Dr. Thomas Sowell is the author of 43 (and counting) books and countless articles, commentaries and papers.  In my opinion, he is the intellectual giant of our time.  What further sets Sowell apart is his ability to take very complex ideas or issues and write about them in terms an average person can understand.  Every book and article Sowell has written is worth your time.  I decided to recommend Basic Economics because it is especially timely for the current political climate.  One of the problems with our political system is that too many voters don't have a basic understanding of economics.  Further, many politicians either lack an understanding, as well, or find it politically expedient to ignore basic economic facts.  For example, there are voters who think you can get "free healthcare" from the government and many politicians are too happy to sell voters "free healthcare."  While some of us may intuitively know there is nothing free in this world, in Basic Economics Dr. Sowell articulates and helps the reader understand why this is so.  Warning, the book is 551 pages long and not "light" reading; easily understood, but you have to be able to think about what you're reading.  Also, it will make your blood boil at what politicians get away with, because too many (politicians & voters) don't have a basic understanding of economics.  However, don't let me scare you off.  The information in this book is not just important, but really very interesting.  It is packed with information we all need to have to be educated voters and conscientious citizens.

If you enjoy Basic Economics or if you want to start on a smaller scale I would recommend Economic Facts and Fallacies, also by Dr. Sowell.  This book is only 221 pages long and easy to read (as are all of Sowell's books).  However, in this book he is not explaining basic economics (and a prior knowledge is not required to understand this book).  Sowell addresses some of the most obnoxious economic fallacies we have been spoon fed by politicians and the media because it suited their agendas; ideas such as, "green space," "discrimination,"  "foreign aid," the fallacy of asking why is one country is poor instead of asking, why another country is rich, the idea of "social justice," the ability of the media and politicians to use statistics in dishonest ways to further their agendas, and more.  For such a serious topic, this was a fun read.  This book will really arm you to recognize "B.S." when listening to the media or a politician.

Although Black Rednecks and White Liberals is not really about economics (although it touches on some economics-it is by Dr. Sowell after all) it is another favorite of mine by Dr. Sowell.  The book touches on aspects of race, culture and history of which I had never heard or read before.  It was eye opening and I highly recommend it.

My last Sowell recommendation is Late Talking Children which was later expanded on in The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late.  This is a very topic specific book I would recommend to parents with a young toddler who is not yet speaking or for a parent who had a late talking child.  Our daughter, a preemie, was a late talker and it was positively uncanny how many of her characteristics paralleled those of other late talking children, as described in this book.  Sowell's son was also a late talker which is where his interest came from.  This was actually my first Sowell book and my introduction to Dr. Sowell.

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel is my favorite book by Strobel, but he has several others that I highly recommend as well.  The format of this book is an investigation into the case for a Creator (as in his other books such as the case for Christ, Faith, the Real Jesus, etc.) by addressing the most often heard arguments from atheists/scientists for evolution and Darwinism.  Strobel interviews Christian scientists and philosophers and either destroys the, so called, evidence/argument as false or faulty science or provides more compelling evidence.   Although Strobel discusses astronomy, biochemistry, biology, cosmology, physics, etc, in this book, it is written for the non-scientific mind and is very easy to read and follow.  However, don't le me scare you off.  This book is not full of scientific drudgery.  It is very interesting and draws the reader into wanting to know and examine more every step of the way.

There are also editions of the Case for a Creator for Kids and The Case for a Creator - Student Edition which is great for teens.  The Case for a Creator is a must read for every student in middle school and up, if in the public education system and for any student before entering college.  In public schools and at the university level students are fed the wholly one-sided  propaganda for Darwinism and evolution.  It is important the students know the (more compelling) arguments and evidence for a Divine Creator.  While they will undoubtedly forget many of the details in The Case for a Creator they will at least know there is better evidence for a creator and know where they can find it if they need to search it out again.  I leave it up to you how to get them to read.  I'm a big fan of bribery...I mean the reward system!  Worst case, have them watch The Case for a Creator DVD, which is also available

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It's not easy being a Christian today.  The media, at best, portray Christians as pathetic or goofy and, at worst, evil, bigoted, hate mongers.  I found I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek  to be a wonderful reminder and fortifier of why I believe.  From beginning to end, using logic, reason and science, Geisler & Turek show why it truly does take more "faith" to be an atheist than a Christian given the evidence.  I also highly recommend this book to any student before going off to college.  Today's college campuses are very antagonistic towards persons of faith and this book will help fortify the student's faith and give them the knowledge of how the arguments for believing are stronger than the arguments against (which they will hear from their professors).  This book is very easy to read.  It is not written for the scientific mind, instead it speaks to regular people, in easy to follow language about sometimes complicated issues.  It is also a wonderful tool in Apologetics.  Frequently throughout the book they will give a common argument against Christianity and then systematically show the error in the thought process or "evidence" of the atheist argument.  In fact, Appendix 1 & 2 are a mock dialogues between an atheist and a Christian, which some may want to read first.

Now, as a sampling, I would just like to highlight some of my favorite parts.

1. The scientific evidence overwhelmingly confirms that the universe exploded into being out of nothing.  Either someone created something out of nothing (the Christian view), or no one created something out of nothing (the atheistic view).  Which view is more reasonable?¹
2. ...there are more than 100 very narrowly defined constants that strongly point to an intelligent Designer. ² (they highlight 15 of these in chapter four)
3. They clarify and explain the importance of understanding the difference in microevolution and macroevolution in chapter six.  Pointing out that while there is evidence of microevolution, there is NONE for macroevolution.  They also discuss the importance of the fossil record.
4. As we have seen, Darwinism-not God-is a creation of the human mind.  You've got to have a lot of faith to be a Darwinist.  You have to believe that, without intelligent intervention:
   1. Something arose from nothing (the origin of the universe).
   2. Order arose from chaos (the design of the universe).
   3. Life arose from non-life (which means that intelligence arose from non-intelligence and personality arose from non-personality).
   4. New life forms arose from existing life forms despite evidence to the contrary such as:

i.      Genetic limits

ii.      Cyclical change

iii.      Irreducible complexity

iv.      Molecular isolation

v.      Non-viability of transitional forms, and

vi.      The fossil record (don't worry, all of these will make sense after reading chapter six)

5. Just how many non-Christian sources are there that mention Jesus?  Including Josephus, there are ten known non-Christian writers who mention Jesus within 150 years of his life. ³
6. In fact, the New Testament documents have more manuscripts, earlier manuscripts, and more abundantly supported manuscripts than the best ten pieces of classical literature combined. ⁴

1. Chapter one page 26.
2. Chapter four page 105
3. Chapter seven page 222
4. Chapter seven page 225

So you know you are conservative, but are at a loss to articulate it.  You want to show your friends or loved ones the error of their "progressive/liberal" world view, but get tongue tied.  Because, "God said so!" is not compelling enough an argument for some you may encounter.  If you are ready to enter the fray and fight for our country you must read The Conservative's Handbook by Phil Valentine (among other books we have and will recommend).  Let me say up front I agree with most of what Phil writes in general, but diverge on specifics of some issues.  Further, the small size (about 7"x5" & 1 1/2" thick) of the book makes it very uncomfortable for reading.  I get the whole "easy to carry handbook" idea (it can easily fit in a purse or coat pocket), but you practically need clamps to keep it open for reading, but I will say it is very durable.

Now, about the book; the subtitle is Defining the Right Position on Issues from A to Z. Phil uses the alphabet to go through most of the positions you will encounter with liberals.  For example, chapter one is America is good, two is Belief in God is a cornerstone of our republic, ending with Zero Tolerance is the only way to effectively deal with crime in chapter 26.  He covers guns, drugs, immigration, global warming, quotas, and taxes, just to list a few topics.  Each chapter is backed up with footnotes allowing the reader to verify a statement, statistic or fact.  If you are a true conservative he won't be telling you anything you didn't already know, but he does take large complex issues and distills them to 20-30 pages each, giving you a condensed platform of thought when going head to head with a liberal.  I also recommend keeping the book lying around (or in the bathroom) in case after reading the whole book, you need a refresher on a certain topic.  Once again, this is a great book to mail "anonymously" to someone you think might need it!

I would also recommend this to anyone who considers him/herself to be a progressive or a liberal.  First, I think more people have conservative world views on a number of topics, but just don't realize it.  Second, if you really are a progressive/liberal, are you sure???  Read Phil's book and see how much you disagree with.

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