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Spirituality and ReligionMay 2016
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"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
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Judas: The Most Hated Name in History by Peter StanfordJudas was the name of the disciple who betrayed Jesus to the authorities. In this detailed historical study, journalist Peter Stanford reviews not only the extremely negative connotations of the name, but also the surprisingly ambiguous and even positive views of Judas in Christian doctrine and popular traditions. For example, one medieval legend says that the reason Judas committed suicide was so that he could wait for Jesus in paradise and beg his forgiveness. Stanford's engaging, thoughtful narrative provides a complex understanding of the "most hated name in history." |
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Focus on: Spiritual Biographies and Memoirs
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow WilsonIn 2003, journalist G. Willow Wilson traveled to Egypt to teach at an English-language high school in Cairo. She'd long felt drawn to Islam, but due to the events of 9/11, she was conflicted about those feelings. In Cairo, she learned Arabic and converted to Islam, while falling in love with (and becoming engaged to) fellow teacher Omar, an Egyptian Muslim. As she strove to adjust to her new life, her friends and family struggled to come to terms with her decision. The Butterfly Mosque is at once a coming-of-age story, a cross-cultural romance, and a reflection on faith and community. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 9601 Capital Lane Largo, Maryland 20774 301-699-3500www.pgcmls.info/ |
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