Mark's #17 - Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

I have my bachelor's degree in Economics, which means I know enough about economics to know that I know very very little about economics.  Nonetheless, this refreshing look at economics and quantifiable human behavior was a fun read for me, as well as a reminder as to why I enjoyed studying economics in college. While the subtitle of this book certainly overstates it's aim (is it really possible to explore the hidden side of everything?),  the authors did do a great job of showing how 'conventional wisdom' is often just plain wrong.

Levitt is a highly sought after economist and professor of Economics at the University of Chicago.   In his relatively young career, his trademark has been to ask different questions and apply economic theory to life situations that are not normally considered in the scope of economics.  So for example, in this book, the authors ask provocative questions such as, "Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?" And, "How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?"

Chapter one asks the question, "What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?"  Answer: Given the right conditions and incentives, we're all tempted to cheat. Whether you're talking about school teachers cheating on their kids standardized tests, sumo wrestlers trying to make it to the top, or professional athletes who take steroids.  We all analyze the risks and rewards in many of the decisions we face every day and act accordingly.

Why do drug dealers live at home?  This was a great chapter... worth the entire book.  Here the authors were able to obtain and analyze the financial books of an upper level crack gang drug dealer in Chicago.  In so doing, the pay scales tend to mirror that of any major U.S. corporation, where the very top may the lions share of the money, while the lowest level 'employees' can barely get by. For example, in the 1990 at the height of the crack boom, the average dealer on the street made an average of $3 per hour! Yet, those same dealers risked a 1 in 4 chance of violent death, not to mention incarceration.   So why would someone agree to take that job?  For the same reason the young woman from Indiana heads to Hollywood... for a shot at making it to the top of the pyramid, no matter how long the shot is, the money, power, and fame is a sufficient incentive.

There are many more great little insights into the human condition in this book.  It was a fun quick read... highly recommended.

I should note, one of the more controversial chapters is the one entitled, "Where have all the criminals gone?"  In the mid 1990's, many sociologist were predicting an oncoming wave of crime amongst America's youth.  When that crime wave did not come, but rather the crime rate dropped, the experts were left scratching their heads, asking, "why the significant drop?"  The answer, according to the analysis of these authors, was not better police methods, education, or the economy (though they did help to a small degree).  Rather, the authors believe the legalization of abortion to be the primary reason for the crime drop 20 years after Roe v. Wade.   I want to be clear, and even the authors of this book are clear, this does not mean that the ends justify the means.  As the authors point out, if you consider abortion to be murder of a person (as I do), then whatever unintended benefits may result, they certainly do not justify the morality and legality of abortion.

Mark's #16 - The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

This book marks the third legal thriller I've read this year, and the first Michael Connelly book I've ever read. Though I enjoyed the first two legal thrillers, by Randy Singer and John Grisham, I have to say that this is the best,  most believable, well-written, most suspenseful of the three. Since it is a thriller/mystery, I don't like to go into too much plot detail. Briefly put, the story is a first person account of  defense laywer Mickey Haller, aka- The Lincoln Lawyers.  Traveling in his Lincoln through Los Angeles' rougher neighborhoods to meet with various clients who are criminals and convicts, Mickey is a shrewd lawyer and businessman.  Like most defense lawyers, Mickey spends most of his time either working out suitable plea deals, or trying to expose the cracks and flaws of the prosecutions case against his clients.

Connelly does well to lead the reader to have uncomfortable feelings about, what many would consider, a sleazy defense lawyer, while still drawing the reader into wanting him to succeed.

As a defense lawyer for some of the worst criminals in southern California, Mickey realizes the vast majority of his clients are guilty as charged - but he's not concerned with that.

What scares Mickey the most, and where the plot thickens, is the possibility of representing an innocent client and losing the case.

There were a few weak spots in the plot such as Mickey's amicable relationship with his two ex-wives, who work as prosecutors.

What made me pull the trigger and buy this book was the high reviews on amazon, many of them claiming, "Connelly's book puts Grisham to shame when it comes to writing legal thrillers."

I think I agree with that sentiment, and if you read this book you may as well.

Mark's #15 - The Associate by John Grisham (422 pages)

The Associate is a fast-paced lawyer/spy novel in classic Grisham style.  After reading East of Eden by Steinbeck, the difference between good literature and 'mind candy' could not be more striking.  This book certainly isn't going to make you think deeply about life... but it was fun, intriguing, and fast-paced nonetheless. In this novel, Grisham paints quite a picture of what it would look like to begin work as an associate in one of the largest law firms in New York City... In a word - miserable.  The fast-paced, overworked greed machine that is corporate law firms devour their new associates with 100 hour work weeks, constant pressure to "bill more hours", and bilk the Fortune 500 clients.

Kyle McAvoy, the main character, has no desire to live such a life, but he's forced to through blackmail from an incident in his early college days.  The person blackmailing Kyle is seeking military secrets from a company the firm Kyle is forced to work for and spy on against his will.

The story line is intriguing throughout the book and it keeps one's attention... I kind of felt like I was reading a mix between a David Baldacci spy thriller and a typical Grisham lawyer novel... ***spoiler alert*** my only complaint  was the ending... I felt like it had potential to end with a bang, but instead seemed to fizzle out...

Mark's # 14 - Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity In Christ by John MacArthur (240 pages)

When I first came across John MacArthur's latest book Slave my initial reaction was to recoil inwardly. I thought, "Here MacArthur goes again, taking another hardline stance... lots of truth, little grace." I decided to give the book a try though, since I was preparing to preach on Philippians 1:1 where the Apostle Paul refers to himself and Timothy as 'doulos' - servants in almost all english translations, yet MacArthur argues is really to be translated as 'slave'.  After reading the first chapter for free on my Kindle, I purchased the rest of the book, and I'm glad I did.

MacArthur demonstrates that the predominate title given to followers of Christ in the Bible is not 'Christian' (this word only occurs 3 times), but rather it is 'doulos' - which occurs 142 times in the New Testament.  In secular greek, doulos is never translated 'servant' as most english translations have it, but rather it is always 'slave'.  Furthermore, there are at least six other greek words that could be used for the word 'servant', but doulos is not one of them.

MacArthur shows that the distinctions between servants and slaves are tremendously significant for the life and identity of the follower of Christ.

  • Servants are hired; slaves are owned - servants are defined by what they do, slaves are defined by who they are... and Christians are Christ's possessions.  He bought us with the price of his own blood.  The primary purpose of a slave is to honor, obey, and please his or her master.

 

MacArthur goes on to show that everybody is either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ.  Sin is a cruel master... the wages of sin are death (Rom. 6:23). Christ the Lord (kurios - master) is a kind and great master.  it is an honor, joy, and true freedom to be redeemed from the slave master of sin and purchased by Christ.  Or as MacArthur puts it;

“To be a slave of Jesus Christ is the greatest benediction imaginable.  Not only is He a kind and gracious Lord, but He is also the God of the universe. His character is perfect; His love is infinite; His power, matchless; His wisdom, unsearchable; and His goodness, beyond compare. It is no wonder, then, that our relationship to Him as our Master brings us great benefit and honor.”

Next time you read the Bible and you see the word 'servant', replace it with the word slave and you'll notice the important implications it has for your faith and joy in Christ.

 

Mark's #13 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck (601 pages)

Along the 52 book journey, I'll have read some books for fun, others for interesting insights, some to learn, some to think, and a few that will enrich my world and increase my appreciation for life and literature - East of Eden is one of the few.

From the first pages to the last, I knew that this book was a literary masterpiece.  According to his wife, Steinbeck considered this book to be his Magnum Opus.  I began reading with pen in hand to underline all the rich and powerful insights, illustrations, and analogies that Steinbeck puts fourth throughout the book.  I quickly realized that I would be underlining far too much, and I gave up that pursuit, content to simply sit back and enjoy the journey.   As I continued to read, I became increasingly concerned that I would not be able to write a review that would be on par with such a book... so I won't try to, I'll simply try to capture a few faint glimpses, with the hope to spur you one to read the book yourself.

At it's core, East of Eden is a retelling of the story of both Adam and Eve and of their sons Cain and Abel (c.f. Gen. 4), as well as way for Steinbeck to describe to his sons the Salinas valley in California in the decades surrounding the turn of the century in 1900 .  To capture this, the lives of two families; the Hamiltons (ancestors of Steinbeck) and the Trasks - are intertwined throughout the book.

As you follow their lives, the richness and depth of each character can be felt.  Through these lives, the reader is forced to wrestle with the themes of sin and depravity, love,  guilt, freedom, free-will and predestination, struggle for acceptance, forgiveness and repentance.

If it is true that the best authors have a deep insight into the human condition and have a mastery of words by which to paint their images, then John Steinbeck is an artist par excellence.  As such, let me conclude with just a few morsels of such pictures he has painted in this book:

"There are no ugly questions except those clothed in condescension..." (Samuel talking to Lee page 163)

"War is a reversal of the rules where a man is permitted to kill all the humans he can." (page 520)

"Tom, the third son, was most like his father.  He was born in fury and he lived in lightning.  Tom came headlong into life.  He was a giant in joy and enthusiasms. He didn't discover the world and its people, he created them... His mind plunged like a colt in a happy pasture, and when later the world put up fences he plunged against the wire, and when the final stockade surrounded him, he plunged right through it and out. And as he was capable of giant joy, so did he harbor huge sorrow, so that when his dog died the world ended." (Page 39)

"I guess there are never enough books."

"When a child first catches adults out -- when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not always have divine intelligence, that their judgments are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just -- his world falls into panic desolation. The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child's world is never quite whole again. It is an aching kind of growing."