and non-fiction, people of all ages can enjoy and be educated by it. She's a journalist based in Latin America. She uses multiple interviews to examine the many aspects of marijuana, including medical, social, and criminal. Very helpful.
Becoming Abraham Lincoln: The Coming of Age of Our Greatest Lincoln by Richard Kigel received kudos from Harold Holzer, who knows his Lincoln.
It primarily uses the research of Lincoln's long-term law partner, who shortly after his death started to collect information from people who knew him. Overall, I liked it, but it was a bit dull in places in its writing style. A good addition to the cottage industry of Lincoln books out there, of which I wrote a review of at least one.
I do read fiction. I always read a lot less fiction than non-fiction. Do find some that I enjoy. An example would be With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson.
Hallmark is playing Christmas films all day. It's time. Two opposites attract at a Florida winter-themed wonderland. The book is very LGBTQ-friendly with a somewhat underdeveloped foster care subplot.
An Assassin in Utopia by Susan Wels is also worth a read. I might have a more extended summary so will leave that be.
Happy Reading!
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Note: The talk of "religious liberty" will result in a lot of confusion. Also, a lot of references to James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. A useful aspect of the Steve Green books is that we learn about a lot of people.
Speaker Mike Johnson was quoted by Heather Cox Richardson (in her very helpful daily substack) in part saying that the First Amendment "clearly did not mean to keep religion from influencing issues of civil government."
People have religious beliefs. They will influence civil government. Just ask the senator from Georgia, who is also a minister. Certain things, however, such as belief in God, should not be public policy.
OTOH, this is more off: "The Founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around.” We are concerned about things in both directions. The lines are complicated. But, that is a basic rule.