Books for Troubling Times: People of Faith Respond to September 11, 2001

To order any of these titles, email bookstore @ uua.org or visit the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bookstore.

Patriotism

• Free for All: Defending Liberty in America Today
  Wendy Kaminer
  This collection offers incisive, original investigations of political freedom post-September 11, and reviews threats to sexual and religious liberty, free speech, privacy and the right to be free from unwarranted, unprincipled prosecutions. Kaminer is a lawyer, social critic and columnist at the American Prospect.
   
• For Love of Country: A New Democracy Forum on the Limits of Patriotism
  Edited by Martha Nussbaum
  The central argument of this book is that we should distrust conventional patriotism as a parochial ideal and instead see ourselves as citizens of the world. Essays by Sissela Bok, Nathan Glazer, Amartya Sen, Kwane Anthony Appiah et al.

Peace Action

• An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth
  Mohandes K. Gandhi
  In the authorized American edition of his classic autobiography, Gandhi recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of satyagraha, or active non-violent resistance.
   
• The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
  Thich Nhat Hanh
  An introduction to Buddhist meditation by a VietNamese Zen Buddhist master and founder of socially engaged Buddhism. Nhat Hanh's gentle stories and exercises show us how to use the practice of mindfulness to find the joy in each moment and attain greater self-understanding and peace.
   
• In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits All Americans
  William F. Schulz
  The executive Director of Amnesty International/ USA (and former UUA President) argues that it is in the interest of Americans to defend human rights everywhere. He delineates the connection between America's prosperity and human rights violations all over the globe.
   
• The Power of Nonviolence
  Howard Zinn
  A compelling step forward in the study of pacifism, for readers looking for ways to respond to a crisis other than with guns or bombs. Includes Emerson, Thoreau, Jane Addams, William Penn, Dorothy Day, Erich Fromm and Rajendra Prasad, among others. Arranged chronologically, covering the major conflagrations in the last hundred years, including the war in Afghanistan.
   
• You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times
  Howard Zinn
  Acclaimed historian Howard Zinn both chronicled and participated in some of the most important social movements of our time. He shows how small actions can effect historic change.

Grief and Loss

• Life Lines: Holding On (and Letting Go)
  Forrest Church 
  In this eloquent, personal, hopeful book, popular writer and minister (of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York, NY) Forrest Church explores the lifelines that can sustain us in times of trouble: deeper connections to neighbor and stranger, a better understanding of human limits, a larger view of our place in the universe.
   
• Living When A Loved One Has Died
  Rabbi Earl Grollman
  A gentle companion for those who have recently lost a loved one.
   
• Bereaved Children and Teens: A Support Guide for Parents and Professionals 
  Rabbi Earl Grollman
  Bringing together fourteen experts from across the United States and Canada, "Bereaved Children and Teens" is a comprehensive guide to helping children and adolescents cope with the emotional, religious, social, and physical consequences of a loved one's death.
   
• Talking About Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child
  Rabbi Earl Grollman
  A compassionate guide for adults and children to read together, featuring a read along story, answers to questions children ask about death.
   
• Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death
  Sarah York
  How to plan services and rituals that honor the spirits and are faithful to the values and beliefs of the deceased while also respecting the needs and wishes of those who attend the services. For family members, clergy, funeral professionals and hospice workers. Includes real-life stories, examples and practical guidelines. (Jossey-Bass) 2000. 208 pp. Item 7115 $20.00
   
• Sorrow's Company: Writers on Loss and Grief
  Edited by DeWitt Henry
  Contemporary writing about loss and grieving from Jamaica Kincaid, William Gibson and others.
  

World Religions

• A World of Faith
  Peggy Fletcher Stack, Illustrated by Kathleen Peterson
  Presents the moral teachings and unique forms of worship of most American denominations. Includes illustrations that depict key cultural and historical aspects of each faith. Ages 8-12.
   
• The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions
  Huston Smith
  Brings to life the diversity of humanity's enduring religious traditions. Presents the essential elements and teachings of predominant world faiths and primal religions-all illuminated with full-color photographs and illustrations.
   
• How to Be a Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People's Religious Ceremonies
  Edited by Arthur J. Magida and Stuart M. Matlins
  Introduces the rituals and celebrations of major American religions and denominations. Easy-to-use resource helps any well-meaning guest of another faith to feel at ease, participate as much as possible and avoid violating anyone's religious principles or hurting their feelings.
  • How to Be a Perfect Stranger Volume 1: Includes Baptist, Buddhist, Episcopalian, Jewish, Methodist, Quaker, Roman Catholic and many more religions.
  • How to Be a Perfect Stranger Volume 2: Includes African American, Methodist, Baha'i, Mennonite/Amish, Native American, Unitarian Universalist and many other faiths.

Talking to Children and Teens

• I'm Like You, You're Like Me: A Child's Book About Understanding and Celebrating Each Other
  Cindy Gainer
  Invitation to children to accept and affirm differences. Simple words and colorful illustrations. Ages 3-8.
   
• What Does God Look Like? 
  Lawrence and Karen Kushner
  Board book format for ages 0-4. Abridged version of Because Nothing Looks Like God.
   
• How Does God Make Things Happen?
  Lawrence and Karen Kushner
  Board book format for ages 0-4. Abridged form authors' book from Because Nothing Looks Like God.
   
• Old Turtle 
  Douglas Wood, Illustrated by Cheng-Khee Chee 
  The Old Turtle teaches the animals that there is God in all of nature. She warns that people must stop showing disrespect for the earth by polluting. Ages 4-8.
   
• Prejudice: Stories About Hate, Ignorance, Revelation, and Transformation
  Edited by Daphne Muse
  Collection begins with an unflinching look at prejudice and gradually evolves to show how revelation transforms prejudice. The experiences here are diverse, including those of Mexican Americans, Latinos, women, African Americans, the disabled, Jews, gays and lesbians, immigrants, and Asian Americans.
   
• Talking About Death: A Dialogue between Parent and Child, Third Edition
  Earl Grollman, Illustrated by Susan Avishai
  Why do people die? How do you explain the loss of a loved one to a child? Compassionate guide for adults and children to read together, featuring a read-along story, answers to childrens' questions about death and a comprehensive list of resources and organizations that can help.
   
• Parenting as a Spiritual Journey: Deepening Ordinary & Extraordinary Events into Sacred Occasions
  Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer
  Explores the transformative spiritual adventure of bringing up children. Shows how even the seemingly insignificant moments in a day with your child can be full of spiritual meaning. Includes rituals, prayers and inspiring passages from Jewish and other religious traditions.

Healing and Searching for Answers

• Praying with Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World's Spiritual Traditions
  Jon M. Sweeney, Photographs by Jennifer J. Wilson
  In this intriguing book of reflections and photographs, we see how our bodies, particularly our hands, can give meaning to our prayers in ways that words alone cannot. These spiritual practices are from a range of religious traditions-from Anglican to Sufi, from Buddhist to Shaker.
   
• Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning
  Scotty McLennan
  McLennan, the inspiration for the character "Reverend Scotty Sloan" in Garry Trudeau's comic strip "Doonesbury," is a real-life Unitarian Universalist minister. Here he shares his own and his students' search for a meaningful spiritual life, detailing six stages of faith-Magic, Reality, Dependence, Independence, Interdependence and Unity.
   
• Four Spiritualities: Expressions of Self, Expressions of Spirit
  Peter Tufts Richardson
  Beautifully describes 4 underlying patterns of spirituality that are part of every religious tradition. Provides a framework for finding your own path in the myriad of contemporary spiritual choices.
   
• Life Prayers from Around the World: 365 Prayers, Blessings, and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey
  Edited by Elizabeth J. Roberts and Elias Amidon
  Elegant anthology celebrates the cycles, wonders, challenges and mysteries of human life on earth. Joyfully acknowledges the gift of life in all its forms, with all its struggles and in all its glories. Companion to the popular Earth Prayers.
   
• Poems to Live By In Uncertain Times, Joan Murray, Editor
  The week after the attack on the World Trade Center, Joan Murray read her poem about it, "Survivors-Found," on National Public Radio. Thousands heard her poem and were so moved that they contacted her to ask for copies. In the wake of our nation's tragedy, poetry has taken on a new relevance in people's lives. As Dinitia Smith noted in The New York Times, "In the weeks since the terrorist attacks, people have been consoling themselves—and one another—with poetry in an almost unprecedented way."