Controversy over the firing of an Atlanta man who published a Christian-themed book and The Office actor Rainn Wilson's new memoir about faith are some of the news stories gaining attention online today. Also, find out how you can celebrate Jewish Book Month just in time for Hanukkah.
Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran filed a lawsuit against the city claiming he was laid off from his job due to the content of his self-published book, Who Told You That You Were Naked? The 2013 book is a compilation of lesson plans for the Bible classes he teaches at Atlanta’s Elizabeth Baptist Church. In response to the lawsuit, the city has maintained that Cochran was terminated for violating protocol, not for his religious views, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Note: the article is behind the paywall.)
Celebrating Jewish Book Month, which takes place every year in the month leading up to Hanukkah, the Sisterhood on forward.com devised a list of seven YA and romance novels that portray Judaism and Jewish people "authentically and respectfully." The list includes True Pretenses by Rose Lerner and Starglass by Phoebe North. Jewish Book Month kicked off on November 6.
Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on The Office, released his memoir The Bassoon King this week through Dutton. While speaking to The Charlotte Observer, the actor/author discussed his idea for the book as well as the Baha’i Faith, which he began following as an adult. "When I pitched the book, I said, look, the book is going to be 85 percent funny,” he said. "But that 15 percent is what most interests me, that's the journey of faith, searching for truth and wrestling with life's big questions."
