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Spirituality and Religion March 2018
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Literary Voices with Lee Child
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Literary Voices 2018: Lee Child
Lee Child, creator of the Jack Reacher series, is our guest for Literary Voices on Thursday, April 12, 2018. Literary Voices is a fundraising event for the Library Endowment Trust, which supports the Metropolitan Library System. The event involves a VIP cocktail hour, a dinner, and a speech by Lee Child followed by a Q&A session and a book signing.
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| The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World by Bart D. EhrmanWhat it is: the 400-year story of Christianity's growth, from a fringe sect of 20 illiterate peasants into Western civilization's dominant faith. New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman follows the birth of the religion from Galilee to the Roman Empire, including the conversion of Emperor Constantine in 312 AD. Further reading: The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion by Rodney Stark.
Digital Formats: Also available as an OverDrive E-book. |
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| Happiness in This Life: A Passionate Meditation on Earthly Existence by Pope FrancisWhat it is: a collection of homilies, addresses, and writings by Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, about finding joy and happiness in life.
Why you might like it: The short entries touch on topics ranging from humility to family; while aimed at Catholics, it's approachable for those of other faiths too. "A book as loving and encouraging as the man himself seems to be," says Booklist.
You might also like: The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Digital Formats: Also available as an OverDrive e-Audiobook and E-book. |
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| Moral Combat: How Sex Divided American Christians and Fractured American Politics by R. Marie GriffithWhat it is: a sweeping history of how sexuality divided the American political and cultural landscape -- and how Christianity played a role. Starting in the 1920s (when birth control activist Margaret Sanger arrived on the scene) and continuing through Donald Trump's election as President, Moral Combat touches on issues fought over in churches and the voting book alike -- abortion, gay marriage, and transgender rights.
Is it for you? This timely book will please readers interested in the history of today's hot-button issues.
Digital Formats: Also available as an OverDrive E-book and always available as a Hoopla e-Audiobook. |
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| Madison Park: A Place of Hope by Eric L. MotleyWhat it is: a moving and inspiring memoir from Erik Motley, an academic scholar and former special assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush, about growing up in Madison Park, Alabama, which was founded by freed slaves in 1880. Motley reflects on the friends and neighbors who helped shape him and describes the strong role of faith in his small African American community.
Reviewers say: "The story of a remarkable yet humble life" (Library Journal).
Digital Formats: Also available as an OverDrive e-Audiobook. |
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Focus on: Women and Religion
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| American Saint: The Life of Elizabeth Seton by Joan BarthelWhat it's about: Mother Elizabeth Seton, the first American-born Catholic saint, was canonized in 1975, two centuries after her birth to a prominent Episcopalian family in New York City.
Don't miss: A professor of American Studies, author Joan Barthel highlights the significance of Elizabeth's contributions to American education, the Catholic Church, and women's roles in the Church.
You might also like: Alice Camille's Fearless: Stories of the American Saints, for profiles of other American Catholic saints. |
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| Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-WeberWhat it is: Bestselling author Nadia Bolz-Weber, a tattooed former stand-up comic and recovering addict who is now an ordained Lutheran minister, shares stories of finding grace in the most surprising people and everyday situations. Tying her memoir to the liturgical calendar, Bolz-Weber writes in a witty, humorous, and "compulsively readable" (Booklist) style, but be advised that she also includes rough language and the occasional vulgarity.
Who it's for: Fans of Anne Lamott and Brian McLaren; feminist Christians.
Digital Formats: Also available as an OverDrive e-Audiobook and E-book. |
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| Exodus: A Memoir by Deborah FeldmanWhat it's about: Author Deborah Feldman picks up where she left off in her bestselling 2012 memoir Unorthodox, continuing her voyage of self-discovery as a former member of a strict Satmar Hasidic Jewish sect and as a single mother. Feldman revisits her past and travels from the American South to locations in Europe, where she retraces her grandmother's experiences during the Holocaust.
You might also like: Devotion by Dani Shapiro and Cut Me Loose by Leah Vincent. |
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| May I Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Yoga, and Changing My Mind by Cyndi LeeWhat it is: Though she danced professionally in the 1980s and has been a well-known yoga teacher for years, Cyndi Lee had always hated her body. In May I Be Happy, Lee recounts both her lifelong struggles to achieve self-acceptance and how the tenets of Buddhism and yoga helped her quiet the critical voice inside her head.
Read it for: An empowering message about body image and self-love.
Is it for me? This memoir will appeal to those who strive to make peace with their bodies.
Digital Formats: Also available as an OverDrive E-book. |
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E-Resources Available Anywhere
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Kanopy
Kanopy offers over 30,000 films, TV shows, and documentaries that you can stream in your browser or watch on iOS, Android, Chromecast, AppleTV, or Roku. From The Criterion Collection, PBS, and World Cinema to The Great Courses, Independent Film, and Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Kanopy has something for everyone. You can check out 6 titles per month. Once a title is checked out, you have unlimited viewing of it for the next 3 days.
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Oxford Biblical Studies Online
Provides a comprehensive resource for the study of the Bible and biblical history. Oxford Biblical Studies Online contains the full text of six Bibles from a variety of denominations, the apocryphal texts from the Old and New Testaments, The Oxford Bible Commentary, articles from Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Oxford Companion to the Bible, images, maps, timelines, and more.
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Oxford Islamic Studies Online
Provides a comprehensive resource for the study of the Islamic world and Islamic history. Oxford Islamic Studies Online contains two Oxford World's Classics versions of the Qur'an, Concordance of the Qur'an, The Oxford History of Islam, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, images, maps, timelines, and more.
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World Religions Online
This database is an objective, comprehensive guide to the world’s major religions and spiritual traditions. It contains a calendar of holidays and observances, videos, images, essays, biographies, and more about the beliefs, practices and history of each major religion.
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Contact your library for more great books! |
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