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Spirituality and Religion May 2026 |
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| The Supreme Gift: Love Is the Greatest Thing in the World by Paulo Coelho, translated by Margaret Jull CostaDrawing on spiritual traditions across cultures, this brief meditative work posits that love is humanity’s highest calling. Originally published in 1991 in Brazil and told in Paulo Coelho’s signature parable‑like style, it adapts a 19th-century sermon for a more modern audience, inviting readers to consider how compassion, care, and generosity shape personal purpose more than faith alone. |
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| Braving the Truth: Essential Essays for Reckoning With and Reimagining Faith by Rachel Held EvansThis posthumous collection of essays from Rachel Held Evans, who unexpectedly passed away in 2019, reflects her ongoing commitment to questioning inherited beliefs while remaining deeply engaged with faith and community. Written with honesty and warmth, the pieces explore doubt, grace, and belonging, modeling a generous, open‑handed approach to belief during times of personal and cultural change. |
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Liturgies of the Wild: Myths That Make Us
by Martin Shaw
In Liturgies of the Wild, acclaimed mythographer, storyteller and Christian thinker Martin Shaw argues that we live in a myth-impoverished age and that such poverty has left us vulnerable to stories that may not wish us well. Drawing on the "ancient technologies" of myths and initiatory rites, Shaw provides a road to wholeness, maturity and connection. He teaches us to read a myth the way it wants to be read; provides vivid retellings of tales powerful enough to carry you through life's travails; and shows you how to gather and reshape your own thrown-away stories. Most vividly, he shares how these ancient technologies led him-unexpectedly-to Christ, "the True Myth," by way of a thirty-year journey and a 101-night vigil in a Dartmoor forest.
Combining scholarly erudition with nimble storytelling in the tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Liturgies of the Wild is a thrilling counsel of resistance and delight in the face of many modern monsters.
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| How to Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discovering Who You Really Are by J. Eric OliverIn an age obsessed with self-analysis, this lively and thought-provoking book asks whether the “self” we’re trying so hard to understand is quite what we think it is. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and ancient philosophy, J. Eric Oliver suggests that earlier traditions were less focused on inward identity and more concerned with how to live well among others, inviting readers to loosen their grip on selfhood and live more spaciously. |
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| A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness by Michael PollanEmbracing the mystery of consciousness from every angle -- scientific, philosophical, spiritual, and literary -- Michael Pollan asks the question: what does it mean to be aware? Ranging far beyond the human mind, he explores how consciousness may take shape both artificially and throughout the natural world, encouraging readers to look more closely at their own inner lives and to consider the possibility that the universe itself is more alive than we might think. |
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Why Religious Freedom Matters: Human Rights and Human Flourishing
by Allen D. Hertzke
Marshalling unprecedented global scholarship, Allen Hertzke demonstrates how religious freedom is pivotal to democratic, peaceful, and flourishing societies. In Why Religious Freedom Matters, Allen Hertzke synthesizes vast evidence from history, ethnography, and worldwide statistical analyses to make the compelling empirical case for the role of religious liberty in shaping a better global future. In rich detail, Hertzke demonstrates how religious freedom nurtures democracy, fosters prosperity, and cultivates international peace. The book also reveals the surprising ways that religious liberty and equality unleash personal agency that empowers women and uplifts the poor. Religious freedom uniquely matters, Hertzke argues, because it goes to the heart of human personhood and aspiration-the right to be who we are, to act on ultimate commitments, and to be treated with equal worth and dignity. Based on a quarter century of immersion in global networks of scholarship and activism on religious freedom, Hertzke has produced a landmark volume showing how we can navigate the challenge of living with our differences in a shrinking world.
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| The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change by Rebecca SolnitSurveying decades of cultural, ecological, and social change, Rebecca Solnit’s hopeful reflection argues that profound transformation often unfolds quietly and unevenly. By tracing movements toward interconnection and collective responsibility, she invites readers to look beyond despair and recognize how new ways of living emerge from endings. |
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| The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary by Terry Tempest WilliamsThrough lyrical essays and closely observed stories, this book gathers moments of grace (which the author calls “Glorians”) found in nature, teaching, protest, love, and loss. Written in the shadow of environmental upheaval and collective grief, it invites readers toward stillness, attentiveness, and a renewed sense of the sacred woven quietly through ordinary life. |
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| Shaolin Spirit: The Way to Self-Mastery by Shi Heng Yi with Stefanie Koch, translated by Caroline WaightRooted in Zen, Taoist, and Buddhist philosophy, this guide draws on the Shaolin tradition to explore self‑discipline, resilience, and clarity of mind. Blending historical insight with practical exercises in movement, breath, and attention, it presents self‑mastery as an embodied practice -- especially for readers seeking steadiness and ethical grounding in an increasingly reactive world. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library
100 E. 4th Street
Michigan City, Indiana 46360
219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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