Summer reading list

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been reading a lot of non-fiction. I'll often come across interesting things that might make a good blog post, but then I either forget or decide to write something else. I never seem to get back to those interesting things because I've moved onto something else. I decided to share a few books that I've read recently that I think are very much worth your time to read. I'll write about them in the order in which I read them.

The first is The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truths by Beth Allison Barr. Upfront I'll say that I held a complementarian view of men and women for a long time, even arguing for it at various times. I'll also say upfront that there have always been some aspects of it that have troubled me, especially as I have watched it be used in various relationships to be pretty dysfunctional at best and abusive at worst. I'm perfectly willing to say I have been wrong and this time I have been... even before I read this book. What I liked best about it was the historical perspective of women in church history as well as the questionable translational issues in various Bibles, including the ESV which I have generally liked. (I have never used a study Bible because all of the subjective little sermons on every page annoy me.) One of my biggest beefs with Evangelicalism has always been how they have completely cut themselves off from the rest of church history as if they had sprung up newly formed and not as part of a continuum. If you haven't already reached the place of questioning some of these assumptions, this could be a worthwhile, if challenging book. My only beef is that in critiquing the cult of domesticity, I felt a little as though she threw the baby out with the bath water, not affirming that there could very well be women out there who do choose to stay home and raise children without being held under the thumbs of the males around them. It would be an interesting conversation to have with her if I had the chance to chat over a cup of coffee. 

Next up is Kids Beyond Limits by Anat Baniel. This is a book written by a specialist in the Feldenkrais method who actually trained with Moshe Feldendkrais for many years. She works specificially with children with special needs. While I found it interesting in that respect, I kept thinking as I read through it that if every parent approached their children from her perspective, the world and the children in it would be calmer and happier. She focuses (among other things) on being a student of your child, celebrating small successes, taking things slowly, and not working on things that are clearly not working (and she makes a rather biting critique of much modern therapy, so be forewarned). Even if you have a neurotypical child, reading this book would make you a better attuned and connected parent. If your child is not neurotypical, it could give you some more tools to help them reach their potential. 

Then on to Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel. First off, I'm willing to recommend any book by Daniel Siegel. He is a fantastic author with some significantly helpful connected strategies for parents. This book isn't just for parents, though. In it he describes the difference between our mind and our brain and how we can use our mind to shape our brain and thus our emotions and functioning. It is truly fascinating. Out of the four books I'm writing about here, I would suggest this one go at the top of your list.

Finally, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine. You know I've read a lot of books about trauma and how to mitigate its effects, but this book is fairly different from the rest. In it, the author describes how the activated nervous system turns on in order to protect us from perceived danger, but instead of completely discharging the energy that is generated, our thinking frontal cortex gets in the way and shuts the process down, leaving all that extra energy loose in our body, which in turn causes trauma. I know that brief explanation sounds a bit snake oil-ish, but it actually makes sense when you read the studies that he cites to under gird his argument. It also fits remarkably well with the Mindsight book and the different between the mind and the brain. It is interesting and a new way of thinking about trauma for me. While his explanations of why trauma happens were intriguing, I did feel the answers to the question of what to do about it could have been a little more robust, especially in regards to when trauma causes learned helplessness. The why was very well laid out, but the what to do seemed a little cursory, almost tacked on the end. It is still a worthwhile read in my opinion, though. 

So, there you go. A little light reading to add to your summer reading lists.