The Books of 2024: The Last of the Memoirs

Hello friends! At long last we have reached the end of the Books of 2024. Phew! Thanks to everyone who has read this far. 😉 I hope you enjoy these last reviews. I’d love book suggestions in the comments! What are your favorite memoirs? What books have impacted you most? What are some fun, light-hearted books that you have enjoyed?

Devil at My Heels: A Heroic Olympian’s Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II by Louis Zamperini – 4 Stars

“The one who forgives never brings up the past to that person’s face. When you forgive, it’s like it never happened. True forgiveness is complete and total.”

“The great lesson of my life is perseverance. Never give up. It’s like my brother said, “Isn’t one minute of pain worth a lifetime of glory?”

Where did all the men like Zamperini go? An Olympic distance runner as a young man, he enlisted during WWII as an aviation cadet. When his plane went down over the Pacific Ocean, he and two men were stranded for 47 days on a raft, only to be captured by the Japanese and kept in a POW camp for two years. This story tells all of that in vivid details but doesn’t end there. It goes on to tell of hope – how God burst into Zamperini’s life and changed him so radically that he later became a missionary to the very people who had tormented and tortured him for so long.

This man forgave his captors, preached the gospel, taught teens, climbed glaciers (when he was no longer in his youth), and ran a leg of the 1998 Olympic torch relay when he was eighty. If he’s not inspiration for us to get off the couch and do something with our lives, I don’t know what is.

“All I want to tell young people is that you’re not going to be anything in life unless you learn to commit to a goal. You have to reach deep within yourself to see if you are willing to make the sacrifices.”

Unexpected Choice: An Abortion Doctor’s Journey to Pro-Life by Patti Giebink – 4 stars

“But as time slowly reveals to us, even the byways – I won’t call them mistakes – come with valuable experiences and insight that can influence and enrich us. Those detours are actually part of our destiny.”

An abortionist became a Christian and now works to help those affected by abortion. The book was a little dry in some place but really is an amazing testimony.

Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence by Melissa Ohden – 4 stars.

This is a collection of stories from men and women who have survived abortions. It’s very moving and an excellent reminder that we as Christians have an obligation to fight for the life of the unborn.

Terror By Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder That Destroyed a Family, Restored One Man’s Faith, and Shocked a Nation by Terry Caffey- 3.5 stars.

Goodness. This is the horrible, heartbreaking and strangely beautiful story of Terry Caffey. In 2008, two men broke into his house (one being his daughter’s boyfriend) and shot and stabbed his wife and two sons, then set the house on fire. Caffey barely escaped with his life and had a long and painful journey of healing and learning to forgive.

Once a Shooter: Redemption of a Highschool Gunman by T.J. Stevens – 3.5 stars.

When he was eighteen, Stevens stormed into his high school with a hunting rifle, intent on killing as many people as he could before he shot himself. This is the story of how Jesus found him, and how he ended up playing the role of Jesus in the Passion play in Washington D.C. (and other places as well).

Faith to Foster by T.J. & Jenn Menn – 3.5 stars

The Menn’s share their story of fostering twenty-four children, and encouragement for other Christians to take the Bible’s words seriously. There is so much that we can do to obey God where we are.

A New Season: A Robertson Family Love Story of Brokenness and Redemption by Alan & Lisa Robertson – 3 stars

“Reconciliation is the idea that things and people that are broken can be put back together.”

I probably would have found this book more interesting if I’d been more invested in Duck Dynesty…

Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren F. Winner – 4 Stars

“Fasting is meant to take you, temporarily, out of the realm of the physical and focus your attention heavenward; as one Jewish guide to fasting puts it, ‘at the heart of this practice is a desire to shift our attention away from our immediate needs and to focus on more spiritual concerns.’”

This is a rambling, rather random collections of thoughts on Judaism and Christianity. Winner grew up as an Orthodox Jew and met Jesus in college. In Mudhouse Sabbath she ponders the things that she has gained from Christianity, but also the things that she misses from Judaism.

“It’s not all about mountaintops. Mostly it’s about training so that you’ll know the mountaintop for what it is when you get there.”

Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption by Vaneetha Rendall Risner – 4 Stars

At every point in Risner’s life, she faced loss and pain. From polio as a child, to the loss of a son, to unfaithfulness in marriage, to the loss of her health, she had every right to ask the question, “If God loves me, why does He allow so much suffering?”

I was so touched by Risner’s story. Through immense pain – physical and emotional – she clung fast to her faith, and God showed himself faithful in her every trial.

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber – 4 Stars

“He quickened his stride: ‘The truth is in the paradox, Miss Drake. Anything not done in submission to God, anything not done to the glory of God, is doomed to failure, frailty, and futility. This is the unholy trinity we humans fear most. And we should, for we entertain it all the time at the pain and expense of not knowing the real one.”

It is rare that a modern memoir reminds me of classical writers. Weber was deeply influenced by C.S. Lewis and her writing reflects that. This book is her story of entering Oxford as a staunch atheist and leaving a devoted Christian.

“No individual, by the very state of existence, can avoid life as a form of servitude; it only remains for us to decide, deny, or remain oblivious to, whom or what we serve.”

The Faith Club:  A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew – Three Women Search for Understanding by Suzanne Oliver, Priscilla Warner, and Ranya Tabari Idliby – 2.5 stars

“The more that science unravels about the wonder of life and the universe, the more I am in it. The beauty and wonder of the universe and all that surrounds us offers proof of God.”

A Christian, Muslim, and Jewish women get together with the intention of writing a children’s book on the similarities/differences in their religions. What happens is so much more – years of discussions, battles, and joys over their differing faiths.

The idea is great. It was very interesting to see that, in a way, the three faiths are related. We all believe in one God, we believe that Jesus was important (though in immensely different ways), we have similar Old Testament stories, and we all trace our lineage (spiritual or physical) back to Abraham. Reading this gave me a lot of compassion and understanding – and a desire to reach out to people who are not of my own religion and seek to have open, honest communications with them.

However, I had problems with this book. The first was the whining. There was a very long chapter on who was the most victimized. They were vying for the title and spent a good part of the book feeling sorry for themselves and trying to get the others to admit that they were more victimized. Christians, Jews, and Muslims have all been on the receiving end of persecution and suffering throughout history (often at each other’s hands), but seriously, what good does it do to have the most “victim points”? Doesn’t it only create division, tribalism, and resentment?

My other problem is that none of these women were very devout in their faith. They were all on the progressive end. Oliver, the Christian didn’t even believe that Jesus was really God, and in the end she (and the other women) ended up becoming universalists – any path to God is valid, and all religions are basically the same.

Flight to Heaven: A Plane Crash. A Lone Survivor. A Journey to Heaven…and Back by Dale Black – 4 stars

I’m always kind of skeptical when people tell stories about dying and visiting heaven. But this book…wow. It was powerful. After a terrible plane crash, Black nearly died. In that time, he had a brief glimpse of Heaven. The story isn’t so much about what he saw in Heaven as it is how he lived out what he saw. He only told one person after it happened and kept his secret for decades.

The Year of Living Like Jesus: My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do by Edward G. Dobson – 2 Stars

I have a long and detailed review of this book that I will share in the future. Long story short, Dobson decided to spend a year living as like Jesus as he could. I love the heart of this project, but the execution fell short. Dobson decides to make do things like Jesus might have done them – he grows a beard, he wears a shirt with tassels (tucked in, of course, so as not to offend anyone), he eats Kosher, he attempts to keep Shabbat, drinks beer, goes camping for a time of solitude and fasting, and votes for Obama.

In the midst of his attempts to live like Jesus, he missed the reason that Jesus came to earth: to preach repentance, to bring sinners to Himself, and to share the hope of eternal life. Dobson did external actions to be (somewhat) like Jesus, but he fell short when it came to the core of the life of Jesus.

A Survivor’s Secrets: Once Trafficked, Now Free by Gina Cavallo 3.5 stars.

The true story of a woman who was trapped in human trafficking for several years, and her journey to freedom and healing.

Uncultured by Daniella Mestyanek Young – 3 stars

Young was born into the cult God’s Children. She tells her story of enduring abuse, neglect, hunger and limited education during her childhood and teen years before leaving the cult and finding a life for herself beyond it.

Fear to Freedom by Dr. Keith L. Marshall – 2 Stars

The story was interesting – a drugged-out man hopeless and depressed, had an encounter with Christ and his life was radically transformed. The reason I give it two stars is because it was very poorly written. There were numerous grammatical mistakes. The story was not told chronologically, but categorically, which was confusing. It was very informal – like an email written to someone you know and not meant to be read by people outside of your family.

Another reason I rated it low is because after his conversion, he hardly talked about God but focused on himself and how brilliant he was and how wealthy he had become and what a great life he’d made for himself. The last third of the book was arrogant and self-aggrandizing.

Tears of the Silenced by Misty Griffin – 1 Star

“You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it’s enough.”

This is a very poorly written book about Amish sexual abuse. I’m still not entirely convinced that this book is true…I’ve read a lot of fiction, and a lot of memoirs, and this had all the vibes of a poorly written novel filled with a victimized (but perfect) heroine, and a whole cast of one-dimensional, evil people. I don’t want to say that Griffin is making the whole thing up, but I (and many other readers) are skeptical about many things. Even if this was a true story, it was not very well written and had many typos, bad storytelling, faulty information, and stunted dialogue.

Taken At Birth: Stolen Babies, Hidden Lies, and My Journey to Finding Home by Jane Blasio 3.5 stars

“I found where I belonged. It took the journey of searching, not the actual DNA, to find who I am. I’m a child of God. He knows my name and He placed me in this world. He knew where I should be and who I belonged to all along. I’m His.”

In Mccaysville, Georgia from the 1940’s-60’s there was a doctor who took babies (sometimes willingly, sometimes with force or deception) and sold them to parents desperate for children. This is the story of one of those babies, and her journey to find the truth about her birth and the man who sold her.

Fish Out of Water: A Search for the Meaning of Life by Eric Metaxas – 4 stars

Is it true that everyone feels like “a fish out of water”, even amazing, successful men like Metaxas? Despite being filled with hilarious stories from his childhood to his conversion, I found this book strangely relatable, comforting, and encouraging.

Mendel’s Daughter by Martin Lemelman – 4 stars

In beautiful sketches and few words, Lemelman tells the story of his mother’s survival as a Jew during World War II.

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle – 3.5 Stars

Mayle and his wife left London and moved to France. This witty book chronicles their first year there, as they bought a house, got to know their neighbors, and learned to despise tourists just as much as the locals.

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck – 3 stars

“Could it be that Americans are a restless people, a mobile people, never satisfied with where they are as a matter of selection? The pioneers, the immigrants who peopled the continent, were the restless ones in Europe. The steady rooted ones stayed home and are still there.”

Steinbeck and his dog, Charley, set out in their camper to re-discover America.

My first thought: wow, this is so clean compared to Steinbeck’s fiction books.

My second thought: wow, this is really boring.

I did think Steinbeck’s point about Americans being a restless people is true. We are a nation comprised of people from all over the world. Our ancestors left their homes and journeyed to a strange new country. Is it any wonder that they passed that same travel lust down to us? Of course, there are plenty of people who have lived in the same town all their life, but it seems to be rarer and rarer. My family certainly doesn’t have those deep roots, the deep connection to the land and to specific places. We are the wanderers, the explorers, the ones always in search of something new.

A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption by Becket Cook – 5 stars

“It is a gross misunderstanding to believe that anything that feels natural is righteous.”

This was the first book that I read in 2024, and it was wonderful. My mind was blown. In a society that tells everyone to “embrace the way they are born” and live their “authentic” selves, here is a man who is turning away from all of that and choosing to live for Jesus instead. His love for our Savior is inspiring – he is a truly a man who is forsaking much for Jesus.

“I have come to realize, as the Bible describes, that I deserve nothing, and yet in my brokenness Jesus came to give me everything.”

Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God. A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope by Christopher and Angela Yuan – 4 Stars

“God’s faithfulness is proved not by the elimination of hardships but by carrying us through them. Change is not the absence of struggles; change is the freedom to choose holiness in the midst of our struggles. I realized that the ultimate issue has to be that I yearn after God in total surrender and complete obedience.”

This is similar in many ways to Cook’s book, and equally inspiring. I loved seeing his story from both his and his mother’s perspectives. It’s crazy how God pursues people who seem so utterly lost and changes them into warriors for His kingdom.

A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus by David Bennet – 3 Stars

I admire Bennet for sharing his story and doing what he can to help Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction. I don’t agree with a lot that he wrote, however, as he is heavy on the “I’m so victimized, as are all gay people” rhetoric and making your sexuality your identity, even if you are a Christian. I believe that sexuality isn’t the most important part of your identity – yes, it impacts you, but it shouldn’t be the thing that you base your whole life upon and spend all your time thinking about.

Born Again This Way by Rachel Gilson – 3 Stars

“We are never promised relief from the presence of dangerous desires, but we are promised power to fight victoriously (1 Corinthians 10:13).”

I’m not sure what to think of this book…it reminded me of Bennet’s book in some ways, as Gilson was more focused on her past sin vs the realities of living for Jesus with same-sex attractions.

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry – 5 stars.

“Could it be that God would not have me going about the rest of my life believing that these lesser forms of ‘love’ were the real thing? Perhaps this love He, filled to the brim with, was pouring over into His dealings with me. And perhaps this love was compelling Him, on the basis of grace—an undeserved love—to help me see that every person, place or thing that I loved more than Him could not keep its promise to love me eternally.”

Perry is a poet, and her memoir of redemption and faith reads almost as though written in verse. It is seeped with Scripture and doesn’t shy away from speaking the truth in a world that loves blindness.

“Our sexuality is not our soul, marriage is not heaven, and singleness is not hell.”

“But just because we are tempted does not mean that we are our temptations.”

Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters by Jon Acuff – 3 stars.

I don’t read motivational books much anymore because they’re a lot of “you’re amazing, you’re great, you’re capable of anything” without giving practical advice. This book had a whole lot of that, but at the same time it did offer much in the way of learning how to advance with your goals despite fear and the simple, often overlooked idea that if we want to succeed at something, we have to work at it.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer – 4 stars

I’d been wanting to learn more about commercial farming and the dangers of it – both to our health, and the horrendous ways that the animals are treated. This book was very good – very objective and it showed both sides fairly. Foer isn’t against meat, but he makes the case for buying only ethically raised meat.

Year of No Sugar by Eve O Schaub – 3.5 stars

If a family in the USA decided to go a year without sugar…what would happen? This was so relatable. When we were kids, we went on diet after diet, trying to cure our ills and become healthy. Reading of the Schaub’s troubles when traveling, frustrations at parties and outings, and sorrow over the loss of sweet treasures was almost nostalgic to me. I remember smuggling dry coconut flour cookies into Panera and eating them with black coffee (sweetened with homemade stevia, also snuck in), being excited when we added pepper back into our diet, and frustrating moments trying to make sugar free, dairy free, grain free cookies taste like normal. Ah, they were memorable times.

~Hattush