Uncovering truth and error: eight books

Fiction

Absolution

Jeff VanderMeer
MCD, 464 pages

Jeff VanderMeer returns to the Southern Reach in Absolution, a surprise fourth installment to his ecological sci-fi horror trilogy. The previous novels, all released in 2014, gained fresh popularity following Alex Garland’s 2018 film adaptation of the first book, Annihilation. Absolution takes readers deeper into the history of Area X, a land on America’s southern coast of Lovecraftian evolution-gone-haywire. This novel’s mystery hangs on small details from previous books, so even old fans may want a refresher before heading back across the border into Area X. The novel centers on Old Jim, who quickly proves to be one of the most compelling in the series’ revolving door of protagonists. Though the novel sprawls, sometimes frustratingly so, it’s driven by images both original and disturbing. Many readers will find it a worthy follow-up to the original books, but longtime fans of the first three might be surprised by this installment’s vulgarity, which is painfully abundant in the third section, where a drugged-out narcissist takes the narrative reins. —Jonathan Boes

Criminology

Framed

John Grisham & Jim McCloskey
Doubleday, 368 pages

Framed co-author and bestselling mystery novelist John Grisham might headline the book, but Jim McCloskey’s forceful eyewitness accounts carry the narrative. McCloskey is a 40-year veteran of innocence work, and he doesn’t pull any punches as he lays out sensational facts in understated prose. Some readers may bristle at descriptions of crooked and bungling cops, but the authors don’t intend to undermine the American justice system. Rather, they seek to expose the truth when the system deteriorates. These egregious miscarriages of justice are disturbing, with prideful concerns over public image and self-serving perjury being two recurring themes. This suggests these breakdowns in our judicial system are as much due to individuals’ inclination to sin as to systemic failures. In an era of postmodern relativity, McCloskey’s dogged commitment to truth is refreshing, and Framed also includes some powerful glimpses of redemption and forgiveness. However, the book does include matter-of-fact descriptions of horrific crimes and some offensive language, making it unsuitable for youngsters. Readers interested in learning more about the Christian conviction that led McCloskey into this work may also enjoy his 2020 memoir, When Truth Is All You Have. —Grace Snell

Religious History

To Change All Worlds

Carl R. Trueman
B&H Academic, 256 pages

Carl Trueman’s To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory From Marx to Marcuse builds on his previous work to examine the nature of critical theory and its influence in contemporary culture. Trueman patiently and non-polemically explains how understanding critical theory helps get at the root of many of the political and cultural debates of the day. He covers the philosophies of major figures such as Hegel, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud, and lesser known, but culturally significant, thinkers from the Frankfurt School. As a historian, he aims to elucidate more than refute, and he explains difficult ideas in readable prose—no mean feat. The central problem for all the thinkers Trueman references is their un-Biblical and constructivist anthropology. They teach there is no fixed human nature; it is all plastic. Their complaints against the injustices in society go astray, because they lack objective Biblical categories. —Douglas Groothuis*

Read WORLD’s full review of this book here.

Christianity and the arts

Films for All Seasons

Abby Olcese
IVP, 240 pages

By tying specific movies to particular events in the Church calendar, Abby Olcese gives Christian filmgoers a more deliberate, intentional method of answering the perennial question: “What should we watch tonight?” Olcese looks for themes in various films that might resonate with the Church’s liturgy at different times in the year. Readers who follow the liturgical calendar will likely find her approach comfortingly sensible; readers not familiar with the Church calendar will, hopefully, find her framework refreshingly innovative. Her interpretations of the individual films adhere to the approach, often found in Christian arts criticism, of finding a specific aspect of the film’s story and considering that aspect in light of a Biblical truth. Some of her interpretations seem straightforward, while others seem a bit of a stretch. Calling Cuarón’s Children of Men a Christmas movie is a safe bet, but thinking of Gerwig’s Barbie as relating to Epiphany is harder to accept. As a method for interpreting films, though, Olcese’s church-year rubric works consistently well. The only film in her list likely to be unwelcome among some Christian circles is her pick for the Saturday before Easter: Martin Scorsese’s highly controversial The Last Temptation of Christ. —William Collen*

Read WORLD’s full review of this book here.

Theology

Daily Doctrine

Kevin DeYoung
Crossway, 432 pages

For the foreseeable future, this new book from Kevin DeYoung will be my go-to recommendation as an introduction to systematic theology. Daily Doctrine offers a unique ­format that distills traditional Reformed teaching on key theological topics. DeYoung describes his book as “a Tiny Turretin or a Baby Berkhof,” but such descriptors don’t do justice to the accessible style of this work. The book has 260 units, each addressing a theological topic, and the units are around 500 words each, making them suitable for daily doctrinal devotions. If you were to devote five to 10 minutes a day to this text, you would develop a rich theological vocabulary, informed by classical Reformed teaching. However, you can just as easily use this as a reference work—a place to turn for the basic elements of doctrinal questions. —James R. Wood*

Read WORLD’s full review of this book here. 

Christian fiction

The Time Door

Shannon McDermott
Enclave, 352 pages

After the Great Collapse, Reuben Jackson is the only person on Earth who still cares about the explorers stranded on Mars. Yet despite every setback and government conspiracy working against him, he refuses to abandon the team. Meanwhile, Commander Moynihan and the other three explorers are running out of time … and food. With little hope of survival, the explorers venture into the deepest volcano on Mars, Arsia Mons. What they find is enough to change not only their lives but every life on Earth. Postapocalypse and Mars survival stories are certainly nothing new. But Shannon McDermott brings a uniquely Christian perspective to the survival narrative, making The Time Door more character-driven and virtue-­focused than its secular counterparts. Mars novels tend to be more hard sci-fi and plot-driven. I was pleasantly surprised to find lyrical prose and character arcs with depth. Deep under the surface of Mars and in the dirty streets of post-collapse Washington, McDermott explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and how to survive with integrity when all hope seems lost. —Marian A. Jacobs

Education and Law

Academic Freedom

David M. Rabban
Harvard University Press, 384 pages

Academic freedom is inherently a challenging idea. In most people’s minds, our colleges and universities should be educating young people rather than being the vanguard of free thought. We want ideals that have stood the test of time and the inculcation of something like practical wisdom. David Rabban seeks to make a case for a special First Amendment right to academic freedom that goes beyond the normal free speech rights available to all Americans. He argues that the social benefit of having academic experts free to engage in scholarly investigations offers a special reason to protect them and their independence as truth-seekers. Further, by protecting such activity, we teach the young the value of protecting inquiry and publication. It is a good argument, but I wonder about privileging academics in particular. Speaking as an academic, I am not sure our professional class really needs or deserves a special level of protection beyond what our fellow Americans receive. I think the better lesson for the young is that being elite does not command special status when it comes to free expression. —Hunter Baker

Christian living

Finding My Vocation

William Boekestein
Reformed Free Publishing, 168 pages

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a question we like to ask young children, but by high school, serious pondering about the future is often strangely lacking. Instead, parents and teens make assumptions about going to college or moving out after graduation. But college has become too costly to serve as a way station, and minimum wage won’t sustain a young adult’s dream of independence. Boekestein, who found his true vocation as a pastor later in life, divides this helpful guide into three main sections. “Pondering” addresses vocation vs. occupation, the inherent goodness of work, and the goal of glorifying God. “Preparing” shows teens how they can start cultivating life and work skills, such as communicating effectively, solving problems, working with others, and developing individual talents. Finally, “Practicing” encourages readers to foster a good work ethic, including Biblical money management and a “Theology of Rest.” Finding My Vocation would be a good book for parents and teens to read together, perhaps more than once—but definitely as high school students begin their senior year. —Janie B. Cheaney