Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and Early Christianity by Barry Robert Bickmore (ISBN: 978-1-893036-16-1) explores the idea that the church founded by Joseph Smith was not made up, but actually follows the ancient church as set up by Christ while on the earth. It starts with a discussion of the apostasy and if a restoration was even necessary. Once that was established, the author delves into topics such as the nature of God, the organization and structure of the church, the afterlife, and even a little bit about baptism and the temple ordinances. There are extensive and thorough excerpts from ancient writings, some apocryphal, some simply scholarly and philosophical explanations from the first four centuries after Christ that show that the ancient Christian church believed and practiced many things that align with the modern teachings of the church founded by Joseph Smith. The idea of a non-trinitarian, non-creedal God consisting of three separate beings united in purpose was quite normal. An afterlife consisting of more than simple understandings of heaven and hell, but of degrees of inheritance and the possibility for progression was extant. The ancient church had sacred ordinances not shared with outsiders that focused on the creation and man’s mortal journey as a stepping stone to return to his Heavenly Father. A case is made that even baptism was regarded as a sacred thing, not necessarily to be shared with everyone, and was more closely guarded than it is today. The organizational structure of the ancient church, at least as presented, had many similarities. The overarching point was that Joseph Smith had no possible access to most of the sources provided, and even if theoretical access existed to others, it wasn’t something a hard-working but poor farmer had the time the nor means to deal with. The evidence points to two things: Joseph Smith had access to revelation and the restored Church is the same Church as the one Christ Himself established.I found the book to be fascinating, although dry in places. I found the explanation of the apostasy and the need for a restoration to be kind of bland, although necessary. The evidence was all very interesting. Some bits of evidence were strong than others, and some of the more difficult-to-understand passages from ancient theologians sometimes seemed to miss the mark. It seemed all very thorough, though. The evidence presented is convincing, but in no way replaces the real way to know if something is true or not, which is to follow Joseph Smith’s example and ask of God. One final note: The book was clearly published on a budget, and there were enough typos and formatting errors for me to be distracted at times. Like all modern books, what should be footnotes are endnotes, causing a lot of wasted time flipping between where one is reading and the endnotes (even with a bookmark in the endnotes).
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Finding God in the Gulag: A History of Christianity in the Soviet Penal System by Jeffrey S. Hardy (ISBN: 978-0-19-775167-1) is a book that gives readers a chance to know more about life in the Gulag. Unlike Solzhenitsyn’s based-on-a-true-story novel, this book is an academic look at Christianity in the Soviet camps from the earliest days under Lenin to the dying days of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev with a little post-script about a few things in the post-Soviet times. It catalogs both attempts by inmates to life and express their religions and attempts by the prison management to suppress religion. It was interesting to note that efforts to extinguish religion in prisoners was not uniform in the Soviet Union. It was more lax in some camps than in others. There wasn’t always a central policy that camp managers could look to, so they did it their own way. Sometimes that meant believers were beaten and spent time in solitary confinement. Sometimes that meant a Christian guard did nothing when a prisoner prayed or sang a hymn or made an icon. There was a short section on faith among thieves and other such common criminals, including a few paragraphs about the fascinating world of Russian prison tattoos. The book also catalogs people losing their faith, which was unsurprising, and one that is not judged neither by the author nor by most prisoners who are cited in the book. They tended to believe the camps were inhumane and that one should not be judged too harshly or even at all for what they did in the camps. There was also a little proselyting that happened in the labor camps. This was especially true of Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but Orthodox and Catholic priests also preached and even baptized people. Toward the end of the Soviet regime, religion was sometimes encouraged because it generally had a good influence on prisoners and mediated their violent behavior.
He Walked the Americas: The Trail of the Prophet by L. Taylor Hansen (ISBN: 978-1-939149-19-0) is a compilation of stories from North and South American Indians that relate to a so-called white or pale prophet. The stories tell about the arrival of the prophet, his activities, and then his departure. The legends describe the man, usually as wearing white garments (most often with small crosses on the hem), having brown hair, usually a beard, wearing sandals, and usually with cross-shaped marks in his hands. Sometimes he was accompanied by other white men. Other times he organized churches, established temples, and called people to continue his teachings after his departure. The arrival is usually on a ship in the legends, but one of the stories recorded by the author noted that the mysterious white prophet’s ministry started with his appearance at the temple. The man’s activities while visiting the ancient Indians included preaching peace, ending human sacrifice, healing sick and otherwise afflicted people, and controlling the wind and water. The last two were kind of important in the legends because this god was often referred to as the feathered serpent. Wind was often represented by feathers and the water by the snake. The organization of churches, usually with twelve men called to be leaders and teachers, and the establishing of temples was the other main activity of this white prophet in the legends. The stories then tell of his departure, usually with the people mourning his leaving and eventually forgetting his teachings and reverting to war and human sacrifice.
Hide Your Children: Exposing the Marxists behind the Attack on America’s Kids by Liz Wheeler (ISBN: 978-1-68451-391-8) provides a look at how the education system has deteriorated further since the 1980s. The book starts with an overview of just who the Marxists the subtitle is talking about and then gives specific examples of how attacks on the nuclear family, endless accusations of racism, critical theory, queer theory, and attacks on homeschool, a proxy for attacks on personal responsibility and liberty, fit into the Marxist program meant to destroy society. Each chapter gives some history of where the modern Marxist threat originated and, using specific examples, how it became more mainstream than it ever should have. The historic sections are followed by a discussion of how it is today and the threat that presents to America, a country built on the idea that it survives only if the people who inhabit it are a moral people. The book ends with a chapter providing some suggestions on how to change the tide and fight back against the Marxist wave that has overpowered our educational system since it’s much easier to change the minds of the impressionable young than older people more set in their ways. The author’s suggestions include fighting the culture war, working to ban critical theory from public institutions, homeschooling whenever possible, fighting for school choice, working against ESG and DEI, remembering that local politics have an outlandishly large impact on our lives, returning to religion, and protecting the innocence of our children. Finally, there were some appendices with the Constitution and papal encyclicals that discussed the dangers of Communism.
Why I Stand by Jonathan Isaac (ISBN: 978-1-956007-06-0) is a book that exists because of one of those moments. After the protests and riots that occurred after George Floyd’s death, many athletes used their position (“platform” being the buzzword everyone liked to use) to advocate for a message they believed in. One of the more controversial ways they did this was to kneel during the national anthem. Jonathan Isaac, a very promising NBA player, chose to buck the trend and stand during the national anthem. He stood out even more because he did not choose to wear the Black Lives Matter apparel that most others did. Like most things, his decisions in that matter were not just sudden, spur-of-the-moment thoughts. They were based on a lifetime of experiences and a large body of personal beliefs. The book recounts Isaac’s childhood, high school and college experiences and rather meteoric rise in the sport of basketball from a no-name kid playing inconsistently in high school to a top-10 NBA draft pick. It also discusses Isaac’s struggles with anxiety and belief in his own worth, which were ultimately helped more than anything by a spiritual journey that led to a firm belief in God. He writes about going to church as a kid, but not really knowing why and not applying what was being taught. Like many people, he had some negative experiences with organized religion along the way, and by the time he was playing in the NBA as a rookie, he was connected to religion in name only. A neighbor who was a church leader and a few setbacks in his basketball career provided opportunities for Isaac to re-evaluate his relationship with God, and his honest approach to that led to a conversion that led to action that ranged from feeding the poor to becoming a pastor in his church. Ultimately, those convictions led him to stand while his teammates knelt during the national anthem, but he believed that incident was just one instance of standing for truth and right and that God asks that of His followers in many other situations, too.
Saints: No Unhallowed Hand (ISBN: 978-1-62972-648-9) is the second volume of a multi-volume history published by the Church itself. This volume follows the Church’s exodus from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. It tells the story of the wagon trains and hand cart companies that forged the Mormon Trail. The Church was forging into new territory as well, as Brigham Young became the second president of the Church and the second prophet of this era. In addition to trekking across the North American plains, the Church was expanding internationally, with missionaries taking the message of the restored gospel to Europe, South Africa, and the islands of the Pacific. Missionary work didn’t always go so well, and there were plenty of other locations, like Southeast Asia, where missions resulted in extremely few converts. The book also chronicles the early Church’s struggles with the American government. After the lack of concern the federal government showed the Church when Missouri’s official position was persecution, most Church members were wary of the U.S. government. Brigham Young and his successors were wary, but also saw the wisdom of working toward a reconciled position. This led to things like the Mormon Battalion and helped influence Church members’ thinking as some later struggled to accept the end of polygamy. A major theme in the book was the construction of temples. They required great sacrifice, but also resulted in great blessings. 
While I normally try to summarize the book or provide highlights and some of the author’s main points, that seemed a little less useful for a book of scripture, but since part of the impetus behind reading it in Russian was to help maintain (re-gain?) at least a semblance of Russian-language skills, I thought I would hearken back to my mission days and try to give the same type of overview of the Книга Мормона that we gave as missionaries when doing what we called street contacting, simply walking up to people, asking if they’d give us a few minutes of their time, and then explaining who we were and what, in generic terms, our message was. If people were willing to listen for a few minutes, we usually had a chance to talk about the Book of Mormon, which was new and unique for upwards of 90% of the people with whom we spoke. Most missionaries, myself included, liked to use the illustrations included at the front of the book. We typically told people we met that the Book of Mormon was a book of scripture, the same as the Bible is a book of scripture, that testified of Jesus Christ. It was written by ancient prophets, starting with a man named Lehi, who left Jerusalem and moved to the American continent. The book recorded the history and prophecies of Lehi’s descendants, culminating in a visit to these people by the resurrected Savior, where He taught His gospel and performed miracles just as He had done in Jerusalem. This record was compiled by another ancient prophet, named Mormon, and buried, later to come forth, with God’s help, through a modern-day prophet named Joseph Smith. The book ends with a promise that if we ask God about its truthfulness, He will answer us.
Church of Cowards: A Wake-up Call to Complacent Christians by Matt Walsh (ISBN: 978-1-62157-920-5) is a book about that very call to action. In the book, Walsh discusses some of what he perceives to be problems in America and then talks about how they are largely, if not completely, overcome by Christians getting up and putting their religious beliefs into action. While he is Catholic (not discussed in the book, but a known fact), the book is not directed at any specific denomination; the things he says are meant to be applicable by all believers. He notes that polls generally find America to be about 70% Christian, but that America does not function like a country that is 70% Christian. The opening chapter presents a fictionalized situation where barbarians come to America to slaughter Christians, something like ancient Rome, but can’t find anyone that will stand up for what the barbarians believe to be Christianity. The people they find are wishy-washy and non-committal about anything other than their openness and tolerance. The rest of the book that looks deeper into those watered-down values and how far they are from what Walsh believes is taught in the Bible. Modern man’s disdain for organized religion, the commitment many show to entertainment instead of God, and a brand of religion that doesn’t require any sacrifice from its adherents are a few of the topics that draw Walsh’s ire in a, typical for his Internet-based daily show, scathing take-down of modern American Christianity. The book asks those who call themselves Christian to start taking their religion more seriously, which, for most, will mean making effort to change and become more active.
Saints: The Standard of Truth (ISBN: 978-1-62972-492-8) is the first volume of a multi-volume history published by the Church itself. It basically covers the time period that corresponds to Joseph Smith’s life. It presents information about the Smith family, Joseph’s early years, his growing interest in religion as a teenager, the First Vision, the long path to Joseph acquiring the golden plates, the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, and the founding of the Church. As the story goes along, the cast of characters grows rapidly to include the others who played key roles in the restoration of God’s Church on the earth, such as Joseph’s wife, Emma, Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, the Whitmer family, and others. Once the Church is founded, the book traces the history of the Church, focusing a little bit less on Joseph Smith, although never really getting away from him since he was so incredibly central to the story. One reads about the Church’s westward progression through Kirtland, Ohio, onto Missouri, and then to Nauvoo. Along the way, stories famous to anyone who has been in the Church long, such as two sisters rescuing the pages of what would become the Doctrine and Covenants or the early Saints praying for the ice on the river to break so their boat could get through, are presented. There were also a few lesser-known stories. The book ends with Brigham Young being called as the second president of the Church and his vision of moving the members of the Church even farther West in a quest for safety and freedom.
The Days of the Consuls by Ivo Andrić (ISBN: 978-86-6457-018-3), which has been published in English under the alternative titles of Travnik Chronicle and Bosnian Chronicle, fits right into Andrić's main motif, telling the story of the city of Travnik, which is medium-sized for Bosnia today, but was historically much more important as the seat of the Ottoman Empire in Bosnia, during a few short years while the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Napoleon’s France kept consuls in the town. The story is told from an omniscient narrator point of view, but focuses largely on French consul, his entourage, and his interactions with the others in Travnik, be they local or outsider. The French consul deals with being an outsider himself, shunned by the local Muslims and never really understood by the Ottoman representative, although their relationship was cordial. He remains the enemy of the Austro-Hungarian consul, although he sees many similarities between the two men and carries on professional, if not friendly, relations with him. The members of the consuls’ families and entourages are met with varying degrees of acceptance or disgust by those around them, including those from the local clergy. The Muslim population seems to be the most vocal in their distaste for the outsiders, but the Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish populations also steer clear and are distrustful of the changes the presence of the consuls seems to be ushering into their otherwise simple lives. When Napoleon is finally defeated, the French no longer see the need for a consul in Travnik, and the French consul is recalled. The Austrians also remove from Bosnia. With all that has changed, all has remained the same.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (ISBN: 978-0-679-60375-7) is just such a story about overcoming trials. Like so many stories of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, the story starts with humble origins. Louis Zamperini was the son of Italian immigrants struggling to make ends meet along with most other Depression-era Americans. A caring older brother discovered the track and invited Louie along, later serving as an unofficial coach, and Louie became as star, eventually qualifying for the Olympics, running a race (5,000 meters) he didn’t usually do. He competed admirably in Berlin, finishing eighth against some of the world’s greatest runners. His running career, though, was cut short by the onset of war, and he served as a bombardier. That, too, was cut short because his plane went down during a rescue mission, and he was captured by the Japanese after some time floating in a raft at sea. Floating around for weeks was already an amazing act of survival and resilience, but the worst was yet to come. Zamperini then spent more than two years in various Japanese prison camps undergoing brutal treatment. He and others kept their wits about them by resolving to beat the system and not give in to their captors and abusers. Some made it, some did not. There were some funny stories along the way, but most of it was monotony, drudgery, and pain. Eventually, Zamperini and the others that survived were done with the horrors of the camps because the war ended. Unfortunately, for many, that was not the concrete ending they would’ve preferred. The horrors lived on in many of the former POWs’ minds, causing more than one to turn to alcohol, destructive behaviors, and even suicide to end the pain. Zamperini’s story included a lot of post-war alcoholism, but he eventually quit that thanks to a conversion to evangelical Christianity, in part because of him remembering some promises he made to God while floating aimlessly on the Pacific Ocean in the first few days after his plane went down. Zamperini used this redeeming experience in his life to later inspire and help others as well as come to terms with and even forgive his war-time tormentors.
Visions of Freedom: Wilford Woodruff and the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by Michael de Groote and Ronald L. Fox (ISBN: 978-1-60861-227-7) is a book about Wilford Woodruff’s visions (he had two of them on this subject) and the men that appeared to him. The first part of the book discusses the history behind modern vicarious ordinances in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (anciently, the Bible contains 
Hero of Hacksaw Ridge: The Gripping True Story That Inspired the Movie (ISBN: 978-1-629131-54-2) by Booton Herndon is an abridged version of the story of Desmond Doss, a medic who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and saw action in the Pacific theater as the army advanced on various Japanese positions. What makes the story unusual is that he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and not once during his training or active duty did he use arms since he was a Seventh-day Adventist and believed it was wrong to bear arms. The story chronicles his time in the military from his joining to his discharge after being wounded in action in Japan. Doss is unwaveringly strong in his religious convictions, including an extremely temperate and patient attitude with those around him. He displays great faith in standing up for his beliefs when those around him threaten him and ridicule him at every opportunity. He doesn't hold a grudge when it comes time to perform his duty, and more than once wile fighting in the Pacific, he helps and saves the lives of others, usually at great risk to himself. The story ends with what truly are “gripping” details of battles on Okinawa where he saved likely around 100 lives while himself being injured. He is then awarded the much-deserved medal and is able to return to civilian life. The book also includes a post-script with information about Adventist beliefs (many are similar to those held by members of the 
To do that, I read the Qur’an (ISBN: 978-0-19-953595-8), translated by Abdel Haleem. The Koran (there are lots of possible spellings for this) is Islam's holy book, purported to be a recording of revelation given to the prophet Mohammed (lots of spellings for his name, too). It focuses on the nature of God as the only God, as opposed to idols, pantheons of pagan gods, or even God as Christians know him, the Father of Jesus Christ. The Koran talks about Mary and Jesus, but Jesus is not God’s Son. It talks about Muslims’ duties to the poor and orphans. It discusses the afterlife and the resurrection. It warns evildoers against their course of action. There are some details about domestic life, finances, and there is the well-known injunction to prayer, which results in the call to prayer that happens five times a day wherever there is a functioning mosque. There are some instructions regarding Muslims’ dealings with non-believers, or infidels.
The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn I. Latham (ISBN: 1-56713-175-1) doesn't have all the answers either, but after reading it together with my wife, we decided that it has many of the answers, and even where it doesn't it tends to point the reader in the right direction. The book is full of guidance on how to deal with all kinds of different behaviors that children (and adults) engage in. There are sections for younger kids, for teenagers, for small problems, for sibling rivalry, and for larger, more destructive behaviors. There are a couple over-arching themes in the book that course through the suggestions for each kind of problem. One is to ignore things that doen't really cause any harm since most people just want attention and will take it however they can get it. Igoring kids’ whining, for example, is the most effective way to get them to stop. The other thing that was presented over and over was the need to positively reinforce good behavior. Default parent settings seem to be set to find negative behavior and call it out. What about the good? Fidning and reinforcing good behavior gives kids the attention they need and teaches them that good behavior will be rewarded.
Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War (ISBN: 978-0-679-76389-5) by Peter Maass is a collection of notes from the author’s time in Bosnia & Herzegovina as a journalist during the Bosnian War, but since the stories are all told from his point of view, it reads like a memoir. There isn’t a lot of continuity, and it just jumps from one story to another, but roughly follows the timeline of the war. The bit of continuity that is there is Maass wondering how people can forget so easily the need to respect those around them. The stories are very real and personal, as Maass interacts with fellow jouranlists, soldiers on both sides, government officials, and what would normally be called everyday people, but can’t be in this situation because there was no such thing as normalcy in the Bosnian War. Maass interviewed a Serb sniper, Bosnian soldiers, dealt with a Serb checkpoint — ultimately unsuccessfully, had Christmas dinner with a Croat family in Sarajevo, experienced what it was like to be under attack while in a gas station, and was, like most who dealt with the Bosnian War, flabbergasted by the impotence of the so-called world superpowers to get anything accomplished in Bosnia. His account holds nothing back and it presents the war in all of grizzly horror that is war. 
To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton (ISBN: 978-1-60641-898-7) chronicles the amazing life of service that President Monson has led from an early age through the present day. The timeline for the biography is straight forward, starting with his early childhood and ending with his time as the leader of the Church. He learned from parents and family around him in what was, at the time, a typical childhood. It follows him through high school, a mission, early marriage, employment, and a variety of Church callings. Along the way, there are many familiar stories, but there are sometimes some additional details that weren’t always part of the many sermons President Monson has given. There were also some additional stories. It was interesting to read about President Monson’s family a little bit and about his professional experienes. There was a lot of time spent on President Monson’s service as an apostle in what was then East Germany. The Church history aspect was interesting, as it was with some of the other episodes from his life, but they often seemed more like pioneer stories because of the great faith shown and the hardships endured. What was consistent no matter what part of his life was being discussed was the dedication he showed to serving others, whether that be in his family or those around him. President Monson was never too busy to help someone out, talk to them, visit them, give them a blessing, or share time and possessions with them. It becomes abundantly clear as the life of this man is chronicled that he understands very well that Heavenly Father is serious when He says that the worth of souls is great in His sight. President Monson has cultivated that genuine love and concern that is a trait of our divine Father and made it a part of his own personality. 
Surviving Hitler: The Unlikely True Story of an SS Soldier and a Jewish Woman by O. Håkan Palm (ISBN: 978-1-60907-847-8) tells the story of two of the everyday people that made it through the horrors of war. A memoir- or journal-style narrative takes the reader through the lives of the young woman, Agnes Erdös, a Hungarian ethnic Jew, and Gustav Palm, a Norwegian, as World War II placed its heavy imprint on their lives. The Germans invaded Norway and Gustav joined the German army. He was a good soldier who had luck on his side a couple times. Agnes was raised in a well-to-do family, but as Hungary fell to the occupying forces, her life abruptly changed, and she ended up as one of the many in the Nazi concentration camps. Sheer determination, coupled with a strength fortified by faith in God, got her through that most awful experience. Through a series of events, both of them found themselves in Scandinavia after the war, trying to put their lives back together. They met each other, fell in love, and were married. Part of the healing process was a search for ultimate truth, and they found the 
In It Is about Islam (ISBN: 978-1-5011-2612-3) by Glenn Beck, part of Beck’s “Control” series (although I’m not entirely sure because it doesn’t fit the government overstep discussion that is so central to the other two books in the series), the reader is given a crash course in Islam, then typical media and government lies about Islamic extremism (Beck uses the word “Islamism” for this) are discusses and exposed, and then Beck gives a couple basic suggestions on how to move forward. Based on my own understanding, the background information was solid. I was intrigued to learn about the contact early Americans had with Islam and the process they went through to properly educate themselves about it. The “Lies” section was good. It was likely easy for the research team to gather the material. There was no need to go into statistics or anything like that. Simply gathering material from the Koran, the Hadith, and the words of the extremists themselves, did it and showed just how the extremists come up with what they believe. Finally, there were a couple suggestions on how people should arm themselves with real information and not be willing to be stuck with what the media and politicians try to feed the American public.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s the