Books for Non-Readers?

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Hey everyone!

I wonder if anyone had any recommendations for non-readers? What book(s) would you recommend for someone who hasn't really grown up reading and for whom reading through a book is a tough ask? Something to dip one's toes in without getting frustrated and discouraged.

I've met quite a few young Christian men who haven't really gotten into books, and I'm not perfectly clear what books I would recommend when I have an opportunity to. My guess would be church history, but I'm not perfectly sure what books I would recommend.
 
Hey everyone!

I wonder if anyone had any recommendations for non-readers? What book(s) would you recommend for someone who hasn't really grown up reading and for whom reading through a book is a tough ask? Something to dip one's toes in without getting frustrated and discouraged.

I've met quite a few young Christian men who haven't really gotten into books, and I'm not perfectly clear what books I would recommend when I have an opportunity to. My guess would be church history, but I'm not perfectly sure what books I would recommend.

Pick some topics and I will suggest books for each.
 
Biographies can be a good entry point for profitable literature that's more approachable than theology.
 
Mere Christianity is a good shout. Lewis's fiction is good too, although I'd rate his Space Trilogy a bit more highly; Lewis's universalism kind of ruins the ending of Narnia.

@Regi Addictissimus I think @Jake has a good point: perhaps some biographies? If it weren't two volumes I'd probably think ML-J's biography by Iain Murray would be perfect -- one can hardly take a breath in the evangelical churches where I am without still finding the Doctor's influence, although fewer and fewer actually know much about what happened fifty years ago.

@Gesetveemet That's a good collection. I know that some have really enjoyed the Trailblazers series.
 
Challies' Visual Theology is pretty solid. I know some in the YouTube generation who have read through it and liked it when every other theology book felt too daunting. There's actually a lot of straight reading in Visual Theology, but it feels easier to many people.

In much the same way, Rose Publishing's Rose Guide series of books helps those used to learning via pictures dig into reading. Rose is a little further from being Reformed than is Challies, but most of the material is still quite good.
 
@Regi Addictissimus I think @Jake has a good point: perhaps some biographies? If it weren't two volumes I'd probably think ML-J's biography by Iain Murray would be perfect -- one can hardly take a breath in the evangelical churches where I am without still finding the Doctor's influence, although fewer and fewer actually know much about what happened fifty years ago.

I agree. It is a good suggestion, but one need not limit themselves to just biographies if they are not avid readers. The following is not a plug for RHB, but we publish many small and accessible books that will guide one through the Christian life. These books take difficult doctrines and make them very easy to digest. Dr. Beeke's books are very good at this. I dearly love biographies, but they alone cannot grow us in the knowledge of doctrine and the Scriptures.
 
Dr. Beeke's books are very good at this.
Regarding your response to Joe who mentioned Iain Murray's excellent biography on Dr Lloyd-Jones, I have believed for some time that Joel Beeke nicely carries on Dr Lloyd-Jones legacy, and he also helpfully shows how the Nadere Reformatie also fits this legacy.
 
Audiobooks are a great format to introduce "reluctant readers" to, and it can lend to translation of physical or ebooks as well once someone develops the habit of consuming narratives. It helps with the stamina aspect, which I think is one of the harder aspects of reading unfamiliar genres or books.

Secondly, it's helpful to ask what interests the other person has in other areas of their life. That could help to inform recommendations, and help to ease them into a genre or book because it has a sense of familiarity already with it.


Farside comics.

I mean, it's funny...but graphic novels/comics are a top source for teachers to introduce young reluctant readers to books with. It helps prime the sense of narrative, story, and stamina of reading from picture to long form prose. But I don't know that it holds up for adult men...depends on the interests I suppose. Sometimes Calvin and Hobbes is surprisingly dense :)
 
Books for non-readers? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

Seriously, something bite size might help. Over at Banner of Truth there is a woman who has written several short biographies of Christians. She is highly regarded.

Also, how about some of the books by Douglas Bond? I think he wrote several works of fiction about Calvin, Knox and others.
 
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