Philosopher Laszlo and sociologist Dennis, both prolific authors, believe that humanity is on the cusp of a new stage in its evolution. Rather than decry societal and climatic changes that they see as a natu-ral progression, these authors celebrate the opportunity our chaotic era presents to usher in the Akashic Age: a time of global connectedness and sustainable systems. The visionary authors imagine an en-lightened world circa 2030: "Out of the epiphany of awakening will come the increased sense and in-ner desire to develop humanitarian, ecological, and equitable systems." The prediction is idyllic; how does humanity get there? While the authors touch on a wide variety of familiar tools, like local econ-omies and alternative energy, their writing is more inspirational than prescriptive. When they do con-sider the functionality of new systems, they don't confine themselves to one viewpoint. It's refreshing to read about efforts to revive old-fashioned homesteading skills alongside praise for technological advances like social networking and crowdsourcing. Several guest contributors—including biodynam-ic entrepreneur Marco Roveda, leadership expert Jefferson Cann and activist/author Charles Eisen-stein—round out this idealistic manifesto with expertise on a variety of subjects. (June)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink

Poet, writer, and avid equestrian Chester (Rancho Weirdo) saddles up for a memoir related to her love of horses and the open trail. She chronicles the wisdom gleaned from the back of a steed across states and foreign countries as she searches for understanding, reconciliation, and eventual acceptance of her familial relationships. She weaves her faith into the narrative at several points by peppering her equine encounters with reflection and recollection about her parents' marriage, the death of her father, and interactions with her siblings. "They say that the Holy Spirit is present when there are heartfelt tears," Chester writes, recalling a time when her father's crying interrupts his recitation of the Lord's Prayer as he recovers from an esophageal cancer operation. Readers may sometimes find the relationship be-tween Chester's times on the trail and her discussion of family struggles a stretch, but she consistently manages to pull in the reins on "the beauty and silence of nature" that lift her and other midlife riders. (June)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink

If he's written it once, Spong (The Sins of Scripture), like many Biblical scholars, has written dozens of times: do not take the Bible literally. He is adamant that readers must not take the Gospel of John as history. Spong, the high-profile former Episcopal Bishop of Newark, stands on solid scholarship with these ideas: the Gospel of John was written over decades by several authors; Jesus did not speak the words ascribed to him in the book of John; none of the miracles happened; most of the book's charac-ters, the Marys and Nicodemus and Thomas, are just that -- literary characters, not literal men and women. More important than the negatives to the profoundly persuasive author is the unburnished pos-itive: divorced from latter-day fictions, John is one powerful gospel. To prove its base in Jewish mys-ticism, Spong paces through the signs, the farewell discourses, the passion narrative, and resurrection stories. The Fourth Gospel, Spong argues, calls on the faithful to believe that Jesus achieved "the mys-tical oneness with the God who is the source of life...." (June)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink

In this dreary and mind-numbing expanded and revised version of his Master's thesis, novelist Bren-nan (Faerie Wars series) offers the unremarkable thesis that since ancient times people have communi-cated with the spirit world and have sought guidance from that world. Surveying history from ancient Egypt to modern Germany, Brennan recounts case after case of a culture's deep belief in the power of spirit figures to affect the well-being of humans; he traces the rise of mediators -- prophets, shamans, witch doctors—who then communicated with these spirits on behalf of others. Brennan concludes that the development of such whisperers follows Darwinian evolutionary principles, so that some "primi-tive human was born with a genetic mutation that allowed him or her to hear a voice or perhaps see a figure that others could not;" these humans proved so valuable to the survival of society, that they evolved into an elite group. Brennan uses an outdated argument—science debunks the spiritual—in an attempt to establish that the world of spirits is real, and ironically can use only empirical evidence to demonstrate the reality of that world. (June)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink

After the five books of the Torah, the second section of Jewish history is presented in twenty-one books, known as the Prophets. These leaders did not predict the future. Rather, they talked to the peo-ple as the spokesmen of God. Author Schreiber, a rabbi and writer of many books, sees them as providing the basis for monotheism and morality. He claims that, during the five centuries beginning with Samuel, the Prophets exercised profound influence that is reflected in today's monotheistic reli-gions. Among the Prophets examined by Schreiber are the sixteen "literary prophets," beginning with Amos and ending with Malachi, whose contributions, he claims, are relevant for coping with contem-porary problems. The greatest literary prophet, says Schreiber, was Isaiah, who has special relevance for Christianity and whose vision of universal peace should inspire everyone. A final chapter deals with the contemporary scene and the author's belief that adherence to the ideas of the Prophets could reconcile Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, helping to achieve a world without war. (May)

Reviewed on 05/17/2013 | Details & Permalink