blue like jazz

I don't think I have done a book review since middle school, and i am not claiming that this is one, a jejune attempt at best.
i have currently been reading a book by donald miller called "blue like jazz." ’ i cant tell you how many times i thought this guy had stolen my life story to paste into his own book. every other page was filled with amazement, as i felt i was the only one who had been through/thought about what he has. blatantlytly honest, mr. miller tells what people really think instead of what people really say. someone once said "‘the true test of a mans character is what he does when no one is watching," ’ well don miller wrote word for word what one thinks when no one is listening.

anyone have any other books they recommend?

Comments

MH said…
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MH said…
Books? Where do I start!?

I'll just stick with what I'm reading right now.

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky is quite possibly one of the most brilliant books I've ever read. Once you get over the initial shock of the fact it's nearly 1000 pages long, and immerse yourself into the backstory that begins the tale, you're hooked. It portrays the story of three brothers (duh, title) and how each is in some fashion or another involved in the circumstances surrounding the murder of their father, Fyodor Karamazov. The three brothers coincidentally, while each have their own personalities in emotions, represent the three main aspects of man: emotion/passion, intellect/logic, and faith/spirituality. The protagonist is Aleksei Fyodorovich Karamazov, who is almost like an observer to everything, and for a short time is a monk. Ivan Fyodorovich, his older brother, is the logical side, and an atheist because he cannot reconcile the idea of God and suffering (especially children). Dmitri Fyodorovich is their older half-brother, representing passion as he is driven solely by sensuality and his love for a loose woman nicknamed Grushenka. Smerdyakov is also involved, but to what extent would ruin half the book.

Their father is murdered, and Dmitri is immediately made prime suspect, as Fyodor also was a suitor to Grushenka, and unlike Dmitri had the money to back up his promises. All the while runs a subplot centered around the Christian faith that adds a depth to the story that absolutely astounds me. A murder mystery and psychological novel all in one, it's worth all the time it takes to read.

oops...that was long. Long book, long rant, I suppose.
Anonymous said…
I'm sure you've probably read some of these, but you never know.

C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia
Frank McCourt - Angela's Ashes
Anonymous said…
God's Politics
Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
by Jim Wallis.

It opened my eyes actually, I think you'd like it too.

moni, va
Anonymous said…
Just finished Blue Like Jazz. The chapter on Faith made me weep. Have you ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?
Leigh
Anonymous said…
I just finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the story of a really young kid whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. I went through the book so quickly, it's hilarious and quirky and poetic and reveals a million truths about life and love and family. Every character is just so beautifully human. I highly recommend it.

Joscelyne
agirlnamedbob. said…
you may have already read it, but it's one of my very favorites so i think it deserves a mention...'tuesdays with morrie' by mitch albom is a beautiful book about life & death. it will make you laugh and cry at the same time...and it is an incredibly short read. i think everyone should read this book.
Anonymous said…
All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes: Christians and Popular culture...this is a great book, I used it to write my senior thesis on the efect of popular culture on teenage identity development.
Anonymous said…
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon.

a story from the point of view of a fifteen-year-old autistic boy. just a great read.
Anonymous said…
Oh man.. I doubt you guys have ever heard of this one book called Harry Potter and the Chaimber of Secrets... woo, what a masterpeice!
Anonymous said…
Blue like Jazz was awesome!
Also Good, Good Reads!:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and Bring 'Em Back Alive: A Healing Plan for Those Wounded but the Church by Dave Burchett equally as insightful as BLJ
Anonymous said…
I recommend 'The Persistence of Memory: A Biography of Dali' by Meredith E. Smith. This book gives excellent details about the symbolism in his paintings, relationships and artistic processes. Dali had a tendency to rewrite his history many times over so the author sorts out a bunch of that. Some very dark elements but completely fascinating.
Anonymous said…
Bill Hybels wrote a book titled "Who You Are When No One's Looking" about consistency in character and various character qualities such as courage, discipline, love, etc.
Anonymous said…
Jane Eyre hasn’t, necessarily, changed my life or views on anything; but, rather, it has whetted my understanding and appreciation of true innocence…child-like wonder at the world, and fanciful romance that people rarely wait for, or allow themselves to dream about. I was actually sad when I read the last page, knowing it was “all done now”…but it leaves one satisfied, and refreshed. Please pick it up, if not for the fact that it’s an intelligent and pure romance, then, for the fact that it’s a classic.


-Hannah S.
Anonymous said…
some good books i've read lately are: The Kite Runner by a guy named Houseinni- an awesome look into the evolution of Afghanistanis, their culture, and the politics of their country. Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger was fantastic. it's right up your alley.
anything by oscar wilde...a fabulous writer
Anonymous said…
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Perhaps the most underrepresented yet most complex piece of [American] literature I have ever read; it's about realizing invisibility in order to find your identity/self worth, and thus in turn your role in life...

Then again, I have yet to turn 18, and there are a plethora of books to be read in my lifetime :)
Anonymous said…
This is a really old blog post so I don't know if you'll see it, but read "The Bone Woman". I also just saw the "don't let this be the next rwanda" so you might this interesting.

The front of the book says this

"A Forensic Anthorpologist's Search for Truth in the Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo"
adriana said…
a severe mercy by sheldon vanauken.

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