Kevin D. Hendricks's Blog, page 36
August 24, 2014
Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith is one of the most thought-provoking and terrifying books I’ve read this year. That’s both a good thing and a disturbing thing. Especially as I’m reading it in the aftermath of Ferguson.
The Story
Martin is invited to join an elite group of black businessmen, but he discovers they’re part of a secret society that wants to repay the evils of slavery by enslaving whites.
Every evil committed by white slave traders and owners against black slaves is being broug...
August 23, 2014
Help Close the Achivement Gap
I’ve been talking about Ferguson for the past week or so, and it’s left me feeling raw and frustrated and powerless. That’s a good time to take action.
This isn’t directly related to Ferguson, but I think it is a good way you can help the general problem of racial disparity we see at work in Ferguson.
The Achievement Gap
Minnesota is one of the top states in the country for education. We’re also one of the worst states in the nation for the achievement gap. What’s that mean? It means the perform...
August 19, 2014
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
A lot of people told me to read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It’s got space exploration and Christian theology! What a combo.
The result is a little harder to embrace.
The Story
It’s the story of humanity’s first contact with extraterrestrial life, told in the pre- and post-contact story of the sole surviving member of the Jesuit expedition, Emilio Sandoz. The second expedition to the alien planet found Sandoz in a brutalized and scandalous condition, and returned him to Earth for someone...
August 15, 2014
Do I Teach My Son That Police Are Heroes or How Not to Get Shot?
In the aftermath of the Mike Brown shooting and the chaos in Ferguson, Mo., there are so many questions and frustrations rolling around in my head.
I managed to write about it (in brief) on Church Marketing Sucks yesterday, simply encouraging churches to address the many pains and hurts in this world and asking, “How long must we sing this song? How long, Oh Lord?”
Don’t Get Shot
One of the painful and difficult questions I’m struggling with is that Ferguson happened this week. A black teen was...
August 11, 2014
A Wizard of Earthsea: Meh
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is a beloved fantasy classic that subverts expectations. I wasn’t impressed.
It’s the coming of age story of a wizard, but unlike Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, there are no wars and the main enemy is primarily internal. It was an intentional choice by Le Guin to create something different and portray a world that wasn’t defined by endless war and violence.
It also has the distinction of being a fantasy novel published in 1968 where nearly all the c...
August 8, 2014
Half Way Home: Colonies, Lord of the Flies & AI
Half Way Home by Hugh Howey offers one of those classic and incredible sci-fi setups: Planetary colonies are sent out across the universe and governed by an artificial intelligence that decides the viability of the colony and aborts when not fully viable. You get a sense for the creepy undertones already.
The story follows one colony that is aborted, but the abort sequence is stopped. Maybe 15% survive, having been interrupted in their gestation and only half grown and educated (meaning they’r...
July 22, 2014
10 Years of Church Marketing Sucks
Ten years ago today, on July 22, 2004, a little website called Church Marketing Sucks went live. Our very first blog post went up and we’ve been challenging the church to communicate better ever since.
We’re still going strong today, and we’ve been throwing a month-long anniversary celebration for the month of July. After all, you only get to celebrate a 10-year anniversary once. We’ve got giveaways (T-shirts!), discounts and lots of posts exploring whether or not church marketing still sucks....
June 30, 2014
Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse Isn’t About the Apocalypse
No, Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss is not an apocalypse story. The dorky teen character Phillip is interested in the apocalypse, but that’s about it. Really it’s about Phillip getting involved with a girl who’s committed to her church and Phillip falling for both the girl and God. The exploration of Christian youth culture is eerily accurate, though ultimately it feels like it shortchanges the faith element.
There’s this open question of whether Phillip is really...
June 26, 2014
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills is an eye-opening look into the life of a trans-gendered person.
As a senior in high school, Liz decides she’s now Gabe. She’s never felt like a she, but getting everyone to accept her as a he is no easy task. Simple things like which bathroom to use and filling out W2 forms are stress-inducing for her—er, him.
My own confusion over which personal pronouns to use are a good example of how we really get a feel for what Gabe’s struggle i...
June 24, 2014
Kid vs. Squid Needs More Squid
Kid vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout is a wacky summer adventure with lots of ocean-themed mayhem. It’s fast-paced and has moments of good humor, but it was also a little hard to follow.
But perhaps the most unforgivable sin of false advertising: The title is Kid vs. Squid and there’s no squid until page 169.
And the kid vs. squid fight barely lasts a chapter.
And it’s not really the kid who fights the squid, but seagulls who do most of the fighting.
Sorry, but Kid vs. Squid sold me on this book. I...
