Well, here we go again. These are the books I’ve read in 2020 and I have to say that I’m slightly ashamed that I came up way shorter than previous years. I didn’t read as much this year mostly because I did a lot of writing. I released The Politics of Humanism early 2020 and then in late 2020 I released Health for All of Life. Writing and research on top of being bi-vocational (with a lot of extra speaking events) really hindered my reading ambitions, but I’m already over it so there’s no use crying about that.

Without further ado, here’s the list! If you’re looking for ideas for good books, then look no further…

  1. Backward Christian Soldiers by Gary North — Classic North. Taking the defeat out of Christianity.
  2. Fighting to Win by Ron Kronz — Ron is a close friend I love dearly, much like David and Jonathan, and we have both an affection for Christ and a love for being godly troublemakers. I had the privilege of narrating the audiobook and I can tell you this book is fantastic. You MUST get a copy. Forthwith.
  3. American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup by F.H. Buckley — Buckley teaches at George Mason University just down the road called I-66, and some day I’d like to talk with him in person about the book. I think he does a great job exploring the contours of secession. Definitely worth reading.
  4. Doing Business God’s Way by Dennis Peacocke — An excellent book on business. If you’re involved in some sort of business–most of us are–you really need to read it.
  5. The Truth about Cancer by Ty M. Bollinger — A book I couldn’t put down.
  6. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell & Thomas M. Campbell II — THE best book on nutrition that exists anywhere. Highly recommend.
  7. Regenerate by Sayer Ji — Really, really good.
  8. Chris Beat Cancer by Chris Wark — My wife adopted Chris’ methodology in order to beat Lyme and…well, she did! I really like Chris and am thankful he’s a Christian whose influence is growing. Everyone should read this.
  9. Truth About Nutrition by Joel D. Wallach — A small book with a lot of great content.
  10. Everybody is Sick and I Know Why by Peter J. Glidden — Glidden is snarky which makes me love him even more. The book doesn’t have an attractive cover and the typesetting is shoddy, however, the content is incredible. Read it!
  11. Epigenetics by Joel D. Wallach, Ma Lan, Gerhard N. Schrauzer, Jeffrey S. Bland — Hands down one of the most important scientific books on the market. Can genes be ‘fixed’? Yes!
  12. Healing is Voltage by Jerry L. Tennant — One of the more thought-provoking books of 2020. I relied on much of Tennant’s understanding of the human body for my book, Health for All of Life.
  13. Unlock the Power to Heal by Robert Scott Bell & Ty M. Bollinger — A short book with a lot of great content.
  14. Ploductivity by Douglas Wilson — There are a lot of books on the market that promise to help you be more productive. This one is in that vein of thought, but I find Wilson’s approach to this issue to be refreshingly helpful.
  15. Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture by Anthony M. Esolen — This is definitely in my top three favorite books of this year. Roman Catholic Esolen out-maneuvers a lot of Reformed folks when it comes to culture and the application of biblical principles. It’s really good.
  16. Faith on Earth? by Lou Poumakis — Nothing to report.
  17. G. W. F. Hegel by Shao Kai Tseng — Hegel is not easy to grasp but Tseng does a pretty good job helping us try.
  18. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg — Not a Christian book by any stretch, but Rosenberg borrows Christian capital to make his case. Easily one of my favorite practical books of this year.
  19. Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto — Would that Christians be awakened to Gatto’s truth!
  20. The Know Your Bill of Rights Book by Sean Patrick — A good little read on a timely topic.
  21. Theology in Three Dimensions by John M. Frame — I liked it. Frame doing Frame stuff.
  22. Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund — Not my favorite book. It’s not bad per se, but you can just as easily read some Puritan Paperbacks and get the gist of what’s he’s saying.
  23. Van Til and the Limits of Reason by R.J. Rushdoony — Rushdoony explaining Van Til (again). Very good; could be disorienting to some readers. I’ve warned you.
  24. Christendom and the Nations by James B. Jordan — A lot of good stuff. Some of it raised a brow, but overall a lot to consider.
  25. Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Aimee Byrd — Easily one of the most controversial books of the year. We did a Cross & Crown Radio podcast on it, so if you want a more in-depth study, go there.
  26. Ride, Sally, Ride by Douglas Wilson — Prophetic in many ways, hilarious, and certainly maddening given our current degenerate culture.
  27. The County Sheriff: America’s Last Hope by Richard Mack — A small but important book, especially when considering local activism.
  28. The Book that Made Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi — An excellent book that ought to be required reading for high schoolers everywhere. And adults for that matter.
  29. Social Media Success for Every Brand by Claire Díaz-Ortiz — I’ve been fascinated with the Story-brand stuff for a bit so I thought I’d give this one a shot. It’s a solid little guide that has some good tips for interacting online.
  30. “Here Are Your Gods” by Christopher J.H. Wright — A wonderful book on idolatry, examining both the biblical theology of idols and their modern expressions.
  31. Trump: America First by Corey R. Lewandowski & David N. Bossie (Audiobook) — Curiosity led me to this book. Some interesting “behind-the-scenes” stories.
  32. Good Morning, Friends (Volume 1) by R.J. Rushdoony — A series of short radio messages from Rushdoony’s earlier years. Solid doctrine!
  33. The Price of Panic: How the Tyranny of Experts Turned a Pandemic into a Catastrophe by Jay W. Richards, William M. Briggs, and Douglas Axe — Definitely a Top-Three book for this year. Balanced, thoughtful, and heavily-researched, this book demonstrates that the “cure” was and is far worse than the disease.
  34. How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps by Ben Shapiro — I listen to Shapiro from time-to-time and find some of his insights to be helpful. This book falls into that category. While I do have my fair share of concerns for conservatives, his description of leftist ideology (and many examples proving the point) is timely and accurate.
  35. Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher — REALLY good. You have to read this one. Sobering analysis of what he calls “soft totalitarianism.”
  36. New Libertarian Manifesto by Samuel Edward Konkin III — Not that helpful, actually. Rothbard’s critique of Konkin was the only thing worthwhile in this one.
  37. Restoring the Foundations of Civilization by Gary DeMar — Not DeMar’s best book, but it has some helpful historical lessons.
  38. An Agorist Primer by Samuel Edward Konkin III — For a ‘primer’ Konkin sure left me guessing on which specific, practical counter-economic tactics we should adopt. Better than the book listed above, and definitely applicable to Christian Reconstruction, it left me unimpressed.
  39. Who Owns the Preborn Baby: God or the State by Eric R. Stewart — Eric is a friend of mine who pastors OneLife Church in Flint, Michigan. He and his team are active in the abolition of abortion and I thought this book was a great reflection of their efforts. Plenty of biblical exegesis coupled with historical lessons and practical steps to rescue those who need justice the most.

Books I’m looking forward to in 2021: