by Bradley R. E. Wright, PhD.
Bethany House, $14.99, 256 pages
Is there a better, more trustworthy name than Bradley Wright? Dr. Wright, a sociology professor at the University of Connecticut, and a glass-half-full kind of guy, has written Upside: Surprising Good News about the State of Our World. This book takes a look at many of the most important topics of our day: health, crime, the environment, and war to name a few, and then takes a moment to explain, in real world and measurable terms how things have improved, or are improving. An optimist, he says that most of the problems we face are fixable, and that in a real sense, our lives today are measurably better than those of generations past.
Written from a Christian perspective, he periodically adds sidebars called “Christians Making a Difference”. These sidebars mention a charity, or organization that works to improve humanity’s lot in life. While it’s possible to quibble with some of his conclusions, one thing is perfectly clear, all of the problems we face on Earth are solvable by conscientious and hard working people working together. Nothing is solved by screaming that the sky is falling, or burying our heads in the sand.
Reviewed by Bradley Wright (the good-looking one)