Mini Book reviews from my Christmas reading

Here are a few books I read over Christmas in one paragraph each:

Bounce by Matthew Syed

This book continues the themes of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers and brings more detail to the analysis, particularly looking at 'the myth of talent' in sport. Using his own story as a former UK number one table tennis player, Syed shows how the 10,000 hour rule also needs other factors, such as the right opportunities, the right coaching at the right time, how religious belief can play a part as a kind of 'placebo effect' in calming the mind and avoiding choking at the big moments, and exposes the idea of the child genius as false. An interesting read that I found occasionally repetitive but always kept my attention.

Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo

A masterclass in how to prepare the talk of your life! Contains lots of advice on public speaking, getting and maintaining your audience's attention, creating moments they will never forget (including some neuro science to explain how this works!) and finding your unique voice and passion. The three sections are: Emotional (Unleash the master within/master the art of storytelling/have a conversation); Novel (teach me something new/deliver jaw-dropping moments/lighten up); and Memorable (stick to the 18 minute rule, paint a mental picture with multi sensory experiences/stay in your lane). It analyses the most popular TED talks and dissects why they are so good, based on the chapter headings. Interesting stuff and inspiring at times, although for me I wondered how useful it is for someone who preaches week by week - can you/should you aim to deliver jaw-dropping moments and multi sensory experiences and the greatest talk of your life EVERY Sunday morning? Lots to think about though and recommended.

Silence - A Christian History by Diarmaid MacCulloch

An in-depth and thought-provoking history of silence in the Christian tradition by one of the world's experts on Christian history. I recently read his mammoth and brilliant tome A History of Christianity and was really looking forward to this. It is, at varying times, a poetic ode to silence ('it is an ambassador between the mundane and the sublime, solving tensions and mysteries which words cannot touch'); a firm critique of the way the Christian church has silenced dissenting and oppressed voices; and a comprehensive biblical overview of silence. It also contains some beautiful descriptions of the relationship of music and silence, for example 'music has been the colour and often the backbone of the liturgy through most of Christian history: policing that frontier-zone between eternity and the fragility of human words'. There is so much in here, lots I loved and much I was uncomfortable with, but if you want something spiritually and intellectually challenging, go for it!

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

This is the usual easy to read and compelling stuff from Malcolm Gladwell - this one all about the success of the underdog, based on the biblical story. It is an argument for how apparent disadvantages, like being dyslexic, or losing a parent in childhood, can actually become advantages, forcing the underdog into increased creativity, determination and often heroic actions. I was surprised how brief it was, but what I did read was well worth it as always from this author. One nice quote: 'courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you've been through the tough times and you discover they aren't so tough after all'.

Rowan's Rule by Rupert Shortt

This is the kind of book I love - a biography of a great theologian who also has a fascinating life story. Up to this point I have only read one of Rowan Williams' books, Being Christian, which is reviewed elsewhere on this blog. I find thoughtful biographies like this to be a great introduction to a theologian and an inspiration to get into some of their books. Hannah's Child gave me the same motivation to start reading Stanley Hauerwas.

Rowan's Rule is well written and contains a good overview and thoughtful critique of Williams' writings, as well as some insight into his life and ministry, with a particular focus on his turbulent decade as Archbishop of Canterbury. Seemingly destined from a young age for this role and with real charisma and a huge intellect, Williams was nonetheless much misunderstood and often maligned by people from both the conservative and liberal wings of the C of E, and often likewise in the mainstream press. Much of this book is a useful corrective, or at least clarification, of some of the negative headlines that he attracted.

Although the book is not short (400+ pages), I found it very accessible and compelling and managed to read it in a few days - it was pretty un-put-downable at times. The author seemed to me to want to focus particularly on the debate around homosexuality and there was quite a strong theme around Williams' relationship with Catholicism too. I would have liked to have read more about his other works and slightly less about these two themes, as important as they are - for example his emphasis on spirituality and the desert Fathers.

If you want a well written and interesting biography that introduces you to a fascinating and brilliant theologian, I fully recommend you read this.