Books recommended are in bold. If I wrote a separate entry, the link is embedded.

January

1. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson (pleasure reading on the ship)
2. Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble (pleasure reading on the ship)
3. Strength in What Remains by Tracey Kidder (‘pleasure’ reading on the ship)
4. Voice of the Irish: The Story of Christian Ireland by Michael Staunton (preparation for a paper)
5. Plenty by Alisa Smith (pleasure reading)
6. Dublin 24 by Maeve Binchy (pleasure reading)
7. Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson (pleasure reading)
8. God and the Gun: The Church and Irish Terrorism by Martin Dillon (preparation for a paper)
9. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (pleasure reading on the ship)

February

10. Encountering The West: Christianity and the Global Cultural Process: The African Dimension by Lamin Sanneh (read for Cross-Cultural Living)
11. The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries by Rodney Stark (read for Story of Christian Mission)
12. Mohammed: Biography of the Prophet by Karen Armstrong (read for Religion & Worldview)
13. The Myth of Religious Violence by William Cavanaugh (read for Scriptures 2)
14. In The Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey into the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta Ahmed (read for Religion & Worldview)
15. Swimsuit by James Patterson (read for pleasure)
16. Torture and Eucharist by William Cavanaugh (read for Scriptures 2)

March

17. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (read for pleasure)
18. To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson (read for Story)
19. Hope Against History by Jack Holland (preparation for a paper)
20. Between Vengeance and Forgiveness by Martha Minnow (preparation for a paper/Scriptures 2)
21. Jesus Freak by Sara Miles (read for pleasure)
22. Northern Ireland After the Troubles edited by Colin Coulter and Michael Murray (preparation for a paper)
23. Scripture, Culture & Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible by Ellen F. Davis (read for Scriptures 2)
24. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read for pleasure)
25. Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark (read for pleasure)
26. The Heart of Islam by Seyyed Nasr (read for Religion & Worldviews)
27. Greater Love by Robert Wicklow (read for Thomas Nelson Publishers)

April

28. House Rules by Jodi Piccoult (read for pleasure)
29. Hinduism by H.L. Richards (read for the trip to India)
30. Northern Ireland After the Troubles edited by Coulter (read for Story paper)
31. Young People’s Opinions on Northern Ireland (read for Story Paper)
32. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (read for pleasure)
33. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larsson (read for pleasure)
34. Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (read for pleasure)
35. The Church and Cultures by Louis Luzebetak (read for Cross-Cultural)
36. Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion by Dana L. Robert (read for Story)
37. The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith by Andrew F. Walls (read for Story)
38. The Story of Christian Missions by Stephen Neill (read for Story)

May

39. Understanding Hinduism by Dayananad Bharati (read for India)
40. The Traveler’s Guide to India by Sinharaja Tammita-Delgoda (read for India)
41. India: From Midnight to Millennium by Shashi Tharoor (read for India)
42. Gora by R. Tagore (read for India)
43. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patrillo (read for pleasure)
44. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Patrillo (read for pleasure)
45. Going Bovine by Libba Bray (read for pleasure)
46. Walk Like You’ve Got Somewhere To Go by Lucille O’Neill (read for Thomas Nelson publishers)
47. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (read for pleasure)
48. Still the One by Robin Wells (read for pleasure)
49. One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell (read for pleasure on the plane from LA to Hong Kong)
50. In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce (read for pleasure in India)
51. Living Water, Indian Bowl by Swami Dayananad Bharati (read for India)

June

52. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (read for pleasure in Calcutta and Jaipur)
53. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (read for pleasure in Calcutta Train Station)
54. The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble (read for pleasure in Calcutta)
55. One Day by David Nicholls (read for pleasure on flight from SFO to DFW)
56. How to be Single by Liz Tuccillo (read for pleasure / jet lag fighter)

July

57. Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow (read for pleasure / jet lag fighter)
58. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (read for pleasure)
59. She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (read for Bethany House Publishers)
60. The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Sterns (read for Thomas Nelson Publishers)
61. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (read for pleasure and because I’m the best sister ever)
62. A History of God by Karen Armstrong (read for pleasure/academic excercise)
63. Second Chance by Davis Bunn (read for pleasure and because Mom thought I’d like it)
64. Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs (read while laying next to the pool, embracing summer)
65. The Winter’s Lodge by Susan Wiggs (also read while laying next to the pool)
66. Dockside by Susan Wiggs (once again, pool reading)
67. Earth Democracy by Vendana Shiva (read in Colombia)
68. An Unbroken Agony by Randall Robinson (read in Colombia)
69. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (read on the plane to Colombia)
70. Oh My God Just Went By! by Ben Pearson (read for research in Colombia)

August

71. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (read for pleasure)
72. South of Broad by Pat Conroy (read for pleasure)
73. At the King’s Command by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
74. The Open Secret by Lesslie Newbigin (read for BTT)
75. The Maiden’s Hand by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
76. At the Queen’s Command by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
77. Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
78. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (beach reading)
79. The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield (read for pleasure)
80. Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt (beach reading)
81. Africa United by Steve Bloomfield (read for pleasure)
82. The Horsemaster’s Daughter by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
83. The Drifter by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
84. A Summer Affair by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
85. Halfway to Heaven by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
86. Fireside by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
87. Summer Hideaway by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
88. Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
89. The Mistress by Susan Wiggs (beach reading)
90. To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds (beach reading)

September

91. Paul Unbound edited by Mark Given (read for Scriptures 4)
92. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (pleasure reading)
93. The Pysick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (pleasure reading)
94. Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? by Roland Allen (read for Principles, Methods and Strategies)
95.  A Broad Place by Jurgen Moltmann (read for Missional Church)
96. The Borrowed Bride by Susan Wiggs (pleasure reading)
97. A Bridge to Dreams by Sharryl Woods (pleasure reading)
98. Sister of the Bride by Susan Mallery (pleasure reading)
99. Arise! Sun of Righteousness! by Jurgen Moltmann (read for Missional Church)
100. Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn (read for Principles, Methods and Strategies)
101. Missions and Money by Jonathan Bonk (read for Principles, Methods and Strategies)
102. The Man Who Loved Jane Austen by Sally Smith O’Rourke (read for pleasure)

October

103. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (read for pleasure)
104. Spontaneous Expansion of the Church by Rolland Allen (read for Principles, Methods and Strategies)
105. Lip Service by Susan Mallery (read for pleasure)
106. Colossians: Remixed by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmat (read for Biblical and Theological Themes)
107. Missions After Christendom by David Smith (read for Biblical and Theological Themes)
108. Graceling by Kristen Cashore (read for pleasure)
109. Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (read for pleasure)
110. Summer Island by Kristin Hannah (read for pleasure)
111. Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan (read for pleasure)
112. To Change the World by James Davison Hunter (read for Principles, Methods and Strategies)
113. Church and the Power of the Holy Spirit by Jurgen Moltmann (read for Missional Church)

November

114. Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (read for fun)
115. Is Religion Killing Us? by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (read for BTT paper)
116. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (read for fun)
117. Transforming the Powers: Peace, Justice and the Domination System edited by Ray Gingerich (read for BTT paper)
118. Dance of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
119. After the Abduction by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
120. Married to the Viscount by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
121. Trinity and the Kingdom by Jurgen Moltmann (read for Missional Church)
122. My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Olivera (read for fun)
123. Hope for the Church by Jurgen Moltmann (read for Missional Church)
124. Experiences in Theology by Jurgen Moltmann (read for Missional Church)
125. Must There Be Scapegoats? by Raymond Schwager (read for BTT paper)
126. The Bible, Violence and the Sacred by James G. Williams (read for BTT paper)
124. Accidentally Yours by Susan Mallery (read for fun)
125. Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism by Regina M. Schwartz (read for BTT paper)

December

126. Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
127. Fire by Kristin Cahsore (read for fun)
128. Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin (read for fun)
129. Mockingbird by Suzanne Collins (read for fun back in August, re-read for fun this month)
130. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (read for fun)
131. The Truth about Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
132. Enchanted Afternoon by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
133. Fallen by Lauren Kate (read for fun)
134. Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (read for fun)
135. Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
136. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (read for fun)
137. A Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
138. Home Before Dark by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
139. Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
140. Beware a Scot’s Revenge by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)

Movies (note: all of these released in the year)

1. The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin remains my favorite wordsmith and I loved how the movie offered no clear answers. Even if it’s largely fictional (which I’m sure Zuckerberg would love if we believed), it’s a marvelous examination of friendship, betrayal, ownership and what exactly it means to “friend” someone.

2. Tangled: “You broke my smolder.” Witty, charming, enlightening, sappy – all the things a good cartoon should be. It also happens to be a rare example of a female disney character actually acting like an empowered female. Love. This. Movie.

3. Easy A: Hilarious. Someone wrote it was the 10 Things I Hate About You for this generation and I have to agree.

4. Inception: It all comes down to one question – did the top fall?

5. Burlesque: Fun choreography. Completely predictable plot. Cristina’s voice. Stanley Tucci. Clearly, I’m in.

6. The Town: So well done. Caught this one at the dollar theater and am so glad I did. It was just as raw as the reviews said it was. It also makes me want to study the history of Charlestown.

7. Shutter Island: Oh gracious, this had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Excellent

8. How To Train Your Dragon: Thank you, Cathay Pacific, for having this on all of your flights I was on this summer. Not only is it precious and entertaining (I love Toothless!) but it’s an excellent movie about approaching “the other”.

9. The Lottery: This may be my favorite documentary I’ve seen in a while. Since I didn’t get a chance to see Waiting for ‘Superman’, I can’t comment on which one is better. This one is about the lottery to get into a charter school in Harlem. It had me in tears one minute and screaming at the television in anger the next.

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One: You can pretty much cement Part Two on my list for next year because it’s going to be unspeakably epic. I think this adaption was the truest one to the books – capturing both the intricacies of the plot and the emotions behind the story. Love, love.

*note: I haven’t seen Black Swan, True Grit, Waiting for Superman or Love and Other Drugs.

Books Published in 2010

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larsson
2. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
3. Earth: The Book by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show team
4. One Day by David Nichols
5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Books Not Published but Read in 2010

1. Huger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. Strength in What Remains by Tracey Kidder
4. The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark
5. The Myth of Religious Violence by William Cavanaugh

Television

1. Modern Family
2. Community
3. True Blood
4. Dexter
5. Grey’s Anatomy
6. Good Wife
7. Parenthood
8. Chuck
9. 30 Rock
10. Mad Men

Honorable Mentions for TV: Cougar Town, Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara, SYTYCD, Greek, White Collar, Top Chef, Glee. Glee, for the record, will stay on an honorable mention list until it remembers how to be decent television. Second season has been baaaad.

There have been several reports over the past few years about the sad lack of positive female characters for adolescent girls to pattern their lives after. Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games series and Lisbeth Salander of the Millenium triology are often held as examples of a change in the right direction, but I want to offer some caveats on those two. While they are fully realized characters, they both also exist in specific worlds. Lisbeth is the victim of unspeakable abuse and Katniss lives in a dystopian world where children are killed for sport. While there are elements of both of their worlds in the worlds of most women, they are worlds removed at the same time.

Molly and Ginny Weasely, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall; these are female characters which seem to exist in both magic and muggle worlds. Bravery, wisdom, wit and intelligence are deeply valued. The fierce protection with which Molly treats her children and yet allows them to discover their own personhood – I see that in so many mothers in my life. The dedication and passion Hermione has in her personal relationships and her school work – I see that in so many of my friends.

I’ve had several friends begin the Harry Potter journey in the past few weeks and I have been thinking about the wonders of that world a lot. Thus, the post.

Let us reexamine yesterday’s allegory. Change the people in the globe to a local congregation. Change the worried father to a returning missionary and the sick daughter to his experience in the field. The congregation has nurtured this man throughout his career, supported him through finances and letters. When he first arrived on the field, he agreed with all the things he had been taught and the support letters were easy to write. Over the months and years, however, his questions began to overtake his assumptions.

The letters became harder and harder to write as he had a harder and harder time crafting language which represented the paradigm of his home church. He floated his questions to some of his most trusted supporters while he was still away and they were met with various emotions, but now that he has returned to the church, his questions are met with outright hostility. What could he possibly mean that he met people who weren’t Christians that taught him things about God? How could he possibly believe evangelism wasn’t his only job? What was all this nonsense about creating jobs and opening feeding centers? In the face of the opposition, the man feels isolated and alone, but knows he is right.

The man is faced with two options. On one hand, he could simply remain in the church, silent and miserable. Or, he could leave that church and seek out like minded people. If he chooses to leave, he’ll be in the process of creating a new paradigm. One which, perhaps, marries American theology with Indian orthopraxy. Or which takes pieces of Baptist theology, Jewish orthopraxy and a dash of agnostic skepticism and fleshes it out amongst the homeless population of Hells Kitchen in New York.

Let’s lots of options when we talk about this conversation. We use the language of paradigm shifts pretty often in our circles at Truett; wondering how we can participate in moving people from one paradigm to another. It’s a conversation about leadership and hope, programs and ideas and one I hope to continue for the foreseeable future.

Okay friends, nerd posts over for a few days. Tomorrow we’ll discuss food and thankfulness and how costumes are normal in some families. Get excited.

However, one day an event occurs which forces him to question. His daughter falls ill and the medical professionals inside the globe tell him nothing can be done. Her condition is mysterious and tragic and he is given no solutions. As a man, he was willing to put up with his discontent. As a father, however, he finds it impossible. So the man begins to ask questions, pushing boundaries of belief and supposition. As time passes and he becomes more desperate, the man finds his neighbors, friends and family members drifting away from him. He is, after all, questioning the very basis of their reality. He has come to believe that there must be something outside the globe. Even with little or no evidence, he believes there simply must be something more. Life inside the globe no longer provides the answers for his questions or the provisions for his life.

So he begins to take long walks, out past all of the houses and through the forests that line their community. He bumps up against the glass boundary and realizes he has been right all along. He races back into town to triumphantly announce his news only to discover his community has rallied against him. Instead of opening themselves to his questions, they have cemented themselves to their existing beliefs. He is no longer welcome within the community. The man spends countless hours trying to dialogue with his fellow citizens. Some agree with him, but are unable to imagine following him. Most, however, lambast him and accuse him of heresy and evil. Dejected and isolated, but still clinging to the knowledge he is correct, the man goes back to the glass boundary and begins to explore. Eventually, he finds a way out. The man quietly gathers his immediate family, sick daughter included, and sets out through the exit to a new life. The members of his former community continue to reject and discredit him, but are eventually forced to recognize there is something other than the globe.

The theme of testing boundaries and wondering if there is simply more to life than has been previously discovered, however, is a tale as old as humanity itself. With the advent of the discipline of scientific inquiry, the question has become more quantified. There are identified boundaries to knowledge and those must be respected. What happens, then, when someone is no longer content with those boundaries? What happens when someone is no longer satisfied with status quo and seeks answers to questions no one else wants to address? The answer, according to Thomas Kuhn, is that scientific revolution takes place.

I read a book this semester called The Structure of Scientific Revolutions – which was intense, but incredibly brilliant. Kuhn’s book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, is essentially a treatise about what happens when one member of a community begins to disagree with other members of the community and consensus cannot be reached. He is not dealing with trivialities, however, like how to order pizza when people cannot agree on toppings. He is dealing with topics of the universe, like what happened when gravity was discovered or when genetics began to be studied. Kuhn contends that by studying the structure of those revolutions in thought and theory, one can ascertain how the structure of the world functions. The scenario put forth at the beginning of this review is an allegorical version of his answer.

Simply put, the world is full of paradigms and people content to exist within those paradigms. Through a crisis event, one person or a small group of persons are no longer willing to live within their existing paradigm. They begin to test boundaries and ask questions. The other persons in the paradigm tend to reject new ideas and strengthen their assurance their view is correct. Eventually, the persons testing the boundary will break through and create their own new paradigm. This process continues to repeat itself throughout history and society, with each new crisis event perpetuating the creation of a new paradigm.

This post has gotten long enough, so I’ll break it off now. Tomorrow I’ll post some questions I’ve got and implications for said questions. Yes, nerd posts will continue.

non-fiction: mountains beyond mountains by tracey kidder

I read this book during a trip to Rwanda in 2008 and could not put it down. I’d place it in my top ten humanitarian books of all time and cannot believe I left it off the other list. Kidder, an amazing writer, tells the story of Dr. Paul Farmer as he seeks to eradicate the world of poor health care. Farmer is an extraordinary humanitarian, scientist and the co-founder of Partners in Health, a non-profit which provides world class healthcare in remote villages of forgotten worlds. Seriously, friends, read this book.

fiction: deep river by shusaku endo

Clearly, as this is the novel the Onion draws its name from, I have a special place in my soul for this work. The fictional tale of Japanese tourists on a spiritual sojourns through India – specifically Varanassi – the vignettes of each character are rich and detailed, making it hard to imagine these people as fictional. Dealing with grief, rebirth, faith, death and hope, the novel offers few easy answers and myriads of questions. The best kind of book.

So today, for the “favorite book” prompt, I decided to list the ten books I think everyone should read immediately. They are certainly not the definitive list of my favorites and while there’s some fiction on here, there are also non-fictions that everyone should read.  However, here’s a start. If you’ve read these too, please comment and let me know your thoughts. Even better – type your list of ten required reads! PS: I am also excluding Narnia and Harry Potter because you really should know by now that I believe they are required reading for humanity.

1. Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner

2. Take This Bread by Sara Miles

3. Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

4. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenedies

5. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

6. America In the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power

7. Millenium Triology by Steig Laarson

8. Omnivore’s Dillema by Michael Pollen

9. Hope Against History by Jack Holland

10. In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce

If someone wants to claim protection of children, then I will certainly grant them a listen. But that’s a conversation about age appropriate play, knowledge and development, not censorship. If you want to convince me that the basis of Harry Potter isn’t appropriate for four-year-olds, I will absolutely agree. There are certainly scenes in those novels which are age-inappropriate for certain ages. But definitely not for all ages. To assume so is ridiculous and only proves to me that the person screaming about banning the book has probably gotten hung up on the “witchcraft” and has therefore missed the entire point of the series.

We need different opinions in this world. We need ideas and thoughts that offend us and challenge us, mostly in order that they may shape us. Clearly, I value discussion and education highly and am confused as to why anyone else would not. I have chosen to celebrate Banned Book Week by reading works that others have found worthy of banning and would encourage you to do the same. For a list of banned books, check here. I am particularly partial to the Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird and Brave New World.

I keep tabs on the current literary world through several blogs and several friends. I’ve been reading through opinions and ideas about banning books, but wanted to share this link to Kari’s blog, in which she talks about a particular controversy surrounding a book called Speak. I would encourage everyone to read Kari’s entry and follow the links and discussions within.

Once again, I do not think all art is worthy of consumption by all. Nor do I believe all of the books on the list are particularly good. Banning them, however, is a little extreme and rarely serves the purpose the banners think it will. Discernment and discretion, yes. Tantrums and exaggeration, no.

Throughout my life, books have been some of my best friends. I remember racing through Ramona and Beezus, Charlotte’s Web and the like, only to pause before the last chapter. I was afraid of loosing the friends I had made between those pages. The best books, in my opinions, are the ones that leave me in a slight sense of mourning. As I have grown older, that trend hasn’t changed. Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was bittersweet for me. I was desperate to know what happened to my dear wizarding friends, but the idea that no more stories would ever come was heartbreaking.

I love stories. I love the way the best ones wrap themselves around your soul and become part of you. I am not a human who is shaped and moved by numbers or statistics, but by stories, souls and faces. Whether they be fictional or literal (for simply being fictional doesn’t mean someone isn’t real), I love emerging from stories shaped and changed.

In fictional life, I just finished the stories Vida Winter and Tim and Ruth, and was enchanted by the conclusion of Katniss’. As the television season begins again, I get to revisit the antics at McKinley High and Seattle Grace Hospital, check in with the Winchester brothers and one very modern family.

In literal life, there are stories of life and death, pregnancy and mourning. Stories of recovery and healing. Stories of purpose, vocation, mission and journey. Stories of faith, hope and love and how to maintain each in the midst of daunting adversity. I lean into each of these stories and the people they represent. That, however, is often more a conversation about community than story, but I am beginning to wonder if both are the same. To live in community is to wrap our stories around each other and commit to live out them out together.

I often read the stories of strangers so that I can better engage the stories of friends. I wonder is it the same for others who grew up with childhood friends who lived in hundred acre woods, ran baby sitting clubs or were spiders teaching pigs how to read. Am I alone in this emotion – the finding of truths from deep fiction? Using those truths to engage community in a healthier way? I think not. I feel not. I certainly hope not.

For I deeply feel everyone deserves to meet the friends I have and to be taught and shaped by their choices. Bravery over fear, love over chaos, hope over death. After all – isn’t life simply the collection and knitting together of stories?

Africa United was written in the lead-up to the World Cup. Though Bloomfield is an avid football fan, his aim was to address the other conversation about the 2010 FIFA World Cup: Africa. South Africa – after a shady history with its own football program – had been awarded the right to host the continent’s first tournament. Naysayers and assorted bigots claimed that Africans would never be able to host a tournament of its size and caliber. “You know those Africans,” someone told me in a coffee house shortly before the Cup began, “they’re all lazy and greedy and bad with money. This thing will blow up in their faces.”

Hatred is just so exhausting.

But back to the book – there is a lot of truth to the sad reality that Africa is a continent rife with despots and despair. (There’s also a lot of truth to the fact that nations off of the continent did quite a lot to drove some of these countries to their current state, but that’s for another post.) Several countries stand without functioning economies and some without governments entirely. The only thing more complicated to understand than African politics is – as Bloomfield discovers – African football.

Africa United is a delightful travel book, told with a fan’s passion of the game and a journalist’s eye for history. Bloomfield patiently explains the context of each game he reports on – some in Chad and some in Congo – explaining the inter workings of the football association in each country as he attempts to paint an accurate picture of the state of the game. It is clearly only one man’s opinion and thus contains editorial commentary. However, in his chapters on both Rwanda and Kenya, I agree with his commentary and know scores of others who do as well.

South Africa proudly denounced the naysayers with its execution of the World Cup. That’s not to say the state of their national football club is any less complicated – human nature takes time to change – but it is an excellent step in the right direction. Football – when taught properly – can provide confidence, leadership skills, health and education in a way few other endeavors can provide. It also provides joy. And in places like Somolia and Zimbabwe, just like in Waco and Detroit, joy is not something to be trifled with.