books I have read or am currently reading, and wish to recommend
1. the everlasting man, by g. k. chesterton
EBSCO Information Services Review | by Willam J. Scheick
G. K. Chesterton’s “The Everlasting Man” (1925) serves as a critique of modernist thought and a defense of Christianity. In this work, Chesterton challenges the modernist view of humanity as merely an advanced species driven by animal instincts and determined by natural forces. He particularly addresses the influence of Darwinian evolution and Freudian psychology, arguing that these frameworks diminish human dignity and overlook the profound aspects of human experience. Chesterton contends that creativity, laughter, and the birth of Christ represent unique interruptions in history that cannot be explained by materialist interpretations. He emphasizes the importance of wonder and imagination as essential components of human understanding, suggesting that these qualities reveal a deeper, sacred history. While “The Everlasting Man” received mixed reviews and faced criticism for its style over substance, it significantly impacted readers, including notable figures like C. S. Lewis, who found inspiration in Chesterton’s arguments against secular interpretations of humanity. Ultimately, Chesterton’s work remains a relevant discourse on the relationships between faith, humanity, and the challenges posed by modernism.
2. gustav mahler, by jens malte fischer
Yale University Press
A bestseller when first published in Germany in 2003, Jens Malte Fischer’s Gustav Mahler has been lauded by scholars as a landmark work. He draws on important primary resources—some unavailable to previous biographers—and sets in narrative context the extensive correspondence between Mahler and his wife, Alma; Alma Mahler’s diaries; and the memoirs of Natalie Bauer-Lechner, a viola player and close friend of Mahler, whose private journals provide insight into the composer’s personal and professional lives and his creative process.
Fischer explores Mahler’s early life, his relationship to literature, his achievements as a conductor in Vienna and New York, his unhappy marriage, and his work with the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic in his later years. He also illustrates why Mahler is a prime example of artistic idealism worn down by Austrian anti-Semitism and American commercialism. Gustav Mahler is the best-sourced and most balanced biography available about the composer, a nuanced and intriguing portrait of his dramatic life set against the backdrop of early 20th-century America and fin de siècle Europe.
3. unreasonable hospitality, by will guidara
Kirkus Reviews
Guidara, co-owner of the world-renowned New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park, makes his nonfiction debut with an enthusiastic guide for leaders. Drawing on 25 years in restaurant work, including corporate and management positions, the author asserts that hospitality is crucial to the success of any business. In a restaurant, hospitality means “genuinely engaging with the person you’re serving, so you can make an authentic connection.” That engagement results from a culture of caring that emanates from everyone involved. A restaurant manager must ask a host of important questions: “How do you make the people who work for you and the people you serve feel seen and valued? How do you give them a sense of belonging? How do you make them feel part of something bigger than themselves? How do you make them feel welcome?”
4. avoiding bitterness in suffering, by dr. ronda chervin
Angelus Press
When Ronda Chervin’s son, Charles, ended his own life, he did so believing that it is pointless to endure inevitable suffering.
In the wake of Charles’s death, Dr. Chervin set out to discover some of the most basic — but all too often misunderstood — answers to why God allows us to suffer, and how we can bear it with perseverance and hope.
She shares her discoveries in these pages, helping you understand that while there is no escape from pain, pain itself is the road into the heart of Christ where peace can be found.
You’ll be given encouragement and practical advice as you explore afflictions such as failure, fear, frustration, loneliness, loss, marital problems, physical pain, fatigue, and temptation.
Dr. Chervin explains each affliction in detail and offers reflections on the lives of saints who suffered from the very same cross. Throughout each chapter, you’re given practical suggestions on how you can meet Christ in your particular pain.
You’ll draw wisdom from the lives and writings of saints who were addicted, depressed, exhausted, raped, and unhappily married. And among these saints, you’ll discover within their responses a pattern that you can ponder and imitate.
5. stand up straight and sing!, by jessye norman
AbeBooks
Jessye Norman is not only one of the world's most admired and beloved singers, she is an American icon whose life story is as moving and dramatic as the great operatic roles she has performed on stage.
Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, nurtured in a close family and tight-knit community centered around the church, she studied the piano and sang the songs of her childhood, not dreaming that this passion for music might lead to her life's profession.
In Stand Up Straight and Sing!, Jessye Norman recalls in rich detail the strong women who were her role models, from her ancestors to family friends, relatives, and teachers. She hails the importance of her parents in her early learning and experiences in the arts. And she describes coming face-to-face with racism, not just as a child living in the segregated South, but also as an adult out and about in the world.
She speaks of the many who have inspired her and taught her essential life lessons. A special interlude on her key relationship with the pioneering African American singer Marian Anderson reveals the lifelong support that this great predecessor provided through her example of dignity and grace at all times.
The story of one woman’s astonishing life, Stand Up Straight And Sing! is not just for lovers of music, but for everyone.