Ah, I am about 6 books short of my goal, and totally in a rut. I don’t think I’ve read much in the last month and half. Not good!

I am determined to still complete this goal! ....I just may have to pick some shorter books, that’s all. :)

19 – The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, T.R. Reid

I heard about this book during an NPR interview with the author. At the time, health care was all we were hearing about on the news, and I was pretty sure this book couldn’t have come at a better time. The premise of this book is that the author travels around the world, looking at other health care systems, what works and what doesn’t, and how each system reflects the values of the nations that set them up. The book is very interesting and well written, and makes several very strong arguments.
I think that one of the most important arguments that the book makes has to do with the moral argument of a national health system. Is it ok that the United States is the only modernized, wealthy country without a system that provides care to all of it’s citizens? Is it ok that companies make a profit when they deny health care to sick people? We are the only country that has for-profit insurance companies, and I think this is a huge issue that needs to be addressed now. This book shows us that there are plenty of options out there when it comes to creating a health system. Let’s get over the term “socialized medicine” and see that there really are better, more ethical, and perhaps more economic ways to provide health care to everybody.
I think that this book should be a must read for everybody as the national health care debate continues in the United States.

18 – The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, Shane Claiborne

This was a great book. It definitely challenged me. For a long, long time, I have been weary about the Christian church, often finding that the positions it takes on many political and social issues leave me wondering where the love and grace of God come into the picture. This book was a nice reminder that there really are people out there who want to live out the teachings of Christ and show the world his love, and it’s nice to know that you don’t have to attend a mega-church or a Republican National Convention to be a Christian.
I’ll be the first do admit that I’m not perfect, nor do I perfectly display the love of Christ to others. But this book definitely challenges me to live more intentionally, and above all, to show Christ’s love in everything I do. As Mother Teresa said, and as Claiborne repeats rather frequently, “Do small things with great love.” What an accessible, challenging motto to live by.