Essays on power, influence, and autonomy in The Myth of the American Dream, a look into the life of a gay priest, and How to Not be a Hot Mess are some of the books coming from religion and spirituality publishers in April.
Nonfiction
Apr. 1
And the Prophet Said: Kahlil Gibran’s Classic Text with Newly Discovered Writings, edited by Dalton Hilu Einhorn (Hampton Roads, $14.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-64297-016-6). Kahlil Gibran scholar Einhorn introduces the spiritualist’s classic The Prophet alongside 150 previously unpublished poems, aphorisms, and sayings.
Back Pocket God: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging Adults by Melinda Lundquist Denton and Richard Flory (Oxford Univ., $29.95, ISBN 978-0-19-006478-5). A massive research project tracking the religious inclinations of young people over the course of a decade concludes with this third volume.
Apr. 2
Reed of God by Caryll Houselander (Christian Classics, $13.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-87061-240-4). British Catholic writer and artist Houselander explores the humanity of Mary, Mother of God.
Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature by Christine Valters Paintner (Sorin, $16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-932057-20-1). Paintner, abbess for Abbey of the Arts, shares how an appreciation for the natural world can make one more aware of the presence of God.
Apr. 4
The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power by D.L. Mayfield (IVP, $22, ISBN 978-0-8308-4598-9). In essays grouped around affluence, autonomy, safety, and power, activist Mayfield questions if the American dream lives up to Jesus’s command to love one’s neighbor.
Apr. 7
American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country by Jack Jenkins (HarperOne, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-06-293598-4). Religion reporter Jenkins explores the foundations and evolution of progressive faith-based activism in the U.S.
Your Story Matters: Finding, Writing, and Living the Truth of Your Life by Leslie Leyland Fields (NavPress, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64158-219-3). Christian author Fields presents her spiritually focused writing techniques for processing one’s past in order to live a more fulfilling life in the present.
In Unison: The Unfinished Story of Jeremy and Adrienne Camp by Jeremy and Adrienne Camp (Harvest House, $20 paper, ISBN 978-0-7369-8068-5). Grammy-nominated singer Camp and his wife, Adrienne, share biblically infused lessons from their years together.
Wiccan Kitchen: A Guide to Magical Cooking & Recipes by Lisa Chamberlain (Sterling, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-4549-3470-7) collects Wiccan recipes, menus, and ideas for incorporating magical practices into cooking.
When Did We Start Forgetting God?: The Root of the Evangelical Crisis and Hope for the Future by Mark Galli (Tyndale House, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-4143-7361-4). Galli, former editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, analyzes the state of evangelicalism and encourages readers to turn their attention away from the politics of the moment to consider what has changed in contemporary spirituality.
A Woman Called Moses: A Prophet for Our Time by Jean-Christophe Attias (Verso, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-78873-639-8). Attias, a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, follows the metamorphoses of Moses through ages and cultures and draws on rabbinical sources, as well as the Bible itself, to examine what he calls “a fragile prophet.”
Part-Time Is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy by G. Jeffrey MacDonald (Westminster John Knox, $22 paper, ISBN 978-0-664-26599-1). Journalist and part-time pastor MacDonald considers how to run effective ministries with just half- or quarter-time professional ministers.
Apr. 10
Missionaries, Converts, and Rabbis: The Evangelical Alexander McCaul and Jewish-Christian Debate in the Nineteenth Century by David B. Ruderman (Univ. of Pennsylvania, $55, ISBN 978-0-8122-5214-9). Ruderman, professor of modern Jewish History at the University of Pennsylvania, details the life and work of evangelical missionary Alexander McCaul (1799–1863), who was sent to Warsaw by the London Society for the Promotion of Christianity Amongst the Jews.
Apr. 14
Christianity: A Historical Atlas, edited by Alec Ryrie, maps by Malcolm Swanston (Harvard Univ., $35, ISBN 978-0-674-24235-7). Historian Ryrie and cartographer Swanston depict the rise and spread of Christianity from its origins to the present day through more than 100 color maps.
Crystal Zodiac: An Astrological Guide to Enhancing Your Life with Crystals by Katie Huang (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $20, ISBN 978-0-358-21304-8) breaks down the benefits of crystal healing and astrology, showing how the two can work together to prioritize mindfulness.
Once a Shooter: Redemption of a High School Gunman by T.J. Stevens (Salem, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-68451-019-1). Stevens, who walked into a high school in Burke, Va., with a rifle in 1982, explores the epiphanic transformation that stopped him from carrying out his planned execution of nine hostages and then himself. Book royalties will be donated to a charity that hosts events for troubled teens.
Bewitching the Elements: A Guide to Empowering Yourself Through Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit by Gabriela Herstik (TarcherPerigee, $15 paper, ISBN 978-0-593-08621-6). Nylon columnist Herstik aims to empower readers by connecting to the five elements through meditation, breath work, tarot, crystals, rituals, and journaling.
Apr. 15
Confessions of a Gay Priest: A Memoir of Sex, Love, Abuse, and Scandal in the Catholic by Tom Rastrelli (Univ. of Iowa, $19.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-60938-709-9). Rastrelli, a survivor of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse, explores the secretive inner workings of the seminary, providing an intimate and unapologetic look into the dynamics of celibacy and the cycle of abuse and cover-up.
Saving History: How White Evangelicals Tour the Nation’s Capital and Redeem a Christian America by Lauren R. Kerby (Univ. of North Carolina, $22 paper, ISBN 978-1-4696-5877-3). Kerby, education specialist at Harvard Divinity School, tells of her trips on tour buses through Washington, D.C., alongside white evangelicals searching for evidence that America was founded as a Christian nation.
Apr. 17
The Lonely Letters by Ashon T. Crawley (Duke Univ., $24.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-4780-0824-8) is an epistolary critique of current society through a black, queer lens. Crawley meditates on the interrelation of black and queer life with the black church, theology, and mysticism.
Apr. 21
Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life by Susie Davis (Abingdon, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5018-9842-6). Davis presents a spiritual guide for women designed as biblically grounded reflections on memories both good and bad, including challenges such as writing a letter to one’s younger self.
Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars: Astrology, Our Icons, and Our Selves by Claire Comstock-Gay (Harper, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-291333-3). New York magazine columnist Comstock-Gay explores how the 12 astrological signs are embodied by celebrities, including Aretha Franklin and Fred Rogers, to reveal what the sky has to teach about being human.
How to Meditate Like a Buddhist by Cynthia Kane (Hierophant, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-950253-00-5). Meditation instructor Kane guides readers through aspects of meditation technique, including posture, breathing, and mind-set.
Apr. 28
Coming Home to Yourself: A Meditator’s Guide to Blissful Living by Osho (Harmony, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-984826-81-7). Spiritual teacher Osho collects mindfulness exercises for relaxation and finding inner peace.
Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton (PublicAffairs, $28, ISBN 978-1-5417-6253-4). Burton, a columnist at Religion News Service, tours contemporary forms of American spirituality by looking at personal faiths that mix ritualistic, personal, and political practices.
Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha by Rachael Wooten (Sounds True, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68364-388-3). Psychologist Wooten presents a guide for channeling the power of Tara, the female Buddhist deity of Tibet. Included are meditation instructions and Tibetan Buddhist teachings.
How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Survival Guide for Modern Life by Craig Hase and Devon Hase (Shambhala, $18.95, ISBN 978-1-61180-798-1) offers Buddhist-inspired advice for staying grounded in a chaotic world, from a candid husband-and-wife team.
Fiction
Apr. 21
Englisch Daughter by Cindy and Erin Woodsmall (Waterbrook, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7352-9102-7). A marriage is tested in this Old Order Amish novel featuring a dedicated wife who realizes her husband has squandered their savings and has been hiding a child with another woman
Apr. 28
Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn (Multnomah, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7352-9077-8). Jennalyn begins to doubt her marriage and all her other life choices after her mother dies. She must ask hard questions of herself and God to find answers.
Promise at Pebble Creek by Lisa Jones Baker (Zebra, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-4748-3). Amish Hannah Lapp dreams about a different life and secretly writes novels about the Englisch world. When Chicagoan Marcus Jackson visits her family’s store, Hannah’s world is changed by their friendship.
