How I Pray

``Asking how I pray is a real Western question,'' observes High Star, a Lakota Sioux singer. Nevertheless, he and 26 other Americans, a cross section representing the breadth of religious traditions in this country, answer that and almost two dozen similar questions. The result is a very readable collection of honest reflections on the technique and the value of prayer. The techniques are as varied as the respondents themselves, encompassing everything from communal liturgy to spontaneous private expression, from eloquent words to simple silence. Paradoxically, many of those interviewed say that they experience the inward practice of prayer as a turning outward, a change in perspective that leads to greater awareness of the needs of others and to a heightened desire to improve their community and the world. Regardless of religious orientation, however, those who worry that they ``don't know how to pray'' will find this book to be an encouraging introduction to the habit of prayer. (Oct.)