Joy
Love Lives Here by Maria Goff
Maria tells her story and shares life lessons along the way. I specifically appreciate her acceptance of how God designed her and her husband differently. It’s a must-read for everyone who’s committed to loving people with passion and purpose.
To Read: Celebrations: A Year of Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Paleo Recipes for Every Occasion by Danielle Walker
Chloe
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
The Leavers is a timely look at the immigrant experience in America. The story follows Peilan aka Polly Guo and her son Deming – later Daniel – as they immigrate from China to New York City. One day when Deming is eleven years old, his mother leaves for work never to return. The book alternates between mother and son’s perspective through the years of growing up, separation, difficult choices, heartbreak and a search for belonging. I am grateful for the honest, though fictitious, account of what it can look like to make a life in America and the incredibly difficult choices and sacrifices it requires. I hope to be more compassionate and aware of newcomers in my community from having read this book.
To Read: Tenth of December by George Saunders; Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Adam
Underground Airlines by Ben Winters
What if Abraham Lincoln has been assassinated in 1861 before his second inauguration, and slavery was still legal in present day? This alternate history timeline is the basis for Ben Winters’s 2016 novel, Underground Airlines. This novel mixes elements of history, modern political intrigue, sci-fi, and the racial divide in the US masterfully. Ben Winters transports us to an alternate timeline that is dark, but not too unrecognizable from our reality today.
To Read: The Maggie Bright by Tracy Groot; The Runner’s Devotional by Dana Niesluchowski, David R. Veerman, and Livingstone
