"It wasn't easy being a child atheist during the great Cold War or, for that matter, probably any time in human history outside of a few short-lived communist states." ~ from Barbara Ehrenreich's Living with a Wild God
|
|
| Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve by Tom BissellIn this combination of travelogue and Christian history, author Tom Bissell explores the lives and deaths of 13 men specifically identified in the New Testament as close followers of Jesus (the twelve Apostles plus Paul). He analyzes the New Testament and other historical sources while enlivening his narrative with anecdotes about people he meets at the apostles' burial places in far-flung locations that include Rome, Turkey, Jerusalem, and India. He also considers how stories about the saints influence and shape the Christian faith -- both official teachings and individual beliefs. Bissell's "crafty rhetoric and irresistible charm" (Publishers Weekly) make Apostle a compelling read. |
|
| Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay... by Alex Cooper with Joanna BrooksAfter 15-year-old Alex Cooper told her Mormon parents she was a lesbian, they sent her to a family in Utah who promised to reorient her to "normal" sexuality. Using a combination of physical and emotional torture and intensive lessons in Mormon orthodoxy, they abused her for eight months until she contacted closeted gay people in the community, who helped her obtain legal assistance. In this troubling but inspiring memoir, Cooper relates how she persevered in seeking the right to make her own choices while striving to maintain her personal sense of faith. For a similarly heartwrenching account, try Boy Erased, Garrard Conley's memoir of evangelical Christian efforts to reorient his sexuality. |
|
| Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion by Susan JacobyIn Strange Gods, author Susan Jacoby provides a well-researched and detailed history of religious conversion. Starting with Saul of Tarsus' Damascus Road experience, she examines conversion through history to the present time, probing the 14th- and 15th-century forced conversions in Spain, modern conversions prompted by interfaith marriages, and contemporary religious persecution by radical Muslims. She also discusses voluntary conversions such as that of Augustine of Hippo and Muhammad Ali. Though some readers could find Jacoby's strictly secular viewpoint offensive, she presents a thought-provoking commentary on an intriguing religious subject. |
|
| Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus by James MartinThe "seven last words" of Christ consist of the phrases Jesus uttered while being crucified. In this thoughtful combination of biblical commentary and pastoral reflection, James Martin, a Jesuit priest and writer, considers how these verses can help believers find their way closer to God. Through meditation on the "words," it becomes possible to understand how God can be present to people who are suffering. In chapters that address each verse, covering forgiveness, doubts about the afterlife, parental love, feelings of abandonment, pain, disappointment, and self-offering, Martin explains how Jesus meant to bring joy to ordinary, struggling people through his preaching and teaching. |
|
|
For The Glory : Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr
by Duncan Hamilton
An account of the lesser-known post-Olympics life of the gold medalist made famous in the film, "Chariots of Fire", explores how he dedicated his life to missionary work in China and spent his final years interned at a Japanese work camp where he practiced his faith and organized games for fellow prisoners.
|
|
Focus on: Spiritual Biographies and Memoirs
|
|
| Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch AlbomAuthor Mitch Albom, best known for his memoir Tuesdays with Morrie, became friends with a rabbi in New Jersey and a Christian pastor in Detroit, and these men offered Albom a new appreciation of religious faith. Recounting the insights he received from Rabbi Albert Lewis and Pastor Henry Covington, Albom adds reflections on his own spiritual growth in Have a Little Faith, revealing nuances and complexities of faith and friendship that surprised and inspired him. Though it's not specifically religious, Joan Anderson's A Walk on the Beach offers another reflective and inspiring consideration of friendship. |
|
| Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything by Barbara EhrenreichAuthor Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote Nickel and Dimed and Bright-Sided, was raised by vehemently atheist parents and regards herself as an unbeliever. However, when she was a teenager she noted an unexplained sensation of expanded consciousness in her journal, and this was just one of many such events throughout her life. In Living with a Wild God, Ehrenreich relates how she rediscovered that journal entry and decided to explore both the nature of her own experiences and the phenomenon of mysticism. Though this "powerful, honest" (Kirkus Reviews) autobiography takes an unusual approach to spirituality, it offers absorbing reflections on human awareness of the external world. |
|
|
Accidental Saints : Finding God in All the Wrong People
by Nadia Bolz-Weber
A standup comic-turned-pastor describes her experiences with "accidental saints"--individuals with whom she has found the meaning of grace--including a drag queen, a felonious bishop, and a gun-toting member of the NRA
|
|
|
Unorthodox : the Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic roots
by Deborah Feldman
Traces the author's upbringing in the Hasidic community of Satmar in Brooklyn's Williamsburg, describing the strict rules that governed every aspect of her life, denial of a traditional education and arranged marriage at 17 to a stranger before the birth of her son led to her plan to escape her cloistered world.
|
|
| An Unquenchable Thirst: A Memoir by Mary JohnsonAs Sister Donata, author Mary Johnson belonged to the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa's religious order that serves the poorest of the poor. Inspired to join by an article she read when she was in high school, Johnson was devoted to the order for 20 years, but ultimately left not only the order but the Catholic Church. In this memoir she describes her devoted spiritual life while depicting the severe challenges of belonging to an intensely committed group. Though some of her story may be controversial, her devotion is inspiring; An Unquenchable Thirst is an absorbing and eloquent memoir. |
|
|
Miracles from Heaven : A Little Girl and Her Amazing Story of Healing by Christy Wilson Beam Annabel Beam spent most of her childhood in and out of hospitals with a rare and incurable digestive disorder that prevented her from living a normal, healthy life. One sunny day when she was able to go outside and play with her sisters, she fell three stories headfirst into an old, hollowed-out tree. Implausibly, she survived without a scratch. While unconscious inside the tree, with rescue workers struggling to get to her, she visited heaven. After being released from the hospital, she defied science and had inexplicably recovered from her chronic ailment. A remarkable family drama and uplifting, hope-filled memoir, Miracles from Heaven will change how we look at the world around us
|
|
|
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas MertonThe reissue of a modern spiritual classic chronicles the journey of restless, intelligent young man buffeted by the social and political winds of the early twentieth century as he decides to join a Trappist Monestary at age twenty-six.
|
|
|
The Confessions of St. Augustine by AugustineThis edition of the classic literary work of St. Augustine is translated by Oxford scholar Rex Warner and features a revised bibliography. In this autobiography, St. Augustine describes his journey from sin to sainthood, and examines all of humanity's great concerns including the ethical conflict between good and evil
|
|
|
"Both a heart-racing adventure and an uplifting quest, Walking the Bible describes one man's epic odyssey by foot, jeep, rowboat, and camel through the greatest stories ever told. From crossing the Red Sea to climbing Mount Sinai to touching the burning bush, Bruce Feiler's inspiring journey will forever change your view of some of history's most storied events."
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|