2009 University Press Books
Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries
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2009 University Press Books |
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Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries |
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200-299 Religion 200.973 Religion and the Culture of Print in Modern America 392 pp., 6” x 9”, 26 b&w illus., $65.00 cloth, $29.95 paper, CIP included May 2008 The University of Wisconsin Press Mingling God and Mammon, piety and polemics, and prescriptions for this world and the next, modern Americans have created a culture of print that is vibrantly religious. A variety of print media—religious tracts, newsletters, cartoons, pamphlets, self-help books, mass-market paperbacks, and editions of the Bible from the King James Version to contemporary “Bible-zines”—have shaped and been shaped by experiences of faith since the Civil War. “Groundbreaking essays...a fascinating foray into the modern religious worlds made by the word.”—Peter J. Thuesen, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis LC 2007040522, ISBN 978-0-299-22570-4 (c.), ISBN 978-0-299-22574-2 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: RS 200.973 What Americans Really Believe: New Findings from the Baylor Surveys of Religion 209 pp., 6” x 9”, tables, bibliog., $24.95 paper, CIP included September 2008 Baylor University Press In 1963 and 1964, Rodney Stark conducted the first two major, detailed surveys on religious practices and beliefs in America, published in a landmark volume, American Piety. Now, more than forty years after the original studies, Stark has conducted a follow-up, large-scale survey, instituted to take up where American Piety left off. New surveys were conducted in the fall of 2005 and 2007 and both were carried out by the Gallup Organization. What Americans Really Believe highlights the new, frequently surprising findings. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Americans’ religious beliefs and practices, and indeed, the state of Americans’ minds at this moment in history. LC 2008022188, ISBN 978-1-602581-78-4 (p.) AASL: G/HS PLA: G 202.22 The Hope of Liberation in World Religions 342 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $34.95 paper, CIP included March 2008 Baylor University Press Liberation theology emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed. As a part of Christian theology, liberation theology has been most frequently associated with the Catholic Church in Latin America. This groundbreaking work seeks to identify how the theological concepts of liberation theology might be manifested within other world faith traditions. This is thus the first book that attempts to find a “common ground” for liberation theology across religions. All of the contributors are scholars who share the religion or belief system they describe. Throughout, they endeavor to articulate liberationist concepts from the perspective of those who have been marginalized. LC 2007049678, ISBN 978-1-932792-50-8 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 204.222 Finding Faith, Losing Faith: Stories of Conversion and Apostasy 260 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $19.95 paper, CIP included August 2008 Baylor University Press This book examines stories as told by people who have actually undergone a conversion experience, including ones of apostasy. The scenarios reveal that there is not just one “conversion story.” Scot McKnight and Hauna Ondrey show that “conversion theory” helps explain why some people walk away from one religion, often to another, very different religion. The book confirms the usefulness—particularly for pastors, rabbis, and priests, and university and college teachers—of applying conversion theory to specific groups. However, the book’s sensitive detailing of the testimonies themselves makes conversion more than a theoretical occurrence; it makes the immediacy, and often the difficulty, of conversion both real and moving. LC 2008010623, ISBN 978-1-602581-62-3 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 211.309 Of God and Gods: Egypt, Israel, and the Rise of Monotheism 208 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $55.00 cloth, $26.95 paper, CIP included June 2008 The University of Wisconsin Press For thousands of years, our world has been shaped by biblical monotheism. But its hallmark—a distinction between one true God and many false gods—was once a new and radical idea. Jan Assmann, one of the most distinguished scholars of ancient Egypt working today, traces the concept of a true religion back to its earliest beginnings in Egypt and describes how this new idea took shape in the context of the older polytheistic world that it rejected. “An important contribution to the fields of Egyptology, Biblical studies, and the general study of religion.”—Israel Knohl, Hebrew University, Jerusalem LC 2007040021, ISBN 978-0-299-22550-6 (c.), ISBN 978-0-299-22554-4 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 215 Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science 240 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., $24.95 cloth, CIP included September 2008 Princeton University Press In Superstition, Park asks why people persist in superstitious convictions long after science has shown them to be ill-founded. “For Princeton physicist Robert Park, science serves as a rapier for skewering all beliefs not sustained by empirical proof. Predictably, religion heads the list of targets...[Park] pits experimental rigor not only against the creeds of antiquity but also against the irrationality of New Age gurus who evangelize for alternative medicines or extrasensory perception...Sure to spark sharp debate.”—Booklist LC 2008014926, ISBN 978-0-691-13355-3 (c.) AASL: G/MS, HS PLA: G 220.609 Last Stop before Antarctica: The Bible and Postcolonialism in Australia, 2nd Edition xiv, 201 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., indexes, $24.95 paper, CIP included May 2008 Society of Biblical Literature This second edition points to the vital role that the Bible has played in colonization, using Australia—one of the first centers of postcolonial criticism—as a specific example. Drawing upon colonial literature, including explorer journals, poetry, novels, and translations, it creates a mutually enlightening dialogue between postcolonial literature and biblical texts on themes such as exodus and exile, translation, identity, and home. LC 2008009755, ISBN 978-1-58983-348-7 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 220.83 Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics xiv, 183 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., indexes, $24.95 paper, CIP included May 2008 Society of Biblical Literature To help readers think critically about the Bible’s relation to modern environmental issues, this volume expands the horizons of biblical interpretation to introduce ecological hermeneutics, moving beyond a simple discussion about Earth and its constituents as topics to a reading of the text from the perspective of Earth. Sixteen scholars seek ways to identify with Earth as they read and retrieve the role or voice of Earth, a voice previously unnoticed or suppressed within the biblical text and its interpretation. This study enriches eco-theology with eco-exegesis in a radical and timely dialogue between ecology and hermeneutics. LC 2008003577, ISBN 978-1-58983-346-3 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 221.612 The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide 300 pp., 7” x 10”, full color maps, timeline, index, $22.00 paper, CIP included August 2008 The Jewish Publication Society This new volume in the acclaimed JPS Guide series is an invaluable companion to the Jewish Bible, providing readers with ready access to important facts and Bible basics. Includes summaries of all the biblical books; dozens of text boxes; an extensive glossary of Bible terms, places, and people; maps, charts, and tables; and large foldout timelines and family trees. LC 2008010794, ISBN 978-0-8276-0851-1 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: O 221.835 Writing and Reading War: Rhetoric, Gender, and Ethics in Biblical and Modern Contexts xii, 265 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $34.95 paper, CIP included September 2008 Society of Biblical Literature The essays in this collection examine how ancient Israelites wrote about war and how war-related texts in the Hebrew Bible have been read in ancient and modern contexts. They explore writing and reading war in contexts ranging from ancient Israel to early Judaism to contemporary Christianity. The contributors apply a variety of historical, literary, and comparative methods to biblical texts and present new perspectives on the rhetoric, gender, and ethics of war. LC 2008038978, ISBN 978-1-58983-354-8 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 224.306 Lamentations in Ancient and Contemporary Cultural Contexts xii. 274 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $34.95 paper, CIP included August 2008 Society of Biblical Literature Lament singers—from ancient civilizations to traditional oral poets to the biblical psalmists and poets of Lamentations to popular singers across the globe—have always raised the cry of human suffering. This volume gathers an international collection of essays on biblical lament and Lamentations, illuminating their genres, artistry, purposes, and significant place in the history and theologies of ancient Israel. It also explores lament across cultures, both those influenced by biblical traditions and those not, as the practices of composition, performance, and interpretation of life’s suffering continue to shed light on our knowledge of biblical lament. LC 2008022774, ISBN 978-1-58983-357-9 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 225.663 Jesus, the Voice, and the Text: Beyond The Oral and the Written Gospel 295 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $39.95 paper, CIP included October 2008 Baylor University Press Werner Kelber’s The Oral and the Written Gospel (1983) introduced biblical scholars to interdisciplinary trends in the study of ancient media culture. The book is now widely recognized as a milestone and it has spurred wide-ranging scholarship. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of its publication, new developments in orality theory, literacy theory, and social approaches to memory call for a programmatic reappraisal of past research and future directions. This volume addresses these concerns. Kelber himself is interviewed at the beginning of the book and, in a closing essay, he reflects on the significance of the project and charts a course for the future. LC 2008010625, ISBN 978-1-932792-60-7 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 227.92 The First Letter of Peter: A Commentary on the Greek Text 317 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $29.95 paper, CIP included March 2008 Baylor University Press The New Testament book known as “The First Letter of Peter” describes how Christians should relate to the world. Specifically, it suggests how Christians should define themselves against a powerful and sometimes hostile culture. Written to first-century Christians in Asia Minor who were suffering from religious persecution, this letter brings Biblical and extra-Biblical traditions together to forge an original and unique pastoral strategy. At the same time, in its depiction of “practical piety,” the letter is an impressive display of early Christian theology. One of the world’s authorities on Peter provides a verse by verse interpretation of First Peter that is both highly readable and deeply informed. LC 2007046039, ISBN 978-1-602580-24-4 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 229.925 The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles: An Introduction 288 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., indexes, $39.95 paper, CIP included September 2008 Baylor University Press A great deal has happened in recent decades in the study of the Apocryphal Acts, and the field of apocryphal literature is incredibly broad. A reader looking for a current, general, and concise introduction to the subject will welcome this book. Klauck not only offers an excellent introduction to the topic of the Apocryphal Acts, but also a useful resource for understanding the complex relations between these works themselves and to the canonical books. The book discusses both the main Apocryphal Acts, such as the Acts of John, Paul, and Peter, and the more recent works, including the Acts of Philip, Bartholomew, and Matthew. LC 2008010621, ISBN 978-1-602581-59-3 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 229.94 Flora Tells a Story: The Apocalypse of Paul and Its Contexts 298 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $85.00 cloth, CIP included November 2008 Wilfrid Laurier University Press In early Christianity, many were inspired to write gospels, treatises, letters, and stories but not all of these writings are found in the New Testament. One story, the Apocalypse of Paul, about apostle Paul’s ascent to the heavens was lost for millennia and rediscovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945. In Flora Tells a Story, Kaler discusses the Apocalypse of Paul and how it was shaped by its literary environment. He also includes a new annotated English translation of the Apocalypse of Paul and a fictional account of how it might have come to be written. C 20089031571, ISBN 978-1-55458-044-6 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 230 Theology for Pilgrims 296 pp., 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, index, $25.00 paper, CIP included May 2008 University of Notre Dame Press Theologian Nicholas Lash’s new collection of essays exposes a crisis in our thinking about God, a crisis at the root of our misunderstandings about science and politics, ethics and economics, life and death. Opening with a critique of Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion, Lash discusses the “impossibility of atheism” and argues that faith and reason are not at odds for Christians. From there he proceeds to retrieve the legacy of the Second Vatican Council, consider the ministry of women within the Catholic Church, and—among other delights—give insights into the works of Diderot. LC 2008005183, ISBN 978-0-268-03409-2 (p.) AASL: Not Reviewed PLA: S 230.22 God and the New Haven Railway: and Why Neither One Is Doing Very Well 176 pp., 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, $18.00 paper, CIP included November 2008 University of Notre Dame Press In this disarmingly witty look at the disrepair of the divine, George Dennis O’Brien offers a guide for finding the sacred in the everyday. Christopher Lasch called the book, first published over twenty years ago, “an astute analysis of our spiritual malaise.” God and the New Haven Railway, with a new preface by the author, speaks to us still with humor and hope because neither God nor the railroad seems to be running much better today. The book is an excellent introductory text for Religion 101 courses. Adult education classes in various denominations will also profit from reading it. LC 2008036741, ISBN 978-0-268-03730-7 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: RS 234.23 Is It Possible To Live This Way? An Unusual Approach to Christian Existence: Volume 1: Faith 164 pp., 5 1/2” x 8”, bibliog., $60.00 cloth, $17.95 paper, CIP included March 2008 McGill-Queen’s University Press Is It Possible to Live this Way? Volume 1 is a translation of the first part of Luigi Giussani’s Si Può Vivere Così?, addresses the virtue of faith. A compilation of Giussani’s conversations with young people who have chosen the path of the consecrated life in the Church—that is, have chosen to live their lives in the world according to the “evangelical counsels” of poverty, chastity, and obedience—it proposes an unusual yet reasonable approach to living as a Christian. C 20089004582, ISBN 978-0-7735-3403-2 (c.), ISBN 978-0-7735-3404-9 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 234.23 Is It Possible To Live This Way? An Unusual Approach to Christian Existence: Volume 2: Hope 176 pp., 5 1/2” x 8”, bibliog., $60.00 cloth, $17.95 paper, CIP included October 2008 McGill-Queen’s University Press Is It Possible to Live this Way? Volume 2 is a translation of the first part of Luigi Giussani’s Si Può Vivere Così?, addresses the virtue of hope. A compilation of Giussani’s conversations with young people who have chosen the path of the consecrated life in the Church—that is, have chosen to live their lives in the world according to the “evangelical counsels” of poverty, chastity, and obedience—it proposes an unusual yet reasonable approach to living as a Christian. C 20089004582, ISBN 978-0-7735-3445-2 (c.), ISBN 978-0-7735-3446-9 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 236.1 Deep Rhythm and the Riddle of Eternal Life 160 pp., 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, index, $25.00 paper, CIP included March 2008 University of Notre Dame Press “In this book, John S. Dunne recounts the profound ways that he has thought about death and, more important, about what lasts from life. Dunne’s work is an intricate patchwork quilt of recurring and interwoven themes. As a reflective or, better, meditative stream of consciousness citing a multitude of thinkers, it is not always an easy read. But persistent effort uncovers its nuggets of wisdom.” —Commonweal. Includes a CD, containing Dunne’s Symphony of Songs, with soprano Quinn Smith Pillari accompanied by John S. Dunne on the piano. LC 2008000414, ISBN 978-0-268-02596-0 (p.) AASL: Not Reviewed PLA: G 241.042 Catholic Moral Theology in the United States: A History 368 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $59.95 cloth, $26.95 paper, CIP included April 2008 Georgetown University Press Charles E. Curran surveys the historical development of Catholic moral theology in the United States from its 19th century roots to the present day. He traces the development of pre-Vatican II moral theology that had the limited purpose of training future confessors to know what actions are sinful and the degree of sinfulness. Curran explores and illuminates the post-Vatican II era with chapters on the effect of the Council on the scope and substance of moral theology, the impact of Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI’s encyclical condemning artificial contraception, fundamental moral theology, sexuality and marriage, bioethics, and social ethics. LC 2007025020, ISBN 978-1-58901-195-3 (c.), ISBN 978-1-58901-196-0 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 241.697 The Way of Life: John Paul II and the Challenge of Liberal Modernity 189 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $29.95 paper, CIP included July 2008 Baylor University Press The passing of John Paul II provoked questions about the Pope, particularly in his relation to modernity. Was he opposed to the tenets of modernity, as some critics claimed? Or did he accommodate modernity in a way no Pope ever had, as his champions asserted? The Way of Life, examines the fundamental philosophers of modernity—from Hobbes to Tocqueville—to demonstrate that John Paul II’s critique of modernity is intended not to reject, but to improve. Thus, claims Holloway, it is appropriate for liberal modernity to attend to the Pope’s thought, receiving it not as the attack of an enemy but as the criticism of a candid friend. LC 2008010619, ISBN 978-1-932792-96-6 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 242.22 Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets 208 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $23.95 cloth, CIP included May 2008 Beacon Press Since 1987, Craig Rennebohm has ministered to people on the streets of Seattle who are homeless and struggling with mental illness. In Souls in the Hands of a Tender God he tells the evocative stories of persons who desperately need psychiatric, psychological, and spiritual support, like Mary, who surrounds herself with huge trash bags, and Jerry, barred from every shelter and meal program in Seattle. As Rennebohm reaches out to each of them, their stories become parables that explore mental illness and the spiritual heart of care and recovery—helping us to understand what it means to be human, on a pilgrimage together toward wholeness. LC 2007031506, ISBN 978-0-80700042-7 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 261.09 The Messiah Formerly Known as Jesus: Dispatches from the Intersection of Christianity and Pop Culture 217 pp., 5” x 8”, bibliog., $16.95 paper, CIP included January 2008 Baylor University Press With The Messiah Formerly Known as Jesus, acclaimed “Internet Theologian” Tom Breen has written a satirical, tongue-in-cheek exploration of pop Christianity. Whether pondering why there are so many Christian rock bands but so few good Christian rock songs or providing helpful tips on writing hip translations of the Bible (hint: lose the boring parts and constantly mention celebrities), Breen offers whip-smart, non-stop fun, along with a side-splitting send-up of our contemporary obsessions. LC 2007039747, ISBN 978-1-602580-19-0 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 261.22 After Modernity?: Secularity, Globalization, and the Re-enchantment of the World 335 pp., 6” x 9”, b&w charts, index, $34.95 paper, CIP included August 2008 Baylor University Press After Modernity? addresses questions and issues found at the nexus of globalization and religion. It examines various religious—especially Christian—evaluations of and responses to globalization. In particular, the book considers the links among globalization, capitalism and secularization—and the ways in which “religion” is (or can be) deployed to address a range of hot button topics. With cross-disciplinary analyses, the collection argues consistently for the necessity of a “post-secular” evaluation of globalization that unapologetically draws on the resources of Christian faith. The “conservative radicalism” represented in these contributions will resonate with a broad audience of scholars and citizens who seek to put faith into action. LC 2008010624, ISBN 978-1-602580-68-8 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 261.709 Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right 256 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $24.95 cloth, CIP included February 2008 Princeton University Press “Declaring that the era of the religious Right is over, Dionne looks to history, tradition, teachers and texts (including recent religious scholarship) to reassert both progressive and conservative views on how religion can play a legitimate role in matters of economics, social justice and morality...Rousing and wry, Dionne’s sensible voice makes a powerful case for broadening religious vision and visibility in the public square.”—Publishers Weekly LC 2007045172, ISBN 978-0-691-13458-1 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 261.709 The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center 335 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $24.95 paper, CIP included January 2008 Baylor University Press David Gushee argues convincingly that there is in U.S. politics an “evangelical center” of voters who do not identify with the politics and religion of either the right or the left. Although evangelical Christians are portrayed by the media as conservatives, Gushee claims that the evangelical movement includes nearly even numbers of voters on the right, in the center, and on the left of the political spectrum. He provides portraits of the major figures in each of the three camps, outlines the core convictions of the adherents, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each group’s positions. LC 2007040739, ISBN 978-1-602580-71-8 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 261.722 Religion and the Politics of Tolerance: How Christianity Builds Democracy 195 pp., 6” x 9”, tables, charts, bibliog., index, $29.95 paper, CIP included February 2008 Baylor University Press Challenging a widespread belief that religious people are politically intolerant, Marie Ann Eisenstein offers compelling evidence to the contrary. In this surprising and significant book, she thoroughly re-examines previous studies and presents new research to support her argument that there is, in fact, a positive correlation between religious belief and practice and political tolerance in the United States. Eisenstein utilizes sophisticated new analytical tools to re-evaluate earlier data and offers persuasive new statistical evidence to support her claim that religiousness and political tolerance do, indeed, mix—and that religiosity is not the threat to liberal democracy that it is often made out to be. LC 2007026447, ISBN 978-1-932792-84-3 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 277.21 A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration 368 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $32.00 paper, CIP included February 2008 University of Notre Dame Press “One can hardly find...a serious discussion of the human dignity and rights of the migrants who cross international borders to find work or join family. A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey, a compilation of essays taking a theological and rights-based approach to the issue of migration, provides a needed framework to begin that discussion. Comprised of pieces from a wide range of scholars, advocates and service providers, it engages the contemporary immigration debate from a faith-based, Catholic perspective...[A] useful resource for Catholics (and others) who want to reach beyond the dehumanizing language of the national immigration debate and articulate a vision of the migrant as a human being created in God’s image.” —America LC 2007043189, ISBN 978-0-268-02973-9 (p.) AASL: Not Reviewed PLA: S 277.308 Leaving Fundamentalism: Personal Stories 229 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., $24.95 paper, CIP included May 2008 Wilfrid Laurier University Press “Thoughtful essays about the experiences of those who have abandoned conservative Christianity...Do not skip Dann’s introductory essay, an excellent definition of contemporary Christian fundamentalism. It also summarizes the movement’s political context—this is particularly useful as we approach a U.S. election. Why should you read this book? It will...help us reach out to those whose religious experience has not included open discussions of faith issues.”—The United Church Observer C 20089003829, ISBN 978-1-55458-026-2 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G, S 282.43 Hitler’s Priests: Catholic Clergy and National Socialism 385 pp., 6” x 9”, 19 b&w illus., works cited, index, $34.95 cloth, CIP included April 2008 Northern Illinois University Press In this insightful study, Spicer unearths a dark subchapter in Roman Catholic history, introduces the principal clergymen who participated in the Nazi movement, examines their motives, details their advocacy of national Socialism, and explores the consequences of their political activism. “Deeply researched and deeply disturbing. Spicer has an insider’s grasp of the church’s organization and governance. He has combed through an impressive number of diocesan and government archives to assemble a list of 138 ‘brown priests,’ who were either members of the Nazi party or at least active supporters of its program. Spicer’s treatment of “Hitler’s priests” is absolutely convincing.”—The Washington Post LC 2007041504, ISBN 978-0-87580-384-5 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 287.094 Spiritual Literacy in John Wesley’s Methodism: Reading, Writing, and Speaking to Believe 388 pp., 6” x 9”, illus., bibliog., index, $44.95 cloth, CIP included August 2008 Baylor University Press Vicki Tolar Burton argues that John Wesley wanted to make ordinary Methodist men and women readers, writers, and public speakers because he understood the powerful role of language for spiritual formation. His understanding came from his own family and education, from his personal spiritual practices and experiences, and from the evidence he saw in the lives of his followers. By examining the intersections of literacy, rhetoric, and spirituality as they occurred in early British Methodism—and by exploring the meaning of these practices for class and gender—the author provides a new understanding of the method of Methodism. LC 2008010626, ISBN 978-1-602580-23-7 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: S 287.83 Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers 368 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $34.95 cloth, CIP included March 2008 New York University Press Freedom’s Prophet is a long-overdue biography of Richard Allen, founder of the first major African-American church and the leading black activist of the early American republic. In this thoroughly engaging and beautifully written book, Newman describes Allen’s continually evolving life and thought, setting both in the context of his times. Whether serving as America’s first black bishop, challenging slaveholding statesmen in a nation devoted to liberty, or visiting the President’s House, this important book makes it clear that Allen belongs in the pantheon of America’s great founding figures. LC 2007043259, ISBN 978-0-8147-5826-7 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 289.109 Love & Death: My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow 145 pp., 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, $22.00 cloth, CIP included September 2008 Beacon Press On February 4, 2008, Unitarian minister Forrest Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation, informing them that he had terminal cancer; his life would now be measured in weeks, perhaps months, certainly not years. In that remarkable letter, he wrote: “In more than one respect, I feel very lucky”; he went on to promise that he would sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been so pervasive in his work—love and death—in a final book. The goal of life, he tells us “is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for.” LC 2008013067, ISBN 978-0-80707293-6 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 289.309 In My Father’s House: A Memoir of Polygamy 328 pp., 8 b&w photos, 6” x 9”, 13 b&w photos, $21.95 paper, CIP included December 2008 Texas Tech University Press Solomon, daughter of Rulon Clark Allred, was twenty-eighth of forty-eight children born to her father’s seven plural wives. She recounts growing up in a family often split up, living on the run or in hiding. Choosing monogamy for herself, she struggles to remain close to her polygamous family. A quarter century after the book’s original publication, in a fresh edition with a new preface and epilogue, Solomon revisits her story from her current vantage point and in light of recent events that continue to rivet attention and spotlight our national struggle for understanding and fairness. LC 2008031471, ISBN 978-0-89672-646-8 (p.) AASL: G/P PLA: G 296.362 Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: Body 160 pp., 6” x 9”, index, $16.00 paper, CIP included March 2008 The Jewish Publication Society This new ethics series from JPS deals with some of the most critical moral issues of our time. Each volume in this series presents traditional and contemporary sources on specific topics, followed by hypothetical cases and study questions to provoke discussion. Supplementing these are brief essays written by a diverse group—political figures and journalists, business professionals and authors, scholars and artists, young voices and old, traditional believers and iconoclasts. These voices from the Jewish tradition and today’s Jewish community give us new questions and perspectives to think about and encourage us to consider our moral choices in a new light. LC 2007037402, ISBN 978-0-8276-0860-3 (p.) AASL: S/HS, P PLA: S 296.362 Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: Money 160 pp., 6” x 9”, index, $16.00 paper, CIP included March 2008 The Jewish Publication Society This new ethics series from JPS deals with some of the most critical moral issues of our time. Each volume in this series presents traditional and contemporary sources on specific topics, followed by hypothetical cases and study questions to provoke discussion. Supplementing these are brief essays written by a diverse group—political figures and journalists, business professionals and authors, scholars and artists, young voices and old, traditional believers and iconoclasts. These voices from the Jewish tradition and today’s Jewish community give us new questions and perspectives to think about and encourage us to consider our moral choices in a new light. LC 2007037402, ISBN 978-0-8276-0861-0 (p.) AASL: S/HS, P PLA: S 296.39 Judaism and the Gentiles: Jewish Patterns of Universalism (to 135 CE) 563 pp., 6” x 9”, bibliog., index, $59.95 cloth, CIP included January 2008 Baylor University Press In the Second-Temple period, non-Jews were attracted to Judaism’s communal life, religious observance and theological imagination. On the Jewish side, this was matched by the development of several discrete “patterns of universalism”—ways in which Jews were able to conceive of a positive place for Gentiles within their symbolic world. In this book, Terence Donaldson collects and comments on all of the texts (to the end of the second Jewish rebellion in 135 CE) that deal with Gentile sympathizers, proselytes, ethical monotheists and participants in end-time redemption. In impressive detail, Donaldson identifies, defines, and describes these “patterns of universalism.” LC 2007034702, ISBN 978-1-602580-25-1 (c.) AASL: S/P PLA: S 297.024 An Introduction to Islam for Jews 304 pp., 6” x 9”, index, $18.00 paper, CIP included May 2008 The Jewish Publication Society Muslim-Jewish relations throughout the world are tenuous. Jews and Muslims struggle to understand one another and know little about each other’s traditions and beliefs. Firestone explains the remarkable similarities and profound differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the world of Islam, how various expressions of Islam (Sunni, Shi`a, Sufi, Salafi, etc.) regard Jews, the range of Muslim views about Israel, and much more. He addresses these issues and others with candor and integrity. LC 2007047352, ISBN 978-0-8276-0864-1 (p.) AASL: G/HS,P PLA: G 297.122 Opening the Qur’an: Introducing Islam’s Holy Book 568 pp., 6” x 9”, index, $45.00 cloth, CIP included October 2008 University of Notre Dame Press “For non-Muslim, English-speaking readers of the Qur’an who become overwhelmed and perplexed, Wagner comes to the rescue...In sum, this is a well-researched, thoughtful, and fair-minded treatment. Highly recommended for academic collections and general public library readership.” —Library Journal. “Walter Wagner’s Opening the Qur’an: Introducing Islam’s Holy Book raises excellent questions designed to draw in curious readers. He then follows up with sound analysis that is easy to grasp. Wagner has clearly learned much about the Qur’an and Islam. What is more he has found a most appealing way to speak about what he has learned to his fellow non-Muslims.” —Charles E. Butterworth, University of Maryland LC 2008027221, ISBN 978-0-268-04415-2 (c.) AASL: G/P PLA: O |