Scott Freeman

Best Non-Fiction Books of 2007

I had set a goal to read 150 books this year. As of this moment I am at 138 so it seems that I will fall well short of that goal. That gives me another exciting new goal for next year.

Unlike my music lists my list of literary superlatives will not be limited to those released during this calendar year. Here is my non-fiction list. Tomorrow we will look at my top fiction reads. Thursday I will share my top Christian/Theology reads.

Top 10 Non-Fiction

10. Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America’s Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry by Dan Hurley
This book puts the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 firmly in its cross-hairs. The author’s working thesis is that those who traffic in supplements and vitamins are not bound to the same rigorous standards and testings as the rest of the pharmaceutical industry. Although at times given to sensationalism it is still an eye-opener to the fact that often times the supplements sold have not been subjected to definitive clinical trials. Worth the read.

9. Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court by Jan Crawford Greenburg
A fascinating, fast-moving narrative about how the current Supreme Court came into being, the shifts that some have made after achieving confirmation and the high political stakes involved in selecting the right justice. From Rehnquist to Meirs, it’s all there.

8. No Speed Limit: The Highs and Lows of Meth by Frank Owen.
This is a frank, eye-opening tale of the burgeoning Methamphetamine craze tracing the history from its origins as a potential panacea to a blight on our society. It struck me as a fair take on the problem without resorting to extremes.

7. It’s Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and the Lives It Shattered by Don Yaeger.
I put this book on my list based upon sheer enjoyment of reading. The story is fascinating and the closest thing I’ve ever found to making me a Duke fan. (No, Greg, it didn’t work in the end.) An extensively researched and passionate look at the calculated destruction of young lives as a political ploy. This story is proof-positive that the accuser is not always truthful. My one quibble with the book, and what had me consider leaving off the list entirely, was the inflammatory language the author used to paint the “villains” in this story. Yes, the accuser and the DA acted abominably. However, I didn’t need the author calling them names to get the picture. It lost its even-hand in that regard.

6. Privacy Lost: How Technology Is Endangering Your Privacy by David H. Holtzman
This book is more than just another entry in the “put good security protection on your computer” genre and delves more into the ramifications of a world in which every aspect of your life can be attained by your friends, family, enemies, corporations and government. This is a dense, well-crafted look at the “seven sins” against your privacy. The sins are as follows:

* The Sin of Intrusion - Commandment: Don’t spy on me just because you can.
* The Sin of Latency - Commandment: Thou shall erase my data.
* The Sin of Deception - Commandment: Keep my information to thyself.
* The Sin of Profiling - Commandment: Don’t judge me by your data.
* The Sin of Identity Theft - Commandment: Protect my data as if it were thine own.
* The Sin of Outing - Commandment: I am who I say I am.
* The Sin of Lost Dignity - Commandment: Don’t Humiliate me with my private information.

5. C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America by Geoff Williams
This is the true story of a huckster who planned a cross-country race and the participants who fell for his offers of fame, riches and glory. If you like a good sports read then this is one of the best that you can pick up. It’s a tale of deception and grand-standing. But more importantly a tale of courage, and love.

4. F5: Devastation, Survival, and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the 20th Century by Mark Levine
On April 3, 1974 at least 148 tornadoes ripped through the central United States. This is the tale of the worst of those. It not only tells the story of the devastation of that day but gives insight into the people who survived. It’s a riveting tale of mother nature and the fury she can unleash.

3. The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
A couple of years back Lewis wrote one of the definitive behind the scenes looks at baseball. Now he gives the same treatment to my sport of choice: football. Weaving a feel-good narrative through a look at the transformation of the game Lewis has produced a winning tale of love, compassion, social justice and good ol’ smash-mouth football.

2. 40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania by Matthew Chapman
A descendant of Charles Darwin travels to Dover and gives a concise play-by-play breakdown of the Dover fiasco. Using humor and a tight narrative, Chapman recounts the events of those days and gives insight into the major players without resorting to caricature.

1. The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War by Dan Gilgoff
This is not a book that is critical of Dobson and Focus. Neither is it supportive. It is a fact-based and objective look at the Christian Right in general and Dobson in particular. It traces the rise of both the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition and their subsequent falls. It then chronicles the rise of Dobson’s Focus and its different entities in their stead.
This book would be a benefit for anyone wanting to know the history of the Christian right without the vitriol that is often hurled by those on both ends of the political spectrum. Gilgoff is above all fair.

Anybody read these books? Thoughts? What non-fiction reads captured your attention this year?
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