Four Reviews Coming in Publishers Weekly on Monday, March 10
-- Publishers Weekly, 2/27/2008
A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide
Mark D. Siljander. HarperOne, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-06-143828-8
Former congressman Siljander began his career as a zealous evangelical Christian, convinced that the Qur'an was "devil's work." In this memoir, Siljander recounts his "paradigm crash" after discovering that much of what he'd been taught about his faith was nowhere in the Bible, and that the Christian and Muslim religious texts are surprisingly compatible when studied in their original languages. He has since made it his life's mission to find common ground between Christian and Muslim worlds, meeting with a dizzying list of political and religious leaders in the process. The result is an engaging story (despite somewhat stilted dialogue), sure to surprise and inspire many. Though he has no formal background in linguistics or religious studies, Siljander is deft at providing balance when discussing controversial subjects, and careful to show support from academics. Though his theological argument is based almost exclusively on the study of Muslim and Christian scriptures, in the current atmosphere it's hard to argue with his dictum for what's needed: "Making friends with the people you thought you hated. It's that radical, that simple and that necessary." (June)
Goddess Afoot! Practicing Magic with Celtic & Norse Goddesses
Michelle Skye. Llewellyn, $19.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7387-1331-1
Skye's follow-up to her enthusiastically-received debut Goddess Alive! provides advanced practitioners with additional rituals, spells and guided meditations. In each of 12 chapters, she tells the story of a goddess from mythology, drawing on medieval collections of myths such as the Celtic Mabinogion and the Norse Skaldskaparmal. These are complicated texts, and Skye's introductions to each goddess can read like a doctoral dissertation. What follows, however, is worth the extra effort. As in her earlier volume, Skye demonstrates a truly inspired talent for writing guided meditations. In one, readers will confront their fear of drowning as they pursue Welsh goddess Cymidei Cymeinfoll to her lair at the bottom of a lake. In another, they will experience the sights and sounds of a medieval Viking hall in the presence of Sif, Norse goddess of family and harvest. These scenes are so vividly imagined that there may well be crossover appeal to fans of fantasy fiction. At the same time, readers may want to have a fellow practitioner at hand to read the meditations out loud, since it is nearly impossible to do them by oneself. Skye's approach remains refreshingly original. (May)
Spiritual Activism: A Jewish Guide to Leadership and Repairing the World
Avraham Weiss. Jewish Lights, $24.99 (250p) ISBN 978-1-58023-355-2
What can one person possibly do to change the world? Rabbi Weiss, a Jewish activist par excellence who has participated in hundreds of demonstrations, marches, vigils, hunger strikes and acts of non-violent civil disobedience, outlines his answers clearly in this handbook. Activism is not reckless or impulsive behavior, he writes. Its goal—to help others and thereby to help repair the world—is based on a serious analysis of moral, political and logistical issues, bound by Torah. Weiss describes the foundations of spiritual activism and delineates its principles: choosing the cause, making partners, designing the strategy, leading other people and seeing the big picture. He expands and elucidates each facet with personal examples, from his efforts to free Soviet Jews to protesting Yasser Arafat's Nobel Peace Prize and installing handicapped ramps in his synagogue. Though the book has a Jewish focus, its principles are universal. Readers may not agree with all of Weiss's choices, but it is hard not to be moved when he asks, "For me the question is not, Why go to the end of the world to help another Jew? But rather, How can one not go to the end of the world to help another Jew?" (May)
The Secret to True Happiness: Enjoy Today, Embrace Tomorrow
Joyce Meyer. FaithWords, $23.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-446-53199-3
There's nothing new or earthshattering about Meyer's latest self-help book for Christians, but naysayers may be won over by her can-do attitude despite the unoriginal content. A bestselling author and Bible teacher with a popular daily television program, Meyer wants readers to be happy—not because they have enjoyable circumstances, perfect health, fat wallets or other enviable externals, but simply because they choose to be happy. Happiness, according to Meyer, is a decision to trust in God's power, not merely in the power of one's own positive thinking. (She does, however, emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and surrounding oneself with others who do the same.) In short chapters, she discusses issues like habits, discipline, simplicity, creativity and health. She helpfully distinguishes between being busy and being "fruitful," urging readers to embrace fruitfulness and productivity. As with her other books, each chapter opens with a joke or light anecdote, then delves a little deeper with biblical examples and stories from Meyer's life, including her recovery from sexual abuse and her own struggles to be happy. (Apr. 29)
Three Starred Reviews Coming in PW on Monday, March 10:
Being Well When We're Ill: Wholeness and Hope in Spite of Infirmity
Marva J. Dawn. Augsburg, $14.99 paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-8066-8038-5
It is possible to be ill or live with a disability and still be well, according to theologian, educator and speaker Dawn. She should know. As a person with a variety of serious physical challenges, and who has grappled with emotional and bodily issues as well as theological and biblical questions, Dawn is a powerful guide for those who want to be well in spite of their medical conditions. While she has written about her disabilities in previous books, this one is a complete and helpful analysis of the implications of physical challenges, along with concrete spiritual, theological, and practical suggestions for dealing with them. Each chapter names one particular aspect of illness, such as loneliness, boredom, physical pain, regrets, bitterness or meaninglessness, and offers strategies for coping with them without sugar-coating or belittling the real struggles people face. Dawn also looks past the individual to offer a global perspective, making suggestions for addressing governments and health systems that further oppress those who are ill. Stories from the author's and other experiences offer readers the sense of being graciously companioned along a very difficult road. (June)
Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets
Craig Rennebohm with David Paul. Beacon, $23.95 (224p) ISBN 978-0-8070-0042-7
For decades Rennebohm, a Protestant pastor, has walked the streets of Seattle, making contact with mentally ill homeless people and slowly drawing them into "circles of care" so they can find safe housing, receive medical and psychological help, and rejoin the human community. In this collaboration with Paul, Rennebohm interweaves themes of the Spirit working in desperate lives, the unshakable dignity of human souls and the necessity of companionship for healing as he vividly portrays the lost people he encounters. Always recognizing that medical treatment of mental illness is an essential part of the movement toward spiritual wholeness, Rennebohm is also sensitive to the vulnerability of the mentally ill to disordered religious ideas. The book's title, a response to Jonathan Edwards's famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," reflects Rennebohm's approach of gentle compassion toward people others reject. His call to find a better path leads him to Europe to study community-based approaches to treating mental illness and to initiate these in Seattle. As well as a guide to how others can help be healing presences to the mentally ill, this hopeful book is a meditation on faith in a broken world. (May)
The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology
Jack Kornfield. Bantam, $28 (420p) ISBN 978-0-553-80347-1
Author, psychologist and pioneering Buddhist teacher Kornfield writes his best book yet (and his previous ones were pretty good). His newest uses the same sweet narrative voice, provides convincing and illustrative anecdotes and stories, and reaches into world traditions and literature as well as contemporary scientific research. This book offers a systematic and well-organized view of Buddhist psychology, complete with occasional diagrams. Concepts and practices are placed in a framework that explains and connects them. It's all done with an eye toward application; most chapters end with exercises. Kornfield has been practicing Buddhism for close to 40 years, a lasting discipline that has produced this masterful book and a seasoned view of life that acknowledges a lot of oopses. As a meditator and psychologist, he has also witnessed some serious angst, including his own, and draws on it for illustrative power. Not everything here is new, least of all the title, but then the Buddha isn't either. The best is left for last: joy you can seek for yourself and others. Just keep your meditative seat, and this book by your bed. Kornfield comes across as the therapist you wish you'd had. (Apr. 29)
Two Original RBL Reviews
The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore
Deepak Chopra. Harmony, $24 (288p) ISBN 978-0-307-33831-0
In this breezy but unoriginal volume, bestselling spiritual guru Chopra (The Soul in Love, etc.) tells readers not to concern themselves with either the historical Jesus or the "theological Jesus," who was invented by the Christian church. The Jesus that's worth our attention is the titular third Jesus, a mystic who uttered radical, other-directed teachings like "turn the other cheek." This Jesus wanted to show followers the path to "God-consciousness," and hoped to help create a world where people would live together in harmony. He showed us how to love, and taught that if we want to be born to a new self, we must die to our old self. Chopra outlines 15 steps, based on New Testament passages, that can help people achieve the God-consciousness Jesus offered; these steps include a meditative breathing exercise designed to foster detachment from the world, and a series of questions that prompt self-examination and a reconsideration of evil. Along the way, Chopra has plenty of caustic things to say about the state of North American Christianity, claiming that fundamentalists have "hijacked" Jesus' radical message and substituted a conservative social agenda for his teachings on love. Chopra concludes by imagining what Jesus would really think about war, abortion, gay rights and other hot-button issues. Spiritual seekers who are interested in Jesus but put off by institutional Christianity will find this book a valuable resource. (Feb. 19)
The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok
Greg Barrett. Jossey-Bass, $25.95 (208p) ISBN 978-0-470-25863-7
Barrett, a veteran journalist, records the inspiring work of Catholic priest Joe Maier in Bangkok's slums. Drawn to service in Thailand on a whim, the misfit American seminary student found a calling amongst the Thai downtrodden, even living in the slums himself. In founding his Mercy Centre organization 30 years ago, which focuses on preschool education, the irascible Father Joe confronts the interweaving effects of slum life, the sex trade, HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, illiteracy and orphanhood. In the process he rebukes sex traffickers, Thai government officials and even the Catholic Church. As witnessed by Barrett, Father Joe is at his most brave when comforting children dying of HIV/AIDS. Although narrating a Three Cups of Tea set in debauched Bangkok, Barrett, overt in his own cynicism, sometimes fails to capture the enigmatic Father Joe with this cobbling of anecdotes. However, many of the stories are memorable, from the tragic (street toddlers, happily schooled at Mercy, later dying there of HIV/AIDS), to the triumphant (Mercy graduates who attend college abroad and are able to climb out of poverty). Reverend Desmond Tutu authors the foreword. (Mar. 21)
