Straight from the Heart: Reflections from 20th Century Mystics

In contrast to the Ullmans' book, which addresses mysticism in all eras and cultures, Dick Ryan's Straight from the Heart: Reflections from 20th-century Mystics presents writings from Christian (primarily Catholic) spiritual leaders of the last century. In this brief collection, he includes pieces by ""official"" (i.e., ordained) thinkers such as Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, M. Basil Pennington and Robert Morneau, as well as laypersons like W.B. Yeats and Joyce Rupp. Feminist theologians Joan Chittister and Elizabeth Johnson crop up often. The ""mystics"" of the title is a bit of a stretch, since the collection is arranged according to themes such as suffering, prayer, justice and faith, and does not typically attempt to describe the ineffable. (Oct.)