Spirituality and Religion
November 2021

Recent Releases
Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life
by Mary Katherine Backstrom

What it's about: Learning to embrace imperfection in faith and in life, and how being a "hot mess" is no obstacle to developing a relationship with God.

Read it for: The funny and engaging writing style; the inclusion of many candid and relatable "messes" in the author's own life and the lessons she's learned along the way.
 
No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
by Kate Bowler

What it is: An incisive collection of essays about grief, hope, family ties, and what it means to think about the future in the face of a devastating cancer diagnosis.  

About the author: Kate Bowler is a professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School whose previous works include Blessed, Everything Happens for a Reason, and The Preacher's Wife.

Why you might like it: Bowler tells her heartwrenching story with unexpected but welcome humor, reflecting on the absurdities of life in even the darkest times.  
Exodus, Revisited: My Unorthodox Journey to Berlin
by Deborah Feldman

What it's about: The moving story of author Deborah Feldman, who left her Hasidic upbringing behind in 2009 to forge a new life for herself and her young son.

Topics include: Finding a Jewish identity outside of her insular Hasidic community; learning to be a single mother; and traveling across Europe to explore her family's experiences with the Holocaust.

Media buzz: Feldman's first memoir Unorthodox was adapted into the Netflix series of the same name.
The Artist and the Eternal City: Bernini, Pope Alexander VII, and the Making of Rome
by Loyd Grossman

What's inside: A richly detailed portrait of the political, cultural, and spiritual role that the Papacy played in 17th-century Rome and Pope Alexander VII's efforts to restore the prestige of both the city and the Church as an art and architecture patron. 

 
Even If:Trusting God When Life Disappoints, Overwhelms, or Just Doesn't Make Sense
by Mitchel Lee

What it is: An inspiring exploration of how to learn to trust God even during times of uncertainty and fear.

Why you might like it: Author Mitchel Lee interweaves examples from his own life experience with scriptural analysis and presents his reflections in an encouraging voice. 
 
The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life
by Lisa Miller, PhD

What it is: An accessible and thought-provoking look at the intersection between spirituality and science, steeped in years of clinical research.

Topics include: The correlation between spiritual practice and reduced rates of depression and addiction; genetic variables that may predispose someone toward spirituality. 
 
Where the Light Fell: A Memoir
by Philip Yancey

What it is: A compelling and thought-provoking story of rebuilding a relationship with faith after surviving a traumatic childhood suffused with Christian fundamentalism.

Read it for: The candid portrayal of racism in Southern churches before the Civil Rights Movement; the exploration of fear as a basis for faith and how to create a healthier relationship with spirituality.

About the author: Former Christianity Today editor-at-large Philip Yancey has published numerous books on spiritual topics, including The Jesus I Never Knew, Soul Survivor, and What's So Amazing about Grace?
Contact your librarian for more great books!