An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism: The Wisdom of the Sages by Jean C Cooperedited by Joseph A. FitzgeraldThis beautifully illustrated book introduces the reader to the history and development of Taoism, one of the great religious and philosophical movements in Chinese thought. Chapters include discussions on the concept of the Tao (or Way), the symbolism of…
Centering Prayer and the Twelve Stepsby Father Thomas Keating In this major new work, Father Thomas Keating reflects on the wisdom and legacy of the AA Twelve Step method and its connections to, and similarities with, the Christian mystial traditions of centering prayer and Lectio Divina. In conversation with a long-time member of AA meetings,…
by Richard HollowayThe Observer, Sunday 19, December 2010Article history It feels irreverent, if not actually blasphemous, to question a work by Karen Armstrong. Since her book A History of God was published in 1993, she has established herself as a historian of religion of magisterial authority. A one-woman industry on the subject, she has produced…
Review by Tom Rachman A version of this review appeared in print on April 24, 2011, on page BR9 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: Twelve-Step Masquerade. The publishing world never promised great riches to its employees, but compensated with good parties. Conversation was lively, the nibbles were exquisite, the company was often…
by Jennifer MatesaRenew Magazine July/August 2012I bought Bill Clegg’s Ninety Days the week it was released for my friend Bridget, who was then about two weeks short of 90 days sober. When I told Bridget I was meeting Clegg in New York at the beginning of April to talk about his book, she emailed me.…
In 2008, Sheff’s New York Times bestselling memoir, Beautiful Boy, detailed his son Nic’s descent into methamphetamine addiction and provided a firsthand parent’s perspective on teenage addiction. Many of our readers will fondly remember your memoir of your son Nic’s addiction. How is Clean different, or similar, to Beautiful Boy? David Sheff: Beautiful Boy was…
By Jean S. This book offers a way forward for the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. The unstated goal of The Little Book is to widen the gateway of AA so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of belief or lack of belief. The book presents the 12 Step program of recovery in a…
by Hieromonk Damascene Reviewed by Gregory Ellison In the beginning was the Tao,And the Tao was with God,And the Tao was God.… And the Tao was made fleshAnd dwelt among us … — The Gospel of John,translated from Chinese For English readers, the familiar passage from the Gospel of John begins “In the beginning was…
By Stephen Mitchell Penguin Press, 2009, $25.95 Adapted from two anthologies of Chinese wisdom compiled probably between 300 and 100 B.C.E. (the Chuang Tzu by Master Chuang, and the Chung Yung, ascribed to Tzu Ssu, the grandson of Confucius), The Second Book of the Tao is a sprightly complement to the Tao Te Ching, thought to…
If summer, for you, means the chance to find a beach and lose yourself, for once, in a piece of writing longer than an email, never fear — we’ve done the hard work for you and checked out a whole bunch of this year’s hottest reads. It just so happens that in one way or…