The Paperback Era

I still live in a world that is as informed by people I read about as by people I meet. Books have shaped who I am, ever since I was a kid, and I think one of the most important things anyone can do is develop a habit of reading. I thought I would list books that I love and have shaped me, for anyone who is looking for their next read. Here, in no ranking order, are books that I recommend - not necessarily because I fully agree with everything in them, but because they make you think, smile, cry, or learn.

Real people's stories
Shake Hands With the Devil - Romeo Dallaire
An Imperfect Offering - James Orbinski
Come Be My Light - Mother Teresa
Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The Savage My Kinsman - Elisabeth Elliot
Tears of the Desert - Halima Bashir
The Hospital by the River - Catherine Hamlin
Escape - Carolyn Jessop
Night - Elie Wiesel
Left to Tell - Immaculee Ilibagiza
Cry of the Kalahari - Mark and Delia Owens
Freedom Writers Diary - The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell
28 Stories of AIDS in Africa - Stephanie Nolen

Wake-up Calls

Race Against Time - Stephen Lewis
Terrify No More - Gary Haugen
Say You're One of Them - Uwem Akpan
Half the Sky - Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn
Children in the Game - Ross MacInnes
The End of Poverty - Jeffrey D. Sachs
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Gabor Mate

Fiction

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
A Wrinkle In Time - Madeleine L'Engle
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
All things Bright and Beautiful - James Herriot (all of his books are great)
Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Shakespeare

Spiritual Formation

The Bible (seriously, people, read it.)
Surprised By Hope - NT Wright
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Missional Church - Darrell Guder
The History of Christian Thought - Jonathan Hill
Discipleship on the Edge - Darrell Johnson
Transforming Mission - David Bosch
Can You Drink the Cup - Henri Nouwen
The Divine Conspiracy - Dallas Willard
Counseling and Community - Rod Wilson
What's So Amazing About Grace - Philip Yancey
The New Testament and the People of God - N.T. Wright
How to Read the Bible Book by Book - Gord Fee
Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals - William J. Webb
Resident Aliens - Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon