Hear the Silence: Stories by Women of Myth, Magic and Renewal

Editor Zahava illustrates the countless ways that spirituality operates in women's lives in this collection of 15 short stories by modern feminist authors of diverse backgrounds. The scale and subject matter here range from the mythic to the mundane; the common thread is that each tale develops a female understanding of the world. Among the most interesting, ""Why the Sea is Salty'' by Kitty Tsui effectively recreates the grandeur and poetry of a time-honored myth in the story of Crane woman and Little Dragon, whose spiritual and physical love is so powerful that it causes the sea to change from sweet to salty. By contrast, Becky Birtha's ``The Saints and Sinners Run'' is a touching first-person account of a busdriver in Philadelphia, who carefully observes the behavior of her passengers and draws conclusions about her uneasy relationship with her family. While none of the collection is outstanding for plot or style, each contributes a sensitive and imaginative part of the whole. (November 1)