'An accessible & coherent work that brings hope'
Reviews of 'Untrustworthy' are starting to come in, plus: An upcoming giveaway where you can win a free copy before release day
The release of Untrustworthy is just over two months away, and reviews are starting to come in. This is exciting and a bit nerve-wracking, especially the short blurbs which only have room for a few lines of assessment without the engagement and explanation a longer review can include.
That said, the review I’m most excited about so far is from Byron Borger, who owns Hearts & Minds Books, an independent Christian bookstore in Pennsylvania. I’d love to quote the whole thing, but will limit myself just to this:
I would wade through this like it was the forthcoming serious Wendell Berry book if I had to — it is that important! — but, gladly, it is written with great wit and grace. The chapter titles are mostly one-word phrases, looking at manifestations of the crisis in “media” and “mob.” She looks at “Schemes” and “Skepticism.”
There is a move towards “a practical epistemology” and while I’m a geek for epistemological arguments (please read some Esther Meek, starting with the simple and provocative A Little Manual for Knowing) I often advise normal folks to skip books that sounds too philosophical. But not this — Bonnie is a Pittsburgh-based journalist, not a heady academic, and her chapter on emotions and her chapter on experience offers insights into how we develop a wise and watching worldview. Chapter 9 is called “A Building Plan” — don’t miss it.
Read the rest here, and if you haven’t already pre-ordered Untrustworthy (or anything else on your reading list—Byron reviews a bunch of other new books on the same page, including several I may get), Hearts & Minds is a great place to buy. I think I’ve mentioned here before that I get most of our Bible books for our twins there, because I can speak on the phone or by email to Byron or his wife and get informed suggestions based on my description of the tone, complexity, and theology I want. Amazon recs can’t even come close to that kind of service.
Get 20% off list price if you pre-order from Hearts & Minds:
I’m also very happy with a short review published at Library Journal, which is an important trade publication for librarians. Its verdict: Untrustworthy is an “accessible and coherent work that brings hope to those who are suffering from the loss of communication and relationships with former friends and estranged loved ones.”
That first word—“accessible”—is the real victory for me. It’s why I don’t see myself ever doing academic writing: I always want my stuff to be intelligible to ordinary people who don’t have a lot of specialized knowledge in the matter at hand.
It’s also why I’m not too fazed by a middling review from Publisher’s Weekly, another trade publication, where the chief complaints are that Untrustworthy is “sometimes formulaic,” and the “overview of America’s ‘epistemic crisis’ is competent [but] brings little new to the well-trod topic.” I’d quibble that the notion of “epistemic crisis” is not well-trod outside the chattering class—so much so that it couldn’t go in the subtitle—but I’ll take critique like this any day over a charge of inscrutability. (Also, it’s a win to get reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly at all.)
Other reviews so far include:
A new look into the crisis of epistemology | Ethics & Culture
Untrustworthy (Bonnie Kristian) | Panorama of a Book Saint
There are also a few reviews up at NetGalley (this is a site where publishers can give digital access to unreleased books) and on GoodReads.
If you’ve gotten your hands on a copy already, please leave a review! GoodReads is a good place for it—especially pre-release—and so, of course, is Amazon, though they keep the review section closed until release day. Your personal blog, Instagram, Substack, etc. are also great! Drop the link in the comments here or tag me or something so I can see your thoughts.
GoodReads giveaway
And speaking of GoodReads, my publisher is organizing a giveaway there. It opens on Saturday, September 10, and you can enter to win one of five free copies. I’ll mention it again closer to the date.
Recent articles
Last, as usual, some recent work from me:
Military escalation in the Taiwan Strait would be perilous | Chicago Tribune
Democrats sure aren’t acting like democracy is in danger | The Daily Beast
Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan might be good for her legacy, but it’s bad for everyone else | Reason
All the big ideas for ‘fixing’ social media are bad | The Daily Beast
Don’t let Russia’s regime change plans draw the U.S. into war | Reason
Biden sends U.S. troops back to Somalia | The American Conservative
I’m also writing a weekly foreign policy email for Defense Priorities now. It usually sends on Tuesday or Wednesday. You can read the archives and subscribe here if you’re interested (only the two most recent ones are by me).
Best,
Bonnie