Four Reviews Coming in Publishers Weekly on Monday, April 28
-- Publishers Weekly, 4/9/2008
Surprised by God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion
Danya Ruttenberg. Beacon, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-8070-1068-6
In this memoir of her journey from punk-partying atheist teenager to rabbi-in-training (yarmulke and all), Ruttenberg chronicles the awakening and intensification of religious life. The book's breezy style, mixing personal anecdotes with reflection, is balanced by thoughtful narrative about what religion is and what it demands of its adherents. The author weaves in her religious studies training gently, applying occasional references to classical theologians (Kierkegaard and Maimonides), medieval mystics (Teresa of Ávila), and modern thinkers (Thomas Merton and Elliot Dorff) as they illuminate a particular insight or experience. In the context of Ruttenberg's enthusiasm for ideas and practice, readers can forgive when instructive reflections hint of sermonizing. Although the details of Ruttenberg's experience—including wild parties in California's dotcom boom, a lonely Shabbat in Tel Aviv, and praying in tefillin—may be unique, her description of her growing awareness of the power of ritual, the support of community, and religion as relationship will resonate with all sorts of spiritual seekers. (Aug.)
Zen Heart: Simple Advice for Living with Mindfulness and Compassion
Ezra Bayda. Shambhala, $21.95 paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-59030-543-0
This is a lovely book for advanced students of Buddhism. It won't do much for beginners, however, because it's simply too interior. Those who haven't had exposure to the strange quarries that the mind in meditation may chase may well find Zen teacher Bayda opaque. He has deep insights into the nature of mind that demonstrate his experienced understanding and diligent practice of Zen Buddhism. The book is certainly well organized; the author, like so many American Buddhists who emphasize meditation practice, has a keenly analytical mind. But it takes patience to follow his somewhat bare exposition. More stories and examples would help, although he does draw on his own life to illustrate difficulties. A more specific title would also signal more of the author's unique insights. The promise of greater joy, equanimity, clarity and compassion is worth sitting around for, however much patience it requires to read Bayda's book. Ultimately, that requirement is not a drawback; patience is a virtue in any religion, and a good flashlight for the Zen path. (July)
Touched by God: Ten Monastic Journeys
Edited by Laurentia Johns. Continuum, $19.95 paper (248p) ISBN 978-0-86012-451-1
Anyone whose imagination has been captured by monastic life will find this collection of personal stories by 10 men and women living under the Rule of Benedict absorbing as well as enlightening. Inspired by a similar anthology published in 1982 as A Touch of God, this volume retains the same format of simple narratives, freshened by new stories from editor Johns and others who represent the variety of monastic expression today. The narrators range from 26-year-old Joanna Gilbert, who is discerning a monastic vocation while living in a community of young laypeople basing their lives on Benedict's Rule, to Monica Mead, who made her profession in 2002 at 74 after raising a family. Each story shatters stereotypes by offering a keenly transparent view of life inside both monk and monastery. Whether discussing the shock of shedding the trappings of status and independence or the adjustment required for growing into a life of silence, each author provides an intimate and informative look at the path to monasticism and its continuing journey. (July)
Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist
Sharman Apt Russell. Basic Books, $25 (256p) ISBN 978-0-465-00517-8
Pantheism "is the belief that the universe.... is an interconnected whole that we can rightly consider sacred." A Quaker who has studied many philosophies and religions (she was once kicked out of an Indian ashram), Russell has lived for nearly three decades in southwestern New Mexico, writing (Hunger; An Obsession with Butterflies), teaching, banding birds, searching for meaning, and hoping to see a sandhill crane dance. A "scientific pantheist," she claims not to be "built for mysticism," though her description of "walking through the Mind and Body of God" might prove otherwise. The uniqueness of this book, however, lies less in its lyrical passages—which sometimes evoke the early Annie Dillard—than in its concise and readable summaries of pantheistic thought, especially that of Marcus Aurelius, Giordano Bruno, Baruch Spinoza and Walt Whitman. Russell's faith is all-embracing but unsentimental. "Pantheism is weak on suffering," she admits, but "what is the alternative? We are braided into pain and joy, darkness and light. We are braided into nature, reflecting the sky." (July)
Two Original RBL Reviews
When Your Family's Lost a Loved One: Finding Hope Together
David and Nancy Guthrie. Tyndale, $13.99 paper (192p) ISBN 978-1-58997-480-7
The Guthries are no strangers to grief: they have lost two of their three children to Zellweger Syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder. While they never wanted to become experts on grief, they have found through writing books (Holding on to Hope) and speaking to the bereaved around the country that their experiences of loss and devastation are all too common and all too often misunderstood. Readers who are in mourning want someone who has walked in their shoes, and in this book the Guthries provide not just their own experiences but also the wisdom of many others, whose thoughts are presented in Q&A interviews. The Guthries talk to grief counselors, psychiatrists, educators and most importantly, the bereaved to find out about grief and how to cope with it. The book tackles hard questions—why would God let this happen? Is it all right to take medication to deal with my grief and depression? How do I respond to the cluelessness of others? What is heaven? Can families really grow closer together after losing a loved one? How can I remember the loss, yet move on with life? The Guthries also provide extremely helpful chapters exploring the ways that men and women might grieve differently, and how parents can help their children deal with loss. This is an extraordinary book that will be of great value to families who are grieving. (May)
Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture
Daniel Radosh. Scribner, $25 (320p) ISBN 978-0-7432-9770-7
Christian popular culture is a fast-growing and lucrative phenomenon in the United States, so much so that Radosh, a Jewish author and contributing editor at The Week magazine, took the time to research this complicated and fascinating world. The author's style is funny and direct, which helps the prose flow smoothly. He takes the reader on an amusing trek through the sometimes bizarre world of Christian popular culture, deftly critiquing it without being overly condescending. The author discovers that just about everything found in mainstream popular culture has a Christian counterpart: books, all forms of music, television shows, movies, comedy, skateboarding, and even wrestling. Radosh has the astute sense of a journalist and the evocative humor of a stand-up comic. He balances his rather skeptical perspective with respectful stories about the lives of people he encounters. The tension between being in the world and of the world, a common Christian challenge, is present throughout, and reminds all people of faith to question how tightly they wish to embrace popular culture. (Apr.)
Two Starred Reviews Coming in PW on Monday, April 28:
Love as a Way of Life: Seven Traits That Will Transform Your Relationships
Gary Chapman. Doubleday, $19.95 (272p) ISBN 978-0-385-51858-1
Chapman follows up his five-million-copy bestseller The Five Love Languages with this wise, heartfelt guide to cultivating seven traits that lead to loving relationships. Whereas his work on love languages explored the primary ways people give and receive love, this book explores the nitty-gritty of an entire "attitude of love," with chapters on kindness, patience, forgiveness, humility, courtesy, generosity and honesty. Each chapter includes quizzes, questions for reflection and ideas for applying that chapter's teachings. All self-help books run the risk of cliché, but Chapman manages to make tried-and-true material feel fresh through carefully chosen examples from his pastoral counseling practice and his own life. The chapter on forgiveness is especially powerful, as Chapman advocates forgiveness as a daily habit, not an occasional bequest. Although Christian faith provides the scaffolding for his program and a concluding chapter makes the need for God's help explicit, Chapman's judicious counsel can be implemented by people of many religious traditions. This book is head and shoulders above the bulk of self-help literature precisely because it is not about "self" so much as helping others. (July 15)
Journaling as a Spiritual Practice: Encountering God Through Attentive Writing
Helen Cepero. InterVarsity, $15 paper (160p) ISBN 978-0-8308-3519-5
According to Cepero, director of spiritual formation at North Park Theological Seminary, we come to know God more deeply by paying attention to our own reality, and in doing so, learn to "tune our hearts to hear God's transforming Word for us." In this lively, encouraging and pastoral book, Cepero shows readers how to journal in a way that moves past simple recitation of events, to writing that reveals God at work in a life. Brief chapters recommend areas to explore, including one's past and present story; suffering; hopes for the future; noticing God in daily life, and addressing the past. Cepero teaches strategies and techniques throughout with examples from journals and her own experiences. She also provides suggested exercises to help writers find focus, particularly beginners or those who feel stuck with their writing. An especially insightful chapter explores how physical movement or exercise frees the mind and spirit to write. Finally, Cepero suggests ways to cope with common barriers to journaling, including our inner critics and censors. An appendix includes helpful guidelines for group journaling. (July)
