I have not had the opportunity to attend formal education on design so I turn to books to fill the knowledge vacuum. I found this book to be a little deeper than entry level. I found myself reading through a chapter multiple times just to get at what Ellen was trying to say but I would rather have to think than be disappointed.

The book looked at 3 major subjects within typography.

First it looked at the Letter. From going into history of the different classifications of fonts (think Roman or Gothic) to describing the elements of the letter (think x-heights or descenders,) I was intrigued with how intricate it is to design an excellent font (think not Comic Sans.)

Zuzana Licko, fearless pioneer of the digital dawn, produced historical revivals during the 1990s alongside her experimental display faces. Her 1996 typeface Mrs Eaves, inspired by the eighteenth-century types of John Baskerville (and named after his mistress and housekeeper Sarah Eaves), became one of the most popular typefaces of its time.

It was then on to Text. Lupton takes the reader through kerning, and spacing and even touches a little on web accessibility. She highlights “Type Crimes” on certain topics. For example when discussing the use of “tracking” she points out

Type Crime: Negative Tracking
Make the shoe fit, not the foot. Don’t use negative tracking to save space.

The third part of the book which is actually the reason I was pointed to the book in the first place, is on Grids and their use in layout. I read a number of blog entries on the subject, beginning with Mark Boulton’s series Five Simple Steps to Designing Grid Systems and wanted to learn more about the subject.

It was a pretty basic introduction in the book which was to be expected due to the limited space dedicated to the subject but it was worth reading how it works together with Letter and Text.

Ellen also included a handy appendix which is a handy guide for more of the editorial aspects which is almost worth buying the book for. It would have been a little nicer if it was able to be separated from the book but instead, I’ll be setting apart some desk space for the book itself.

The subject of the book was quite clear from the title given it and David stuck to the topic. I’d have to say that this book would be an excellent text for seminaries or even Bible schools but unfortunately, I found it difficult to get through even though I was interested in the subject.

The first third of the book did a good job of presenting the problem of churches being attended mainly by women and basically saying that it is due to churches being made for women. From the colors of the furniture and the quilts and banners on the wall, to the lecture style of learning, Sunday mornings are not built for men according to Murrow.

The second third of the book is where I had trouble getting excited picking it up again after putting it down. I found that his arguments began to repeat themselves. I actually began looking back through previous chapters for fun trying to find how many times he made the same point. The arguments he made were very clear and in my viewpoint, the majority of them were true reasons that men don’t want to enter churches. For some reason, I found the repetition a little overboard.

The end third of the book was much better and I am glad I pushed ahead and read the whole thing. He gave practical suggestions, even going as far as suggesting that on Sundays, leadership from the front should be by men which I happen to agree with (begin the flaming.)

Another suggestion he made which I would stress as incredibly important is to strive for excellence in the service, from the worship teams to the dramas. I find it incredibly distracting when the choir, or even worse, the soloists are out of tune or forget the words and I know the majority of men feel the same way.

Morrow made many generalizations in the book, most backed up by studies that he points to in endnotes (I would have rather have had footnotes in the book.)

Pastors also tend to have lower testosterone levels than other men.

Unfortunately, in the example above, his endnote was…

Andrew Sullivan, “The HE Hormone,” New York Times Magazine, 2 April 2000. Sullivan says, “Actors tend to have more testosterone than ministers, according to a 1990 study.”

Personally, I found this generalization to be rather insulting. I understand why he used the quote, it drives home his point that “Pastors should be Masculine, Strong and Resolute” and that pastors should, “Talk less and listen more” and “Be judiscious about emotive displays.”

Unfortunately, by not actually telling us what ministers the study actually tested, and how it was done, it actually made me raise my eyebrows and begin questioning any other study that Morrow used to back up his conclusions. It isn’t just me who had a problem with this specific example. In fact, while talking to a coworker who had also read the book, he also questioned the validity of the statement.

I do recommend the book for those interested in the topic and it would be interesting to hear from pastors who tried to implement some of the suggestions that are made. Don’t give up if you find it tough to get through the guts of the book, it IS worth getting through to the end.

David Morrow’s website for the book is ChurchForMen.com.

From that point I was hooked, each time a new book comes out with his name on it, I’ll pay for it without even reading the back cover. I am always impressed with what I read.

Obsessed by Ted Dekker is no different. I finished this one in just over three and a half hours without taking a break. With my peanut M&Ms beside me, I turned page after page, totally encapsulated in what my eyes were transferring to my imagination. Reading it reminded me of watching a movie that causes me to forget about who and where I am.

From the back of the book…

Steven Friedman is making a good living in good times. He’s just an ordinary guy.

Or so he thinks.

But one day an extraordinary piece of information tells him differently. It’s a clue from the grave of a holocaust survivor. A clue that makes him heir to an incredible fortune … a clue that only he and one other man can possibly understand.

That man is Roth Braun, a serial killer who has been waiting for Stephen for thirty years. Roth was stopped once before. This time nothing will get in his way.

Without confusing the reader, the plot takes place in two times; during the Holocaust and in Los Angeles in the 70′s.

There was enough suspense to keep me from putting the book down, but not enough to prevent me from warning people not to read before trying to sleep.

This book is not a religious novel although the author is a Christian. There is violence so if the thought of blood makes you squirmy, you may want to pick up a coloring book instead.

If you like Ted Dekker, buy the book. If you haven’t read Ted’s writings before, pick it up used or head to the library if you aren’t sure. Then go ahead and buy his next one, Showdown.

Have you read Obsessed? Post your review in the comments.