Why I Read the “Acknowledgements” in Books
I read a good number of books and really enjoy reading history volumes and biographies. And, yes, I am one of “those” people who actually take the time to read the Acknowledgement page(s), which is often filled with names of people I don’t know and sometimes even inside jokes.
Why do I take the time to read what most people find boring in those pages? It is because those pages remind me of a few important things that I need to remember, even in my spiritual walk.
Nothing Good is Done without Help. Those long books may have one main author, but that author recognizes that it took a great number of people to finish the book. Editors, research helpers, family members, those who helped with interviews, and even favorite coffee shop managers who allowed time to work all had some part in the making of that volume. When it comes to our Christian life, the same is true. While we are ultimately responsible for our decisions and actions, no one goes to heaven without lots and lots of help.
Different People Have Different Talents. I enjoy when writers make this abundantly clear on those pages. Some writers admit that their book would not be a mess if it were not for the talent of a good editor. Others make sure to thank those who searched for (or took) photographs that made their way into the book’s material. The writer may get final credit, but they know that it took various talents to make the volume readable and appeal to a good number of readers. In the Church, we know this to be a good thing: that different people have different talents. When those talents are expressed and utilized, the congregation thrives.
This is a Small World. A few years ago, I interviewed a man for our podcast who had been working in New York on 9/11 and wrote a memoir of that day. Not long after that, I was reading a biography of the Texan leader Stephen F. Austin. Wouldn’t you know it, right in the middle of the acknowledgements, there was the man’s name I had interviewed. He was an expert on some aspect of Texas history and had consulted for the book! It just reminded me that, no matter how far apart we may seem in some ways, the world is not that large. As a Christian, it reminds me that I have family all around the world and that we are connected not just because of digital technologies or great mail services, but because we are connected by something far deeper: a faith in God.
There are other reasons I read the Acknowledgement page (I’m a nerd would be one of them), but these three come to mind each time I read that material and encourage me. Maybe they will encourage you, as well.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
