Religion and Spirituality
September 2024
 
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Resources @ Your Library
Have you met Libby?
Libby is a free app that allows you to borrow eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines from our OverDrive collection. You can stream titles with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline enjoyment anytime, anywhere. All you need to get started is a library card. Click to learn more.
hoopla
Hoopla allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV! Titles are ALWAYS AVAILABLE and can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment later. NOTE: When creating a hoopla account, use your last name as your PIN.
Events @ Your Library
Library Card Sign Up Month
Do you want free books, music, movies, magazines, access to online data bases, special events and activities? You can apply online or in person at a Metro Library location. You can use your online application immediately, but you'll need to visit a Metro Library location to receive a physical card. You're eligible for a card if you live in, work at, attend school, or pay property taxes in Oklahoma County. Reciprocal cards are available for Cleveland County, McClain County, or Pottawatomie County. You can also request a card for a free internet access account.
Recent Releases
Feh: A Memoir
by Shalom Auslander

Shalom Auslander, raised in a dysfunctional Orthodox Jewish family, struggles with a deeply ingrained story of shame and brokenness as he reaches middle age, represented by the concept of “feh” (Yiddish for “yuck”). In this irreverent and deeply felt memoir, he seeks to rewrite this narrative, confronting his past and the influences that shaped him, hoping to do better for his children. 
Why I Believe: A Psychologist's Thoughts on Suffering, Miracles, and Faith
by Dr. Henry Cloud

A world-renowned psychologist shares his journey through illness, depression, and healing, revealing how these experiences and his faith shaped his calling. In this deeply personal book, Cloud combines masterful storytelling with psychological insight, inviting readers to explore the profound questions that give life meaning and define our humanity. 
Loving Your Black Neighbor As Yourself: A Guide to Closing the Space Between Us
by Chanté Griffin

Aspiring to foster racial healing through a Christian lens, this inspiring guide encourages readers to love their Black neighbors with God’s holistic love, offering practical steps that embrace intimacy, honor, advocacy, and prayer, all leading to spiritual transformation and building deeper relationships.
Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church
by Eliza Griswold

Beginning in 1996, Circle of Hope congregations offered an alternative approach to Christian Evangelicalism. But by 2023, internal divisions and societal shifts caused them to crumble. Pulitzer winner Eliza Griswold utilizes years of investigation in this complex "inquest into the death of a church" (Publishers Weekly). 
Loving Life As It Is: A Buddhist Guide to Ultimate Happiness
by Chakung Jigme Wangdrak

Buddhist teachings guide individuals through life's turmoil towards joy, beginning by embracing pain and suffering. Through mental exercises, author Chakung Jigme Wangdrak gently teaches readers how to cultivate courage, compassion, and patience while reducing self-grasping. He provides a roadmap for anyone seeking happiness and spiritual growth in daily life. 
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy
by Tia Levings

Tia Levings recounts her harrowing experience within the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement, where she endured strict discipline, isolation, and abuse as a submissive wife. Realizing the danger to her children, she faced a critical choice: remain trapped or escape. This memoir explores the impact of extreme religious views on marriage and family. 
The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East
by Barnaby Rogerson

The 1400-year-old Sunni-Shia schism is central to many Middle Eastern conflicts. This compelling and accessible historical account delves into the origins of this divide, tracing its roots from the death of Prophet Muhammad to the Iranian Revolution. Maintaining an impartial stance, travel writer Barnaby Rogerson explores how historical, religious, and ethnic identities have intertwined to shape the region’s contemporary tensions. 
Who Really Wrote the Bible: The Story of the Scribes
by William M. Schniedewind

Arguing that the Hebrew Bible was not written by individuals but by communities of scribes, William Schniedewind draws on archaeology, inscriptions, and biblical texts to support his theory. In this enlightening and accessible volume, Schniedewind describes how authorship as we understand it is a later concept, emphasizing the communal origins of biblical literature.
Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening
by Henry Shukman

What if we replaced the idea of original sin with original love? This meditation guide addresses feelings of disconnection and loneliness, suggesting practical techniques to explore the four paths -- Mindfulness, Support, Absorption, and Awakening -- to promote healing and personal transformation. 
Contact your librarian for more great books!