Books I’ve been reading

I should be working on my current research/writing tasks, but I’ve found myself diverted into reading two really interesting books, courtesy of Ezra Klein’s podcast. The first is called Lost Connections, by Johann Hari, and I think every pastoral leader ought to be reading it. He’s a journalist who’s interested in the epidemics of depression and anxiety, but I was surprised by what he found. The second is called How to Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan. Again, a really surprising (to me at least) description of what science is learning about the impact of psychedelics on our minds — among other things, under the right conditions they can mimic some of what we experience through deep contemplation.