2011 Book List part III

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This is the second book by Hillenbrand; her first was the best seller Seabiscuit which I haven’t read (nor have I seen the movie) but plan to because she is such an amazingly interesting writer. Horse stories don’t particularly interest me, nor do World War II stories. The book is about Louis Zamperini, an “incorrigible delinquent . . a teenager who channeled his defiance into running, a brother who cared enough to save him, and his life as an airman on a doomed flight.” If you haven’t heard anything about Laura Hillenbrand, you should read her story about suffering from debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome while writing these books. Unbroken is a book probably everybody should read, if you can take it. (By the way Random House accepted her first book the first time she submitted it. Unlike the author of The Help who had to submit her book 62 times.)

I also read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. But by now everyone has at least seen the movie. I thought it was a pretty good book, aside from some scenes I’m sure some stupid editor suggested she stick in—and she was desperate to publish. I read this for a book club, and the woman who led the discussion, complete with her southern drawl from Alabama, said the book was a very accurate description of how she grew up.

Finding God Beyond Harvard by Kelly Monroe Kullberg, the editor of Finding God at Harvard. Kullberg wrote this book a number of years after she started the now-famous (in some circles) Veritas Forums throughout the country. She never set out to do such a thing, the forums just evolved through her activities while at Harvard. I like this book better than Finding God—perhaps because I never finished those essays, but also because it is her autobiography, not just a compilation of essays, good though they may be. Kullberg is a bit too conservative for my taste, though that didn’t come through too much, and I was amazed at how godless those Harvard folks are ;). I found her a very compelling individual and thought the story of her failed romance heartbreaking. What are some people thinking? The University of Tennessee is one of the schools that adopted the Veritas Forums, and we have had some quite interesting forums.

Peak Performance Principles for High Achievers by John R. Noe. I picked up this book in the throw-away bin outside McKays used book store. It’s one of the positive thinking kinda books with an endorsement from Og Mandino author of The Greatest Salesman in the World. It was short, and I pick up so many free books in the throw-away bin I thought I ought to at least read one. Noe uses his experiences in mountain climbing and running to build his advice for high achievers. I’d say if you are needing a little help setting goals and getting inspired, this would be a good read: “You don’t conquer fears by saying little clichés to yourself. You act. You take the first step toward your most immediate goal. In doing so, you make the crucial move from the position of fear into the arena of conflict.” Not a fantastically new idea, and in fact, that idea of acting without waiting for the perfect plan of attack, is one of the things I relearned in 2011. All in all he does a good job of re-inspiring you in whatever quest you have set before yourself.