Exploring the world's great religions
Introduction to World Religions

Edited by Christopher Partridge (Fortress Press, 2005, 495 pages, $45, hardcover with CD-ROM)

One market under God
God's Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America

Edited by Ross Kinsler and Gloria Kinsler (Orbis Books, 2005, 250 pages, $28, paper)

The power of perseverance
Reflections Over the Long Haul: A Memoir

By Robert McAfee Brown (Westminster John Knox Press, 2005, 305 pages, $24.95, hardcover)

A light that illumined the path of faith for a generation of baby-boomer Presbyterians dimmed in 2001 when Robert McAfee Brown died. His landmark book for young Christians, The Bible Speaks To You, published in 1955 and still in print, raised Biblical literacy among Presbyterian kids to an unprecedented level.

But it was Brown's life of talking the talk and walking the walk—from the freedom rides of the civil-rights era, to the anti-Vietnam war movement, to the economic struggles of farm workers in this country and peasants in Central America, to the quest for authentic ecumenical and interfaith dialogue — that inspired countless Presbyterians young and old to integrate social consciousness with sound theology.

This book is the story of a Presbyterian whom William Sloane Coffin remembered as "a remarkably humble man who recognized that being a Christian was not so much an achieved position as a desired one."

Brown died before he could finish his memoir, so a group of close friends, led by his wife, Sydney, put the finishing touches on it. Brown shunned the limelight, but never retreated from danger, as attested by his involvement in the most volatile social movements of the late 20th century. Through it all, he was sustained by his sense of humor, and especially by the love and support of his family. Interspersed through his memoir are reflections by his wife and children on their experiences of this remarkable man's life.

In a world plagued by chronic injustice, turmoil and violence, Reflections Over the Long Haul is a moving testament to the cost of discipleship and the power of perseverance.

—Jerry L. Van Marter, PCUSA News Service Coordinator

Springtime children's reading
No One Can Ever Steal Your Rainbow

By Barbara Meislin (Purple Lady Productions, 2005, 27 pages, $19.75, hardcover with CD-ROM)

Bad Kitty

By Nick Bruel (Roaring Brook Press, 2005, 40 pages, $15.95, hardcover, 888-330-8477)

You don't need to be learning the alphabet nor love cats to be enchanted by this book, but it might help.

In this book, designed to help teach children the alphabet, Bruel reaches beyond, allowing the bad "kitty" to touch the mischievous child in all of us. The "Bad Kitty" of the title is out of sorts because her owners have run out of cat food, and now her only choices are healthy, nutritious foods, like vegetables, from asparagus to zucchini.

The charm of Bad Kitty is her response to an intolerable situation. Deep down, every adult knows that we would have a tantrum like Bad Kitty if such a major change were forced on us. It's no wonder she claws the curtains and bites Grandma on the leg. Like us, she hates change.

Ultimately, tastier foods arrive, (anchovies, buffalo burritos, etc.), and Bad Kitty rethinks her behavior. With her stomach full, she is ready to atone for her sins. In a hysterical twist, she is rewarded by her clueless owners for good behavior. The ending is a guaranteed laugh for all pet owners.

Peaceful Piggy Meditations

By Kerry Lee MacLean (Albert Whitman & Company, 2004, 32 pages, $15.95, hardcover)

The young pigs in Peaceful Piggy Meditations battle stress, noise, too-busy lives and annoying, obnoxious siblings.

MacLean, a certified children's meditation instructor, offers a simple solution: Take a break. Be quiet. Just breathe. Parents concerned about the busy, stressful lives of their children, as well as their own daily "rush," are encouraged to help children create a special place for quiet time. But even if all you are able to do is read this delightful book with your child, you'll be sent into a Zen state by the charming illustrations and peaceful colors.

— Katie-Murphy O'Brien, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Tiburon, Calif.

Do you want to be healed?
Healing Is a Choice: Ten Decisions That Will Transform Your Life, and Ten Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them

By Stephen Arterburn, (Nelson Books, 2005, 225 pages, $22.95, hardcover)

Each of us has suffered major and minor setbacks in life: the death of a spouse, divorce, loss of job—the list is long. These experiences often bring about grief, self-doubt, diminished ability to take healthy risks, and occasional pathological states such as prolonged self-pity. Other reactions include resentment, rage, and depression.

The author, who suffered some of these emotions after a divorce, shares his wisdom about healing. Each chapter presents a choice that can help close the wounds and—this is a big and—what he calls the "big lie" we tend to believe, which turns out to be a blockade to healing.

Take, for example, the choice to forgive, to free oneself of the resentment that bonds one to the devastation. The big lie in this case is believing that "forgiveness is only for those who earn it or deserve it." In a chapter on risk-taking, the "big lie" is: "I must protect myself from the kind of pain that put me in this place to begin with."

Arterburn is a respected author and motivator who is no stranger to the pain life can bring. His experience of the divorce and his consequent grieving validates the message—that one can heal from a painful experience. But it takes work, and more than a little courage to face the pain. This is an easy read, and may help a suffering person through a period of grief and bereavement.

—Tinsley Stewart, a physician now pursuing a Master of Arts in Religion degree at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary