Born Again That Way, by Rachel Gilson
This is a great book. Rachel shares her own story of growing up in a secular environment, and discovering she was attracted to other women. Then when she went away to college, several factors brought her to suddenly realize who Jesus was, and her own status in God's sight. After she started following Jesus, she wrestled with her feelings of same-sex-attraction (SSA), and she shares about the things she has learned about godliness and temptation in this book. The book is well-written, very honest, and well-nuanced. She has lots of great advice, and great stories (from others as well as from herself). I think this would be a perfect book to read for a Christian who is struggling with feelings of SSA, and it is also encouraging and enlightening for all other Christians too. I'm not sure if a non-Christian would enjoy it, but there is nothing particularly offensive in it (other than holding tightly to the Bible)... it's well balanced. She distinguishes well between temptation and sin, and has helpful discussion about the terms which Christians use to define themselves (and the controversy over terms like 'gay Christian', etc). Chapter 7 is very encouraging for Christian singles to read... it has the standard reminder about holding on to Jesus but it presents it very well... the reminder that our identity is in Jesus and that what we have to look forward to with/from the Lord Jesus Christ is bigger and better and more satisfying (in the long run) than marriage or anything else.

 
God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel, by Costi Hinn
This is a great book, where Costi (nephew of Benni Hinn) tells his own story of growing up rich in the Hinn family, then gradually realizing the Biblical problems of his family's lifestyle, and coming to know Jesus Christ personally. It explains the true gospel clearly, and the problems of the "prosperity gospel" teaching. Easy to read, highly recommended.

Here are some more recent reviews. For more, see the book reviews category link on left.

White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo
I do not recommend this book for most people. However, it was an interesting read to hear the thoughts of a person with her worldview (liberal/progressive secular woman who believes in the tenets of Critical Race Theory, and whose job is providing diversity training seminars to mostly-white groups at various organizations). It was also interesting to read her anecdotes. She talks a lot about whiteness, and presents the prevailing societal views on race, racism, whiteness, blackness, colorblindness, white privilege, white fragility, etc. The helpful aspect of this book was that she discussed that we have cultural blind spots based on our upbringing, and some of these relate to race and skin color. We all accidentally misunderstand some of our privileges and the challenges faced by people without those privileges, and we all say things that offend other people without meaning to. One of many unhelpful aspects of this book was that she presented "white fragility" as a Kafka-trap, that is, if you protest that you are not racist or don't have white fragility, that itself proves that you are racist and have white fragility. (She also defines racism in systemic terms rather than the older definition of individual prejudice.) I noticed that she contradicted herself in several places in the book, and reinforced racial stereotypes even as she claimed that doing so was bad. As Neil Shenvi and others have pointed out in their reviews of her work, she is missing the crucial information that the Bible provides, that we should root our identity in God and His view of us, rather than our socially-constructed group identities. The Bible's approach leads to real forgiveness and peace and reconciliation, whereas the secular "anti-racist" approach does not. Her last chapter was the most interesting, as she tried to explain the take-away actions. She said that it was impossible to ever stop being racist (participating in racist systems) or having white fragility, the only best possible outcome would be to "try to be less white" and be constantly learning and growing in awareness of others and (I assume) to be able to make other people feel more comfortable. While hospitality is great, she is missing the most powerful answers that the Bible provides.
See https://shenviapologetics.com/the-worldview-of-white-fragility/ and https://shenviapologetics.com/critical-theory-quotes/ for more helpful info.

Reading While Black, by Esau McCaulley
The author looks at how black people in America have interpreted the Bible over the centuries. He focuses on how slaves interpreted the Bible (when they were allowed to read it), and how slaveowners interpreted it, and how Christians have interpreted the passages dealing with race and slavery in the decades since slavery was abolished. He discusses the black perceptions on unjust policing in America. He is seeking to argue against opposing viewpoints from two different sides. On the one side, he is arguing against liberal black liberation-theology scholars who say that the Bible is an oppressive book that we should discard. McCaulley says no, the Bible has plenty to say about justice and it has historically given hope to black people, so we should study and obey it. On the other side, he is arguing against white scholars who focus too much (allegedly) on individual salvation and not enough on societal transformation and justice, and McCaulley says the Bible's teaching (especially Old Testament but also some New Testament) has a lot to say about seeking to make a more just society. He talks about his own crisis of faith in college/seminary, where his liberal Bible professors were reinterpreting the Bible. (Neil Shenvi has a great review of this book here: https://shenviapologetics.com/questions-and-answers-a-short-review-of-mccaulleys-reading-while-black/ ), and as Shenvi summarizes, McCaulley discusses "questions like “what does the Bible say about policing and the responsibilities of government?” (Chapter 2), “can the church advocate for political reform?” (Chapter 3), “does Christianity address Black concerns for justice?” (Chapter 4), “is there an African presence in the Bible?” (Chapter 5), “what do we do with Black rage?” (Chapter 6), and “does the Bible endorse slavery?” (Chapter 7) which are often particularly important to the Black community." Shenvi notes that some of McCaulley's exegesis is overly strained, as he tries really hard to pull out social-justice themes from certain passages like Romans 13. I agree with Shenvi's points. McCaulley writes "on the edge" of orthodoxy, and generally stays on the side of affirming the Bible. He has good insights on the context of Paul, John the Baptist, Jesus, Moses, Mary, and others from a viewpoint of living under oppressive regimes. Yet he occasionally attacks straw-man arguments (especially in chapter 3, about political protesting/activism). For example, he writes on page 52 about "the popular misconception that Christians are called to pray and not to speak plainly about contemporary concerns". I know of no Christian anywhere who ever recommended that approach. Overall, I think this book is worth reading, perhaps in a discussion group with other Christians. I don't think it should be taken alone as the best overall discussion, but I think it could be helpful especially to young black Christians who feel theologically isolated (i.e. that none of their white Christian friends are asking the sorts of questions of the Bible that seem most relevant in their situation). McCaulley emphasizes that the Bible IS INDEED still crucially relevant to today.

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth, by Thaddeus Williams
This book asks 12 thoughtful questions about "social justice". He writes about "Social Justice A" vs "Social Justice B". A is Biblical, B is not. He seeks to write in a very balanced way, with points at the end of each chapter listing possible misunderstandings that he is NOT saying in each chapter. He has good concern for opposing injustice. He makes a lot of good points in this book. There are so many points made that it is a little hard to digest. I think it might be a good book for a discussion group. There were a lot of great anecdotes, and excellent little life stories from 12 people (plus more, such as John Perkins' forward), illustrating the points discussed in the chapter. His 7 appendices addressing specific hot-topic justice issues were very interesting to read, and quite bold/ambitious. Overall, I recommend this book. Even if it is only one of the books you read on this topic (alongside those from other perspectives), his perspectives are well worth considering.

The Spy and the Traitor, by Ben Macintyre
This is a fascinating biography (pair of biographies) about a famous Russian KGB agent who ended up spying for the British in the 1980s, and the American CIA agent who betrayed him, and how the Russian escaped from Russia. It is very well written, and contains great research helping to understand the people involved. It also has great explanations of the culture and questions of that time period, and sheds light on how communist beauracracies work, and also on what motivates different people. It shows the importance of teams of people working together to support others. Highly recommended.