Top Five Books (Grown-Up) of 2014

I read a lot of children's literature but here are the five top "grown-up" books that rocked my world in 2014:

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement
by Kay Wills Wyma
I'll be writing more about this one later. Suffice it to say that my children have a "stuff" problem. They are also coming of age in a world that expects less of children than when I was growing up and they will have less opportunities available to them for employment. They need to be prepared for this big, bad, world and this book is one of the tools that gave me ideas to employ in that training. Wyma, herself, comes from a far more privileged world than mine, but her husband was a missionary kid. She has the right idea and her "experiment" is being modified in our household and put to work in 2015.

Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a Really Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung
I probably need to read this again. And again. DeYoung tackles a huge problem. We glorify being "busy." We answer "busy" when we are asked "How are you?" We keep our cell phone handy and work all hours. We act like we can save the world if we just work harder. While shining a bright light on this problem, DeYoung doesn't neglect the other side. Purpose involves suffering. Sometimes we will feel burdens and be in the right when our time is full. But we mustn't fall into the trip of busy-ness. Great book.  

The Reagan Diaries by Ronald Reagan
My estimation of Reagan only went up reading the diaries he kept from the beginning of his presidency to shortly after it ended. I learned a lot about leadership and his style played into my reading of Crazy Busy.  He had a strong sense of purpose and he was in command of his presidency, but knew how to rest and he knew that the world would go on without him when he left office. I loved the stories of bucking the insiders and doing what was "right" even when he wasn't sure it was politically expedient. Interesting, revealing, and great reading for anyone who wants to make a difference.

The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley
Education is important to me and this book was recommended by an expert. Ripley looks at three countries (Poland, Finland, S. Korea) who have strong educational outcomes and compares them with our educational system and values through the eyes of three US exchange students (to these countries) and a S. Korean student who spent much of her grammar school years in the U.S. Many takeaways. A few: 1) U.S. culture does not value education. We say we do but parents are more likely to discuss with their kids who won the football game and who is going to prom with who than talk about what is happening in the classroom. They send a message about what is important. 2) U.S. kids don't think it matters if they do well in school, particularly in math, for their future. They have lives of privilege and the greater culture has not yet been able to impart to them the idea that their future success depends on what they are doing in school. 3) Math correlates to logic and ability to be logical plays into life decision-making. Higher math scores correspond to long-term success in employment and in navigating the decisions of life.

What Happened to Sophie Wilder by Christopher Beha
This is the only fiction book on my list. I did not "like" this book; it deals with gritty topics (abortion, euthanasia, suicide) and no one rides off into the sunset. If you are a fan of Flannery O'Connor and believe that God is even in the gutters, this book is worthwhile reading. It was memorable for me and stretched me way past my comfort zone.