Talking to God: Personal Prayers for Times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle, and Celebration

Levy, one of the first female Conservative rabbis in the United States, offers perceptive prayers, personal stories, and some powerful thoughts on the efficacy of prayer in this heartfelt book. Remarkably, it is more directed toward blessing others than praying for oneself: in a particularly moving section, Levy encourages people to place their hands on their children's and parents' heads and pronounce blessings upon them. Although Levy draws primarily from Jewish traditions, these prayers will be welcomed by people of many faiths; in particular, those who are grieving will cherish Levy's lucid understanding of the depth of pain. This is not a simplistic, sound-bite prayer book, but a carefully considered manual for inviting God into every possible situation.