A former NFL player’s examination of faith and happiness, a Buddhist leader's take on ‘How to Connect,’ and a new novel from bestselling author Lynn Austin are among the religion and spirituality books publishing in June.
Nonfiction
June 2
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: 50th Anniversary Edition by Shunryu Suzuki (Shambhala, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-61180-841-4). This new edition of an American Zen classic covers Suzuki’s insights on meditation, such as posture and breathing in zazen, as well as his thoughts on the perception of nonduality.
The Good Life by Derwin Gray (B&H, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-5359-9571-9). Gray, a former NFL player and the lead pastor at Transformation Church in South Carolina, bases this book-length sermon about happiness on the teachings of Jesus in the Beatitudes.
June 8
God Is Dead, Long Live the Gods: A Case for Polytheism by Gus diZerega (Llewellyn, $19.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7387-6272-2). Wiccan diZerega argues that polytheism comports with the revolutionary ideas found in quantum physics, biology, and ecology.
Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism by Pamela Weiss (North Atlantic, $17.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-62317-475-0). Mixing memoir and Buddhist practice, meditation teacher Weiss shares how feminine approaches to Buddhist thought and teachings can be applied to spiritual practice and relationships.
White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America by Khyati Y. Joshi (NYU, $28, ISBN 978-1-4798-4023-6). Joshi, professor of education at Fairleigh Dickinson University, explores how Christian privilege can disadvantage minorities in America.
June 9
Words of Life: Seeing the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus by Adam Hamilton (Convergent, $26, ISBN 978-1-5247-6054-0). Hamilton, senior pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, considers the Ten Commandments in their historical context, looking at the meaning of each commandment in Hebrew and unpacking how Jesus reinterpreted them.
June 16
Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together by Clare Stober (Plough, $40, ISBN 978-0-87486-316-1). This photo essay, paired with 100 stories of Bruderhof community members, gives a rare glimpse into an Anabaptist community.
Enter Wild: Exchange a Mild and Mundane Faith for Life with an Unpredictable God by Carlos Whittaker (WaterBrook, $17 paper, ISBN 978-0-525-65400-1). Whittaker shares his personal struggle with anxiety, and how the key to his freedom was rediscovering a more energetic faith.
June 30
How to Connect by Thich Nhat Hanh (Parallax, $9.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-946764-54-6). With the world experiencing what the author identifies as the deep effects of loneliness, environmental detachment, and digital overload, spiritual teacher Hanh reminds readers of the crucial need to connect to one’s ancestors and the Earth.
Fiction
June 2
If I Were You by Lynn Austin (Tyndale, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-3729-7). Christy Award–winner Austin tells the story of two women from different social classes surviving WWII in London who grow close after they both become ambulance drivers.
