the Gently Mad

I’ve been a long time fan of Don Miller, ever since I read Blue Like Jazz in college. While, not without his problems, I have always enjoyed his writing and been encouraged.

Just saw this new book on Amazon and got all excited until I realized that it won’t be out until the middle of next year. It looks interesting though…

If you’re unfamiliar with Reformissionary, I suggest you read his blog. He has been posting a series call “The Big 5…” for some time now asking readers for their best five books in multiple categories. The latest one is The Big 5: Books that Changed Your Mind. I thought I would post my reply here.

In no particular order:

1. The Gospel According to Jesus - John MacArthur: This was one of the first books I read in my late teens that really pushed me out of the cultural Christianity I had been raised with and into a truer understanding of what it meant to have a faith of my own. It was also the first time I encountered any type of reformed theology.

2. Desiring God - John Piper: My reading of this book caused as much of a crisis in my life as the MacArthur book. Literally took me to another plain of understanding regarding faith and what life is all about.  Undoubtedly life changing.

3. Blue Like Jazz - Don Miller: After spending several years as a reformed jerk, this book brought be back down to earth and helped me realize that just because someone doesn’t do things exactly the way my tradition does, they are not automatically a heretic.

4. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig: I cannot overstate the influence of this book during my junior year in college. This book effectively popped the arrogant Christian subculture bubble I’d been living in my entire life. Read it.

5. Mary and O’Neil - Justin Cronin: OK, this one’s a novel, but it was the first novel I read that overwhelmed me with the beauty of its writing. It caused a last minute change of major in college, among other things. But most of all, it showed me how great writing can be so much more than entertainment - it can be life changing.

Which books have been the most life changing for you?

I love satire. I would say that it is one of my favorites genres of writing. Done well, it can be incredibly insightful and entertaining.

Chuck Palahniuk is one of today’s most popular satirists and he’s very good at it. He’s written a handful of novels, all of which are very dark, very funny, and very true. His works are often very nihilistic though he claims that he is not a nihilists but a romantic, and that his works are only mistaken as nihilistic because they express ideas that others do not believe in.

He has been labeled a “shock writer” because of the abnormality of the situations in his writing. And indeed his writing is very disturbing. I want to say again that his writing is very disturbing and if you go pick up one of his books, be prepared. His subject matter is often the darker side of humanity and human nature. That being said, however, he is so bluntly honest about his perceptions of life and human character that many times he reveals the obvious, but in ways that are very discomforting.

I’m sure that some of the situations in his novels are created with an eye toward shock value, but more often than not, I find myself agreeing with his assessments of human nature. I think the reason his writing is so often disturbing is that the truth is disturbing. People don’t want to look inside themselves for fear of what they will see there. Palahniuk has no such fear.

Regardless, his writing is very ironic and cynical, often littered with dark or “black” comedy that makes his culturally satirical tales very entertaining and all the more hard hitting.

Several years ago I read his third novel, Choke, which is a satirical look at addiction and recovery, and the lengths to which people will go to find happiness and meaning in life. The novel is the spiritual successor to Fight Club and deals with many of the same issues.

The following is a passage, that, as I have already said, rings true to human nature and illustrates some of the lies we believe about life.

(He thought) that if enough people looked at you, you’d never need anybody’s attention ever again.
That if someday you were caught, exposed, and revealed enough, then you’d never be able to hide again. There’d be no difference between your private and public lives.
That if you could acquire enough, accomplish enough, you’d never want to own or do another thing.
That if you eat or sleep enough, you’d never need more.
That if enough people loved you, you’d stop needing love.
That if you could ever be smart enough…

These all became the little boys goals. The illusions he’d have the rest of his life. These were all the promises he sought…

Choke has been made into a film directed by Clark Gregg and starring Sam Rockwell. The trailer can be viewed here.

Reformissionary recently asked readers to list the top five books that made them laugh out loud. I thought I would post my reply here.

I love all of these books, and all of them are valuable beyond a laugh. They are in no particular order.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. Every single one of Sedaris’ books is genius, but there are some essays here that are among his best. I laughed almost the entire way through the title essay where he details in effort to quit smoking and how he felt the need to recruit a new smoker so as not to create a smoker/non-smoker imbalance in the world.

Fraud by David Rakoff. Along the lines of Sedaris, but where Sedaris is scatological and intentionally low-brow, Rakoff takes aim at his sophisticated New York life and how ridiculous it often is.

I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You’ve Ever Heard by Tom Reynolds. A hilarious book that explores (and pokes fun at) 52 of the most heart-wrenching and earsplitting songs of all time and explains the reasons we continue to listen to them.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev by Mark Driscol. Classic Mark Driscoll. This one is more profound and funny than his previous effort, in my opinion. The part about calling all of the men of the church together and handing them two little stones was hilarious and convicting.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. His description of the generally lazy and solipsistic writer’s life was great. And true.