April Publication

There have been many books on eco-spirituality, but few that are so lovely to look at as Joyce Rupp's The Cosmic Dance: An Invitation to Experience Our Oneness. Mary Southard's full-color art complements Rupp's ruminations on the unity of all creation. Rupp's reflections, in poetry and prose, are also enhanced by well-chosen quotations from the pens of writers such as Rachel Carson, Annie Dillard, Henri Nouwen and Teilhard de Chardin. This is a well-designed and thoughtful book. (Orbis, $25 128p ISBN 1-57075-406-3)

Tools for the Spiritual Writer

Although the first half of Spiritual Writing: From Inspiration to Publication is a well-written guide to nursing one's spiritual muse, it is the book's forthright and sensible second half that makes it a must-read. Here, Deborah Berman and Cynthia Black give readers the skinny on finding "spirit-friendly" literary agents and publishers, crafting a strong book proposal and navigating the publication process. They paint a realistic picture of the publishing world, which is increasingly open to spiritual books but also, as ever, concerned about the bottom line. PW feels that the authors deserve an award simply for warning, "Never say, in your proposal, 'God told me to write this' or 'My psychic told me it would be a best-seller.' " (PW has seen this and worse.) The book is quite comprehensive, addressing the evangelical Christian market almost as well as it deals with the New Age. It should be on the desk of every spiritual writer. (Beyond Words, $16.95 paper 256p ISBN 1-58270-066-4; Mar.)

In Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write, Gayle Brandeis uses the metaphor of fruit to invite women to write using all of their embodied sensuality. Most chapterlets begin with a poem or quotation, almost always mentioning some form of fruit; Brandeis then takes up issues as pragmatic as writer's block and as intangible as "meaning." Even her discussion of writer's block, however, is submerged in an ethereal mist. (To those suffering from this writer's curse, she suggests, "Lose yourself in color. Smell five different flowers. Eat a mystery fruit.") The book is beautifully written, with gorgeous usage of language and metaphor, but its ultimate effect seems abstract despite Brandeis's emphasis on rootedness and embodiment. (Harper San Francisco, $23.95 224p ISBN 0-06-251724-4; Mar.)

"I find my private writing is at the core of my search for deeper intimacy with God and my ability to nurture a progressing faith," explains Luann Budd in Journal Keeping: Writing for Spiritual Growth. She encourages readers to become journal-keepers, taking time out of their busy lives for reflective moments of writing and wondering. She also tells them to keep it strictly private; real journals, she says, should not be for public consumption. Apart from that cardinal rule, she is refreshingly open about various tools to help individuals become journal-keepers, and offers beneficial (but not overbearing) tips on organizing, revisiting and enjoying a journal. (InterVarsity, $12.99 paper 192p ISBN 0-8308-2337-9; Mar.)

Beyond Terror

In the aftermath of September 11, individuals have not ceased to ask why the United States has become the target of terrorists. But the authors of Surviving Terror: Hope and Justice in a World of Violence had already finished all of their essays by the summer of 2001 and sent them to editors Victoria Lee Erickson and Michelle Lim Jones. Their anthology is distinguished by its international cast of contributors; essayists include James Cone, Jürgen Moltmann, Peter Ochs, Kosuke Koyama and Luis Rivera-Pagán. They explore terrorism in the Bible, in the Japanese occupation of Korea and in the legacy of African-American slavery, among other things. Although the book's tone is decidedly academic, it offers a substantial and timely contribution to the literature on religion and justice. (Brazos, $19.99 paper 224p ISBN 1-58743-028-2; Mar.)

"Mommy, why do the terrorists hate us? Daddy, is it safe to ride in an airplane?" These are among some of the questions American children have raised since September 11. In 130 Questions Children Ask About War and Terrorists: Comforting Your Child in Uncertain Times, Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop provide commonsense advice in a q&a format about how to talk to children about terrorism. One section explores theological topics, such as why God allows war to happen and whether God "chooses sides" in a war. (Tyndale, $6.99 paper 152p ISBN 0-8423-7063-3; Apr.)