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Spirituality and Religion September 2023 |
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| I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You by Ally HennyWhat it is: a candid and thoughtful exploration of racist power structures and the negative toll they can take on people of color, through the lens of the author's experiences in church spaces in her youth and as an adult.
For fans of: Doing Nothing Is No Longer an Option by Jenny Booth Potter; Living Resistance by Kaitlin B. Curtice; All God's Children by Terence Lester.
About the author: Ally Henny is a minister and activist, vice president of the Black Christian media collective The Witness, and host of the podcast Combing the Roots. |
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| Reverse Meditation: How to Use Your Pain and Most Difficult Emotions as the Doorway to... by Andrew HolecekWhat it's about: the peaks and especially the valleys of meditation, something people aren't always prepared for if they've started a meditative practice outside of a spiritual context, which might have included preparation for how to deal with negative thoughts and feelings that can rise to the surface.
Want a taste? "Step into your pain and you can step up your evolution."
Book buzz: Reverse Meditation is "enlightening" and "grounded in an intuitive logic", which should appeal to readers "looking for a more freeing meditation approach" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Body Revelation: Physical and Spiritual Practices to Metabolize Pain, Banish Shame... by Alisa KeetonWhat it is: an engaging and accessible guide to the role the body plays in spiritual experience and how trauma and chronic pain can disrupt the powerful connections between body, mind, and soul.
Read it for: the straightforward and well-organized advice on how to better foster this connection; the affirming discussions of size, weight, and body image.
Reviewers say: "Christians seeking to integrate their spiritual and physical practices will want to have a look" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott KeyWhat it's about: a marriage threatened by infidelity, the lessons learned from trying to work through it, and what comes next.
Don't miss: the engaging discussions of forgiveness as a Christian virtue and how the author still struggled to forgive his wife for her affair..
About the author: Harrison Scott Key is a Thurber Prize-winning writer and humorist whose short-form work has appeared in The Best American Travel Writing, McSweeney's, Outside, and Salon. His previous books include The World's Largest Man and Congratulations, Who Are You Again? |
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| A Master Class on Being Human: A Black Christian and a Black Secular Humanist... by Brad R. Braxton and Anthony B. PinnWhat it is: a meeting of the minds, and two schools of thought that have often been at odds -- Christianity and Secular Humanism -- and how they can work toward a shared goal of creating a more just and inclusive world.
Why you might like it: the conversation reflects the authors' strong rapport as they discuss a variety of sacred and secular topics in an accessible, engaging way.
About the authors: Academics Brad R. Braxton and Anthony B. Pinn are both professors of theology and religious studies, at Chicago Theological Seminary and Rice University respectively. |
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| Open Judaism: A Guide for Believers, Atheists, and Agnostics by Rabbi Barry L. SchwartzWhat it's about: the concept of and arguments for an expansive, pluralist Judaism that makes room for Jews of all spiritual persuasions, no matter the status of their relationship with religious belief and practice.
How it's structured: in line with three themes that are traditionally used to organize Jewish thought -- God, Torah, and Israel.
For fans of: Judaism Disrupted by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld. |
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| Like A River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache by Granger SmithWhat it is: a moving and thoughtful examination of grief in the face of loss, big and small, and coming out of it stronger on the other side.
Read it for: the candid portrait of the author's grief at losing his three-year-old son and how his faith helped support him through his mourning.
Reviewers say: "In stark, intimate prose, the author candidly renders the realities of suffering while articulating a moving message of renewal" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought... by Sarah StankorbWhat it's about: the uphill battles of women in the American evangelical movement to seek justice for the abuse they and others endured in their insular communities.
Case studies include: the mishandling of a child sex abuse case at the Joshua Harris' Covenant Life Church; the dozens of women who reported sexual harassment and assault by Christian speaker and writer Bill Gothard.
Reviewers say: "a compassionate portrait of pain and perseverance" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Oswego Public Library District
Montgomery Campus - 1111 Reading Drive, 60538Oswego Campus - 32 West Jefferson, 60543 (630) 554-3150
https://www.oswego.lib.il.us/
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