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| photo: Kirsten Belloni | |
Mark Bouman grew up near Grand Rapids, Mich. At the age of 20, he joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Montana, where he met and married his wife, Joan. Completing 10 years in the Air Force, Bouman returned to Michigan and earned an engineering degree. Eventually, Mark and Joan volunteered to work in Cambodia. There they became full-time missionaries, served as directors of an orphanage of 140 children and built a K-12 Christian school. In The Tank Man's Son (Tyndale, June 18, 2015), Bouman offers a brutally honest assessment of his childhood years and how God used those early experiences to shape him into the person he is today.
On your nightstand now:
I generally like any book about history, economics and End Time prophecy. On my coffee table, there is a copy of Inside the Revolution by Joel C. Rosenberg. I usually read three or four books at once. I have one book on my nightstand, a different book next to the toilet, another book in the car (which I read while waiting for my wife to shop) and another book on the coffee table.
Favorite book when you were a child:
I don't think I could list five books I read when I was a child. I was too occupied with trying to survive my childhood. I do remember reading a couple of books on trapping since I wanted to learn how to be a trapper. While in college, someone gave me The Frontiersmen by Allan W. Eckert. It was the first outdoors book I really enjoyed. This book captivated me. I valued how it brought out the best and worst of the early days in America during the Indian Wars.
Your top five authors:
Philip Yancey, Robert Kiyosaki, Rick Joyner, John Eldredge and any World War II author.
Book you've faked reading:
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Tons of my friends said this was a must read, but I couldn't get through more than the first few pages.
Book you're an evangelist for:
I Will Bear Witness 1942-1945: A Diary of the Nazi Years by Victor Klemperer. I've recommended this book many times. There is something about its simplicity that makes me go back and read it every couple of years. This book is a great example of human nature in the worst of times. History is a wonderful teacher and I prefer brutally honest history; lessons learned from history are timeless.
Book you've bought for the cover:
I can't remember the last time I ever bought a book for the cover. I generally will stand in a bookstore for 30 minutes and read portions of a book before I'll buy it.
Book that changed your life:
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul by John Eldredge. This book gave me a better understanding of being a man as well as a further appreciation for how God made men different than women.
Favorite line from a book:
"How can I afford it?" --from Robert T. Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not! I love this line as it made me rethink many things in my life.
Which character you most relate to:
I enjoy any book where the main character is a rebel. I generally will root for the underdog in any situation.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose.