An honest memoir from a single Mormon woman, a possible solution to the latest disputes over lessons on Islam, and one author’s return to the Catholic Church because of Pope Francis are some news stories creating a buzz online.
Julie Rowse candidly shares her story, injecting humor into the struggles that come with being single in the family-oriented LDS Church, in her book Lies Jane Austen Told Me (EAB Publishing, Sept.). During an interview with RNS, she discusses the pressure to get married, saying, "I’ve built a good life for myself in spite of not having that opportunity, so I feel even more marginalized."
Author of Faith Ed. (Beacon Press, 2015) Linda K. Wertheimer wrote about the importance of teaching about the world’s religions in schools. As in her book, Wertheimer points out that learning about different religions can lead to heightened tolerance, and she urges parents to become better informed about the curriculum in their kids’ schools.
Chimamanda Adichie’s essay in The Atlantic, How Pope Francis Brought Me Back to the Catholic Church, describes how the Holy Father reintroduced compassion as a tenet of Catholicism for her. The author of We Should All Be Feminists (Anchor, 2014) writes, “Pope Francis inspires me. Not because of his much-touted humility—other popes went along with papal pomp might merely have been tradition-compliant rather than lacking in humility—but because of his humanity.”
New footage of the late Maya Angelou reveals the author’s lesson on love as her mother, Vivian Baxter, was dying. The segment will appear during the premiere of Oprah Winfrey’s series Belief on Sunday, Oct. 18 on OWN.
