2025 Books of the Year
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Establishment Clause
15 min read
The article centers on Randall Balmer's book about separation of church and state and the First Amendment. Understanding the specific legal history and court cases around the Establishment Clause would give readers deeper context for the Christian nationalism debate discussed.
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Emmett Till
15 min read
The article discusses Thompson Wright's book 'The Barn' about Till's murder. Readers would benefit from the full historical account of this pivotal civil rights moment, including the trial, aftermath, and its role in galvanizing the civil rights movement.
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Late antiquity
17 min read
The article mentions Peter Brown as the scholar who 'almost by himself created Late Antiquity as a distinct period in history.' Understanding this historiographical concept and time period (roughly 250-750 CE) would illuminate why Brown's contribution was so significant.
Each year I nominate my “Books of the Year.” I nominate books I have read and in every case the books themselves first grabbed my attention. 2025 has been a chaotic year. I have read more than usual about our political situation. I do so to comprehend what is going on. I will not list The Atlantic, but its authors have been some of my instructors, especially Anne Applebaum, George Parker, and David Frum. But Timothy Snyder is another writer with good insights on the corruptions at work in Washington, DC..
This year’s nominations return to my conventional listing of one book as The Book of the Year along with three others that vied for that spot. Then I mention others that I found stimulating and insightful. All of these nominations could be good Christmas presents.
Book of the Year
This year’s Book of the Year is by Randall Balmer: America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State. Balmer was born for this book. Those who read this Substack faithfully will recognize the book as one I have discussed weekly (and I’m not done). America’s Best Idea, based on the First Amendment, is the non-establishment of religion and therefore the freedom for religions and religious ideas to compete with one another in our nation. Christian nationalism is the context for the significance of Balmer’s book. What makes this book so good for me is its combination of clear, compelling prose with good storytelling of specific moments in American history where the First Amendment was tested and formed into is modern interpretations. All done in short chapters and packaged in pocket-sized book. America’s Best Idea is a model of both writing and history that pierces into our culture. One of Balmer’s best stylistic traits is his ability to say something critical about American history and the church without pounding the pulpit. His capacity at indirection in storytelling is exemplary. He skewers by description alone. Buy two copies, one for yourself and one to give away.
Top Shelf Nominations
Along the line of writers probing the American political context I nominate Miranda Zapor Cruz’s Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters. Those who are looking for a scan of what Christians think about the relationship of church and state, and therefore what is going on in the USA these days, but who need
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