NON-FICTION

The last three books I have read are non-fiction.  Why?  I dunno.  I guess I've just been in a non-fiction mood.  (Although I am definitely craving a novel right now... So next?!)
Anyways, here are my reviews:

The first book I read was The Christ-Centered Home - Inviting Jesus In by Emily Belle Freeman.  This book is set up in 12 sections.  Each chapter is set up to become a conversation for the family.  There is a principle/chapter for each month if the year.  Each chapter is pretty good.  It was a good review for things I've already done.  And the stories about Christ were a good review.  Full disclosure: My least favorite chapter was chapter 6, Be Nice, Be Sweet.  Why?  Our family often has deep conversations about principles.  One of our conversations is about Nice vs. Kind.  We have come to the conclusion that if we are "trying to be like Jesus" we need to be KIND not nice.  Kind is honest and truthful.  Her use of the word nice and her definitions were well meaning but, in my opinion, wrong.  I almost stopped reading the book because of that chapter.  But the rest of the book is good.  It wasn't earth-shattering good.  But it was a reminder that the most precious moments in our lives and in our homes is when we feel the peace of Jesus Christ.

I also finished reading Dinesh D'Souza's new book Stealing America.  (As a side note:  His movie, based on this book, called Hillary's America, comes out next week....  And I am sooooooo excited to see it.)
Dinesh D'Souza is a noted Conservative author, speaker and film maker.  He made a dumb mistake in donating too much to a political campaign a few years ago.  Since he was closely watched by political enemies, he found himself in court due to his mistake.  D'Souza was sentenced to 8 months of "confinement" - which sounds less bad than prison but in actuality is being locked up at night with murderers, rapists drug dealers, and gang members on their way out of prison.  He learned a lot from this experience.  And he shares it with us in this book.
D'Souza makes astonishing connections between the way gangs operate among themselves and the gangs in politics.  Because of that, this book will anger a lot of people.  I was angry.  I was angry with the way D'Souza was treated.  I was angry with the way politicians steal from average, hard-working Americans.  I was angry that more people don't believe or choose to be ignorant of these things.
This book was enlightening.  This book made me feel smarter.  And, I believe, this book is honest and full of truth.  I definitely recommend it.

Finally, I finished reading A Convenient Truce by Gary McCallister last night.  (Full disclosure:  Gary McCallister is my amazing, talented, incredibly educated, and wise father.)  This book attempts to "prove" that there is not a war between science and religion.  It discusses how the two studies actually can and often do work together.  I learned a lot.  I plan on using this book as a science book for my homeschooled teenager.  Throughout the book there are questions and thoughts about both science and religion that helped my faith in both subjects grow.  It was not an easy book to read.  There are a lot of thoughts, ideas and actual learning that I had to re-read or mull over before I could read the next chapters.  But I actually feel smarter having read this book.