Living Wisely
On the 25th anniversary of Wendell Berry's groundbreaking The Unsettling of America, scholar Norman Wirzba has gathered 21 of Berry's wisest essays for an agrarian collection that's at once revolutionary and sane. The Art of the Commonplace presents Berry's vision for how our fragmented culture might re-establish connection to God, to each other, and to the whole community of creation. Berry's essays create a joyful resting place and reawaken hunger for all that's wholesome and whole. Counterpoint.
Seeing is Believing
Want to meet Siraj Wahhaj, the first Muslim cleric to give the opening prayer in the U.S. Senate? Or hear the spiritual reflections of an Orthodox rabbi? On Common Ground: World Religions in America, edited by Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, is a newly updated CD-ROM that provides face-to-face encounters with religious diversity in America. An accessible collection of text, video, graphics, music, and the voices of believers, with links to hundreds of related Web sites. Columbia University Press.
Life in the HOV Lane
It's possible to find the sacred in our minivans. During the time author Denise Roy spent ferrying her four kids around town—to the tune of about 130,000 miles—and waiting for them at various locations, she began to record her spiritual reflections. The result is My Monastery is a Minivan: Where the Daily is Divine and the Routine Becomes Prayer, a collection of 35 funny and touching stories about the messy and joyful aspects of family life. Spirituality is about life, Roy reminds us, not a retreat from life. Loyola Press.
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