What I Read and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll February 2025

 

The LifeWe're Looking For by Andy Crouch

I first heard about Andy Crouch because of his Tech-Wise Family book.  I'm always trying to get my hands on fact-based information about technology and its effects on relationships.  But in looking at this author, I realized this book actually came first and so I thought this would be a good place to start.  Crouch really takes this to the spiritual side of things, pointing out how we're made in God's image, and how technology keeps us from really "seeing" that image.  It tends to dehumanize us as a society, and therefore, we are dishonoring God in our relationships.  Thus, we miss the humanness in others, living our world feeling very lonely and isolated.  I liked it, it was an interesting take on the topic (certainly not an angle I've considered before), but at times it felt like Crouch was really reaching.  Some of his examples and support felt like they were beyond the bounds of logical reasoning.  It was hard to follow his logic at times and left my mind afloat in certain chapters.  Interesting take, but not nearly as informative and engaging as Jonathan Haidt's Anxious Generation.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Our Story of the World curriculum suggests this title for grades 8+.  Since I'd never read it, I thought I'd tackle it myself before passing it off to my 13-year-old. Boy, am I glad I did.  A Separate Peace follows the story of 2 elite prep school roommates at the beginning of WWII.  Through a series of events, one of the boys becomes injured in such a way that he may never walk again.  His roommate does everything he can to help.  But his own involvement in the events leaves him feeling both guilty and jealous.  It's a story of intense rivalry, coming of age, and looming war.  There's a lot of language and tension in this novel that just left me feeling hopeless.  There was no redemption to the story, just a group of boys who were hopelessly lost in their despair.  I can't understand why this one is a classic and doesn't see myself assigning it in our homeschool.

Snow White and the Dragon by Kim Bussing

See my full review here.

Senior Year Step-by-Step by Lee Binz

I can't believe I'm going to have a senior... again!  If you're new to these coffee break books, they're amazing!  Lee Binz condenses down the most important points you need to know in guiding your high schoolers toward graduation and future success.  Just over 100+ pages, I learned so much from this book to start implementing the summer before Senior Year.

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

I've read this title before, but some of our family is considering homeschooling.  I wanted to reread it before recommending it as a starting place.  I love the way the author makes Charlotte Mason's ideas come alive.  She really inspired me to explore this philosophy 5 years years ago, and I found myself reinspired this second reading as well.  Macaulay does a great job bringing all of this back to the humanity of our children.  We do so much of what we do because they are people and need to know how to interact with the world.  I loved this book just as much the second time as my original reading.

One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. Nielson

See my full review here.

Our Homeschool Read Alouds:

The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig

This title coincides with our Story of the World vol 4 curriculum.  Ester and her family are sent to Siberia during WWII for being "capitalists."  While there, they must survive the scorching summers and brutal winters as war marches on in Germany and Europe.  I actually like this one better than Anne Frank's Diary.  They both have their place as Anne's work is autobiographical.  However, Ester's story allows the reader to see a different view from the concentration camps which have been so widely written about.  I would highly recommend this title for anyone studying WWII in the 6-9th grades.

Christian Heroes: Betty Greene by Janet and Geoff Benge

As I've shared before, we're working our way through several Christian Heroes books in the middle school years.  This is one we read in February.  I had never heard of Betty Greene before and after this reading, I'm so glad she's included. This book brought together several historical figures that we've read about in the past and I could really see Greene's influence on the missionary movement of the mid-late 1900's.  A lesser-known figure who made a HUGE impact.

What are you reading?