As India-based British journalist William Dalrymple notes, the interviews that form the basis of this book "took place in eight different languages," demonstrating the incredible diversity that exists in contemporary India. Among the individuals you'll meet in Nine Lives are a Jain nun pursuing sallekhana (or santhara), i.e. ritual death by self-starvation; a Rajasthani goatherd-turned-bard who has committed to memory a 4,000 line epic; a Sufi holy woman; and a Buddhist monk who joined the Tibetan resistance, taking up arms against the Chinese before going into exile to atone for his violent acts. Library Journal calls Nine Lives "enthralling."

Becoming a self-proclaimed "Jesus Freak" was the last thing author and journalist Sara Miles expected, given that she's a lesbian who'd been an atheist for most of her life. But after a midlife conversion to Christianity, she decided to follow in the footsteps of Christ by feeding the hungry--literally. Now the director of the Food Pantry at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Miles reflects on her decision to "claim a faith that many of my fellow believers want to exclude me from" and describes how she has put that faith into action in the food pantry, helping some of society's most vulnerable members.

Most Americans believe in Heaven, even while they don't agree on what form it takes, where it might be found, or who gets to go there. Newsweek religion editor Lisa Miller doesn't promise any definitive answers regarding the afterlife; her focus is on believers and their beliefs. In addition to consulting clergy and theologians, she also interviews ordinary people--and not-so-ordinary people, such as the psychic who channels the spirit of an older bald man (a ringer for Ed Asner, apparently). Miller also surveys pop culture depictions of what happens after death and reflects on her own hopes and expectations for the great beyond.

In this "provocative, thoughtful, fiercely intelligent" book (Booklist) religion scholar Stephen R. Prothero criticizes what he views as the "naive theological groupthink--call it Godthink" that the world's religions are more similar than different. Prothero focuses on 8 major "rival" faiths: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and the Yorùbá religion, presenting their major differences in terms of problem and solution. For example, in Christianity, the problem is sin, while the solution to that problem is salvation--whereas in Buddhism, the problem is suffering, which is solved by awakening. For this reason, he claims, understanding all religions as different paths to the same God is not only incorrect, it could be dangerous.

In 2003, journalist G. Willow Wilson traveled to Egypt to teach at an English-language high school in Cairo. She'd long felt drawn to Islam, but due to the events of 9/11, she was conflicted about those feelings. In Cairo, she learned Arabic and converted to Islam, while falling in love with (and becoming engaged to) fellow teacher Omar, an Egyptian Muslim man. As she struggled to adjust to her new life, her friends and family struggled to come to terms with her decision. The Butterfly Mosque is at once a coming-of-age story, a cross-cultural romance, and a reflection on faith and community.

At the lowest point in her life, having survived a bad marriage, an ugly divorce, and serious clinical depression, author Nevada Barr walked into an Episcopal church in Mississippi because it was the closest building she could find. In this collection of short essays, Barr--best known for her Anna Pigeon mystery series--recounts how she found religion after a lifetime of atheism and a disdain for organized religion, as well as how she reconciles her faith with a naturally skeptical mind. Publishers Weekly praises Seeking Enlightenment for its "sassy style, self-deprecating sense of humor and trenchant observations."

Raised as part of a strict Old Order Amish sect in Iowa, Ruth left her family and community in order to marry the "English" (non-Amish) man she loved. Her family, who disapproved of the older, divorced Ottie Garrett, shunned her--permanently. Ruth accompanied her husband to Kentucky, but as someone who'd grown up in a world without electricity, automobiles, or even buttons (let alone Victoria's Secret underwear), she struggled to adapt to her new life. If you're fascinated by the Amish and by those who have left the Amish community, then be sure to read this "moving and life-affirming" memoir (Booklist).

In this "beautiful portrait of faith" (Publishers Weekly), retired Catholic priest Joseph Girzone, author of the popular Joshua books, describes the joys and challenges of belief. Drawing on both his theological training and his personal experiences, Girzone asks many thought-provoking questions and tackles complicated subjects, from the existence of God to the creation of the universe. At the same time he makes it clear that his struggles with faith have ultimately enriched him and strengthened his belief, providing him with a "deeper understanding of God."

Do you doubt? If so, you're in good company. From the skepticism of the ancient Greek philosophers to the scientific empiricism of today, doubt has played a vital role in human history. In this book, historian Jennifer Hecht examines how the mere act of questioning has influenced religious and philosophical thought through the ages (often at the expense of the doubters), while also leading to numerous scientific, political, and cultural discoveries and innovations. And, although Hecht traces Western intellectual history from its origins to the present day, she also examines the role of doubt in Eastern religions and civilizations.

When former 60 Minutes producer John Marks interviewed the authors of the popular Left Behind Series, they asked Marks if he thought he would be "left behind." This led him on a quest to revaluate his relationship with Christianity. Although he had been intensely devout as a teenager, he gradually moved away from religion and into a secular lifestyle. In this book, Marks travels across the U.S.--which, at some 100 million believers, has more Evangelical Christians than any nation in the world--to speak with pastors, missionaries, and ordinary worshippers about what their faith means and how it influences their everyday lives. While Marks ultimately does not return to his childhood faith, his exploration does cause him to reevaluate some of his assumptions about Evangelicalism.

Many people were shocked when the late Mother Teresa's private writings came to light--and revealed that she had struggled with deep spiritual doubt for most of her life, experiencing long periods in which she did not feel God's presence at all. Edited by her friend and postulator (a church official responsible for gathering evidence for sanctification), Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, this book collects Mother Teresa's letters, journal entries, and other writings that span from the years leading up to her founding of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India, in 1950 to shortly before her death in 1997.