What We Read, Watched and Listened to in 2024

Editor’s Note: The following is a look back at some of what our team has been reading, watching and listening to in 2024.

Stephanie Brueggeman, Data and Sales Manager

In 2016, when Beyonce performed “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks at the CMA Awards, I knew this was a sign that she was going to be putting out a country album – something I had been eagerly waiting for. Sadly, she was unfairly criticized for the performance, which was a sting for Queen B. 

To our benefit, however, her answer to that insult was the album “Cowboy Carter.” “Cowboy Carter” placed a spotlight on the forgotten Black artists who helped shepherd country music, as well as current Black country artists whose careers have taken off due to the success of “Cowboy Carter.”

It isn’t your typical “country” album, but it’s 100% Beyonce: country themes mixed with opera, rap, pop, classic rock, and, dare I say it, yacht rock!

Speaking of Yacht Rock, HBO/MAX is currently streaming an entire documentary devoted to the origins and influence of Yacht Rock. Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary, is a humorous yet informative documentary featuring Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Toto, Steely Dan and the granddaddy of Yacht Rock–Michael McDonald.

Kali Cawthon-Freels, Contributing Correspondent

This probably won’t come as a surprise, as many writers are also avid readers, but I am a huge bookworm. I usually have three books going at once: one for self-improvement, one for research, and one for fun. In that vein, there are three books I found meaningful this year. 

Self-Improvement 

“Holy Runaways: Rediscovering Faith After Being Burned by Religion” by Matthias Roberts is a vulnerable, thoughtful journey. It pieces together what faith after leaving evangelicalism looks like, not just for Roberts, but what it could look like for each of us.

Roberts artfully captures his own experience with evangelicalism while also providing the theological, sociological and psychological insight to explain why that system functions the way it does. He successfully breaks down intimidating concepts and makes them incredibly accessible to the lay reader.

Roberts’ critiques of Christianity, both conservative and progressive alike, are acute but from a place of compassion. He believes we all deserve a better faith, and he expresses that desire so genuinely that I am inclined to believe that he means it.

“Holy Runaways” is a book that’s going to sit with me for a long time. I can’t recommend it enough, especially for folks looking for something deeper after leaving the faith of their upbringing.

Research 

“Out of Focus: My Story of Sexuality, Shame, and Toxic Evangelicalism,” by Amber Cantorna-Wylde was a research book for me in the sense that I have spent much of this year researching the stories of LGBTQ+ Christians. I expected this to be a rich, but heavy read. I was not disappointed.

Cantorna-Wylde, daughter of the executive producer of “Adventures in Odyssey” at Focus on the Family (FOTF),  shares her experience of discovering her queerness after growing up in toxic religious conservatism. She also weaves an unflinching, well-researched and critical analysis of the culture that raised her.

She minces no words describing the damage that FOTF has done and continues to do. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the harm that toxic forms of Christianity can cause. I also recommend it to any LGBTQ+ Christian who feels like no one understands their experience; you are not alone.

Fun  

“Somewhere Beyond the Sea,” by T.J. Klune is the sequel to the highly acclaimed “The House in the Cerulean Sea.” This fantasy novel picks up almost immediately where the first one leaves off, with former social worker Linus Baker joining the love of his life, Arthur Parnassus, in running an orphanage for magical children.

The Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) has come under scrutiny for how it has treated magical children, and Arthur is asked to testify about his experience growing up in DICOMY orphanages and the experiences his charges faced before coming to his loving home.

Throughout the book, we see the discrimination he, Linus and the children face simply because they’re magical. We also see how they have learned to love their differences and how their community comes together to support them. Anyone who has felt like the “other” will see themselves in these adorable magical children.

Cally Chisholm, Creative Coordinator for Publishing and Marketing

I fell in love with women’s sports this year. 

In the past, I have been guilty of exclusively watching men’s teams: college football and the men’s NCAA Tournament known as March Madness– the best time of the year, second only to Christmas. But in 2024, I began watching the WNBA. I was swept away in the Caitlin Clark frenzy, became an Indiana Fever fan and purchased a WNBA League Pass to watch every game.

This past summer, I became a professional multitasker and managed to watch just about every Olympic sport on the schedule. Ilona Maher, Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Kelly Cheng, and Sara Hughes competed in my most anticipated events. I skipped church to watch Team USA win their 8th straight gold medal in women’s basketball.

I also watched more TV this year. My favorites include “Yellowstone,” “Bridgerton,” David Tennant’s new show “Rivals,” and the Netflix series “Nobody Wants This.” 

Taylor Swift maintained her top spot on my Apple Music Replay due to the release of “The Tortured Poets Department.” You can read my review here.

“Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves and Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” were also on heavy rotation. Based on my picks, it seems I gravitate toward strong, talented, and charismatic women: those in real life, on my playlists, and on the small screen.

Craig Nash, Senior Editor

Two books that captured my attention this year had a common theme: Political Prisoners of Vladimir Putin.

The first, Brittney Griner’s “Coming Home,” describes the WNBA star’s harrowing months being shuffled around the Russian legal and penal system after being detained for trace amounts of cannabis. The other, Alexey Navalny’s “Patriot,” gave a first-hand account of the Russian dissident’s rise to prominence as an anti-corruption thorn in Putin’s side.

Both stories had drastically different endings, but when combined, they reveal how authoritarianism rises and what it looks like when it does. This seems more prescient at the end of 2024 than it did at the beginning.

I spent much of the year listening to Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter,” a joyful and subversive dissertation on American history and the racist roots of dividing music into separate genres.

The only screen-related media that caught my eye this year was the brilliant HBO series, “Somebody Somewhere,” which I wrote a reflection on earlier this month.

Mitch Randall, CEO and Director of GFM’s Faith and Democracy Initiative

Missy and I read many incredible books for the Good Faith Weekly podcast. Here are a few that stood out to me this year: 

Jill Hicks Keetin’s “Good Book: How White Evangelicals Save the Bible to Save Themselves” explores how Evangelical Christians worked together to give the Bible the title “Good Book,” even though there is a lot within Christian Scriptures that isn’t so “good.”

Jemar Tisby’s “The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance” challenged and inspired me. Tisby details historical figures who fought against racism and “agitated” for justice.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim offered “When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity,” chronicling her Korean heritage as Christian Evangelicalism pushed a faith centered on white culture rather than a Palestinian Jesus.

One I didn’t read for the podcast, but was deeply personal was Ned Blackhawk’s “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History.” Blackhawk helped me with my process of decolonization as I pursue rediscovering my ancestral narrative and identity as an Indigenous person.

Finally, if there were one television show I would recommend, it would be “Shrinking” on Apple TV.  “Shrinking” was created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein. It follows the relationship between a father and daughter after the tragic death of their wife and mother. It is currently one of the best shows on television about the human experience.  

Starlette Thomas, Associate Editor and Director of GFM’s Raceless Gospel Initiative

As a healed workaholic who has been delivered from capitalism’s grind culture, the artistic work and prophetic witness of Tricia Hersey called me to an informal meeting that required casual dress typically reserved for a good night’s rest. However, her latest book, “We Will Rest: The Art of Escape,” should not be reduced to bedside reading or even kept on a nightstand.

Instead, take the book wherever you can “rest your eyes.” Rest is a spiritual practice, our divine right, but also reparations for African Americans whose labor and rest were stolen during their enslavement.

Each page doubles as a way of escape from systems built to work you to death. But wait. First, “you must believe that you have the power to refuse,” Hersey states. If you nod your head in agreement, then you will nod off soon.

The New York Times Best Selling Author’s latest work offers meditations, poetry, storytelling and art to lead the weary away from capitalism, white supremacy and productivity and toward a new way of being that liberates us to speak freely about our refusal to work ourselves to the bone.

Pick up this book, a pillow, and a blanket. Then, go and lay down.

Cliff Vaughn, Media Producer

The Netflix documentary “Will and Harper” is a cross-country/buddy picture featuring comedian Will Ferrell and friend/comedian Harper Steele. Ferrell knew Harper from their days at “Saturday Night Live,  before Harper had transitioned from “Andrew,” and wanted to get to know his friend more, better, and again.

On one hand, the film offers education about the transgender community, set in the context of our turbulent politics. On the other, it’s simply a story about friendship and how our most intimate relationships can indeed take each of us on a thrilling, complicated and wonderful journey … together.

Another favorite comic actor, Ben Stiller, caught my attention with the feature film “Nutcrackers” on Hulu. Plot: Stiller’s character gets pulled from Chicago back to his small hometown to care for his four newly orphaned nephews. This quirky, offbeat film is not readily recognizable as a holiday favorite, but those willing to see the Christmas spirit in unexpected places can find it here.