What I am currently reading…
The most important book I am currently reading is called Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand, about a Romanian Evangelical Lutheran priest who stood for Christ despite persecution and extreme torture. Through his sacrifice, many were saved from an eternity apart from God.
The book, Tortured for Christ, is well-written, compelling and inspiring, and so far recounts stories of many in the underground church risking their lives to share the gospel with Eastern Europeans and Russians, enslaved to the tyranny of communism and religious oppression.
The author, Wurmbrand, and his wife, Sabina:
Next, I am listening to a memoir by Henry Winkler, famous for playing Arthur Fonzarelli on the classic TV show Happy Days. As it happens, Winkler’s parents were Jews who fled from their home in Nazi Germany, as the war broke out in the 1930’s.
Winkler has had three adversities of note in his life: One, his parents did not treat him very well, two, he has severe dyslexia, and three, the wonderful blessing he received when his role as “The Fonz” made him an international superstar, overshadowed him later in life, and made it hard to be considered for other roles.
Despite his difficulty with words, Winkler got an MFA from the Yale School of drama, a significant triumph for any actor, but moreso perhaps for him.
The book, Being Henry… The Fonz and Beyond, does have some language and content, but Winkler’s triumph over the odds, his infectious enthusiasm and relentless persistence make the book a joy to read.
The third book I am currently reading is by the exceptional crime novel writer, Michael Connelly, and is called, The Waiting. I won’t give spoilers, but the book features the inspiring character, Renée Ballard, a tough, smart, beautiful lady cop, who overcomes bias, marginalization and sexism, to become a force to be reckoned with in the LAPD.
Maddie and Harry Bosch are also featured in the book, and the subject matter relates to two, real-life crime investigations.
Having recently finished Connelly’s great volume, The Fifth Witness, a Mickey Haller legal thriller, I am eager to see what The Waiting has in store.
