compiled by Will Judd

Islam and Global Dialogue: Religious Pluralism and the Pursuit of Peace. Edited by Roger Boase. BP 190.5. R44.  A collection of  twenty internally renowned scholars and religious leaders to discuss the possibilities and limitations of religious pluralism in our increasingly connected world. A majority of space is given to Islam because of currently held negative sterotypes.

Making Art Together: How Collaborative Art making Can Transform Kids, Classrooms, and Communities. Mark Cooper and Lisa Sjostrom.  N 350.  The authors endeavor to change what  the readers assume about making art with children. Drawing upon the experience of hundreds of children and teachers across the US they show how collaboration can be a powerful tool in transforming both individuals and communities.

FatherLoss: How Sons of All Ages Come to Terms with the Deaths of Their Dads. Neil Chenik. BF 575. .D35.  The loss of a father is one of the most difficult experiences for a son to experience, this book offers an aid to help those who are experiencing the process themselves or for those who minister to them. Based on national survey of more than 300 men and more than 70 in depth interviews this book provides surprising findings and aid for those who experiencing loss.

Joseph Priestley and English Unitarianism in America. J. D. Bowers. BX 9869. P8.  It is commonly argued that American Unitarianism developed within the Congregationalist tradition without external influences. Bowers examines how the development of American Unitarianism was much more complex by tracing in its development the influences of Joseph Priestley's ideas on congregational polity helped to shape the movement.

Wendell  Berry: Life and Work.  Edited By Jason Peters. PS 3552. E75. The text examines how Wendell Berry has had a lasting influence both as an artist and an activist. It is a combination of literary criticism, social commentary and biographical sketches and provides with a vivid depiction of this remarkable figure.

Emerson on the Scholar.  Merton M Sealts, Jr. PS 1615. A84. This study of Emerson sheds new light on his conception and understanding of the scholar.  The book traces this idea through his works after resigning from his pulpit in Boston to his reflections on America's crisis with slavery and the coming Civil War. This volume leads to a new image of Emerson both in understanding and appreciation.

Big Questions Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith.   Sharon Daloz Parks. BL 42.  The years of being "twenty-something: are being recognized as difficult, but formative period of a person's life. This time is one of reexamination of held beliefs as well as critical decisions that will have lifelong impacts, this period is more daunting without mentors Parks draws on her own experience and research to examine the factors that led to the development of those in the stage between adolescence and full adulthood.

The Hybrid Church in the City: Third Space Thinking. Christopher Richard Baker. BV 637.  It is no secret that the church today is struggling to connect with the larger culture. The author argues that if the church is to have more genuine connection then it must engage more sincerely with post-modern thought and its realities. This work draws heavily upon case studies both in Europe and the US to show how the church might reconsider its identity.

A Republic of Mind & Spirit:  A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion.  Catherine L. Albanese. BL 2525.  By following the traditions of thought from Renaissance Europe to England and then to America from the colonial period to our contemporary setting Albanese develops the rich history of metaphysical traditions.  She further argues that because metaphysical religion has a tendency to combine many elements together it gives us key insights into the whole of American religious history.

God Forbid: Religion and Sex in American Public Life.   Edited by Katheleen M Sands. HQ 18. U5.  Ever since 1980 religion in American has been most vocal and visible in response to issues of sexuality and reproductive rights, but most of those who speak the loudest are untrained in areas of ethics, theology, world religions, or history.  This volume seeks to balance this by presenting thirteen scholars engagement of these issues. Here is a thorough debunking of the "Religious Right" to be only voice for religion in the arena of American Sexuality.