Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People
Imani Perry
Ecco, 256 pages | Published January 28, 2025
“What did I do to be so black and blue?” Louis Armstrong transformed these lyrics into a commentary on the challenges of being Black in a racist world. For Harvard professor and writer Imani Perry, they are a jumping-off point for reflections on Black lives. “The beauty and ingenuity of human beings often coincides with their cruelty,” she muses as she traces the development of indigo dyes, shares the startling history of Liberia, paints a picture of the blue underlying deep Black skin and lifts up the melancholy sound of the uniquely American blues tradition. Well researched and well written, Black in Blues blends the personal and the political.
Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health
Adam Ratner
Avery, 288 pages | Published February 11, 2025
In 2000, the World Health Organization declared there was no longer any endemic spread of measles. But lower rates of vaccination have permitted the highly contagious virus to return, with serious health consequences, particularly for children. In Booster Shots, an infectious disease doctor approaches measles as a case study to explore challenges to the American health care system. Adam Ratner is also a practicing pediatrician, and his bedside manner comes through in his nonjudgmental tone and insistence that learning and relearning the lessons of the past is our best hope to prepare for the next epidemic.
Future-Focused Church: Leading Through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow
Kara Powell, Jake Mulder and Raymond Chang
Baker Books, 320 pages | Published March 25, 2025
Based on the simple premise that “the future of the church will be brighter than the past,” Fuller Youth Institute researchers Kara Powell, Jake Mulder and Raymond Chang offer insights and a process to help churches follow Jesus. The book describes a future-focused church as “a group of Jesus followers who seek God’s direction together—especially in relationally discipling young people, modeling kingdom diversity, and tangibly loving our neighbors.” Future-Focused Church includes all the tools a task force or leadership council needs: a map (to get from here to there) with checkpoints, reflection questions and even some Teamwork 101-style guidance. At times, it reads like a guide to change management, with clear insights into the importance of engaging your congregation along the way.
Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future
John Kasich
Zondervan Books, 240 pages | Published April 8, 2025
In his 2016 run for the Republican presidential-candidate nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich alluded to his Christian values when describing certain positions: for example, cutting taxes for lower-income families or expanding Medicaid. Yet he also believes in smaller government, so his writing often lifts up stories of private-sector leaders who work for the common good. In Heaven Help Us, he earnestly describes those who uplift their own communities: for example, a synagogue president who builds a tri-faith complex, a nun who voluntarily lives on the streets to learn to serve her unhoused neighbors, and a formerly traumatized young woman who forgives her parents and chooses to “pay it forward” by creating safe spaces for schoolchildren, including refugees. Each story is simple and hopeful, conveying Kasich’s infectious faith.
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