Recommended
This is a book by former Chicago Sun-Times religion editor Cathleen Falsani. She has written two other very cool books (The God Factor and Sin Boldly: A Field Guide to Grace) and, among numerous other accolades, is the only reporter to ever be granted a one-on-one interview with Barack Obama about his faith. She was also kind enough to read High Points and Lows and give me this wonderful endorsement:
“Austin Carty has a unique gift in Christian circles: he’s refreshingly honest, genuinely funny and uncommonly humble. Here is the life of a believer — mountaintops, valleys and the occasional desert island. Christian colleges would do well by making it required reading for every freshman class. Faith is messy because life is messy. But it’s a beautiful mess.”
This new book, The Dude Abides, has just been released and, whether or not you are a fan of the Coen Brothers’ films, is a great read. In the book, Falsani combs through each of the Coen Brothers films trying to find the spiritual elements existent in each story. Writing a book about the spirituality in Coen films is not an easy task, but Falsani handles it expertly. My favorite would have to be the chapter on The Big Lebowski (which is obviously the film from which she took her title), but each one of Falsani’s examinations are insightful and worth reading. Again, whether or not you are a fan of the Coen films, there is a lot to learn about faith and the messiness of life in this book.
