Spirituality Books

Easy to read, profound thoughts that take just enough time to start the day. Wise reminders of how to live.

I have spent several years reading the Bible daily and various "thoughts of the day" pamphlets that you get through church. At least where I am in my spiritual development (at this time, looking inward for God vs. externally and learning about other philosophies such as Buddism to see what insights I can gain), I find this to be very rewarding and inspirational. I particularly like that Tolstoy used Christianity as the basis but also looked to other philosophies, which he includes.

I bought this book as an afterthought when I purchased Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within Us. I'm so glad that I bought it because it's easy to pick up and read each day, and I'm getting a lot out of it. The Kingdom book is more intensive read in terms of actual reading so other books have caught my interest first. This book is one of them.

Tolstoy's words resonate among those who have suffered and sought truth within the human condition. He has a way of pulling hope from the cruelest times and peace in dashing the sorrow when we think we suffer alone.

Every once in a while a book comes along which surprises me with its excellence. Well, this is definitely one of those books. When I first held the book, I could tell that the quality was high - the book has a hardcover and feels like it is quite well made.

But, it really shows how great it is when you open it up! The book is indeed a treasury of wisdom, showing just why Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the greatest men of letters that ever lived. Each day has its own page, in which is included Tolstoy's thought for the day. Each month follows the same rhythm, moving from theme to theme in a stately march.

Overall, I must say that this is a great book, with a gentle wisdom presented in a brief and yet powerful manner. It is a shame that the Communists suppressed this book, as it really is a great work of Western (Russian) literature, and a great daily devotional.

I give this book my highest recommendations!

I had the fortunate job of proof reading and minor editing of this book, for translater Peter Sekerin. As I spent the many hours doing so, I found that Tolstoy's thoughts and wisdom, as you continue to read him over and over, almost permeates your thoguhts and come to mind as you go through out your day. He was a very wise and learned man, but also a very practical one. This project in its entirety are the deep thoughts of a man willing to be changed by his God, who examined and reflected thoughtfully on the world around him. In Tolstoy's footsteps, I find Peter Sekerin on a similar journey. He was and is the right man to take on this book. May you be blessed as you read Tolstoy's writings as rediscovered and presented by Peter Sekirin.

Well written, with enough tension to keep you engaged. I would highly recommend the book for those on a spiritual journey as well as someone looking for a delightful romance!

I have finished reading the book about a week ago. For numerous times during the last week I have thought about the experiences Tanner Finley had during the 7-day cruise and the many years following. I am 70 years old and married with children and I do not think, I have ever had experience what Tanner Finley had and I did not tnink that that kind of love Tanner had for Rennee exists or for that matter, even possible. How lucky Tanner was to have had that experience and even more so for Rennee. I do hope Tanner finds fulfillment and peace and love for the rest of his life.

Sergey is one of those rare talents that not only stimulates the intellect in his novel, Worlds Apart, but speaks directly to the spirit. He combines good story telling with a seductive, beautifully executed style.
Set up in a series of chance meetings (or are they) between Tanner, our hero, and Renee, his soulmate, comes this truly unique love story that takes us on an inner/outer journey of spiritual truth and nourishment.
Wise, warm, human, Worlds Apart is one of those books you can't put down. A genuine treat. Read it.

I was totally wrapped up in the characters. Being an avid cruiser, I found myself on the ship -- in the dining room watching Tanner look for Renee, observing his quest for her on deck and in the disco. I couldn't put the book down, always having to read one more chapter. Awesome!

This book really captured me. There were so many facets to the main character, Tanner Finley, that I wanted to just reach out and hold him, embrace him and hug him. Even before I started reading this book, I knew it was something special; I felt it in my "middle." The author was able to put into words so many of my deepest feelings. Even now, three days later, I still wonder how he was able to reach into my head and heart and find my soul. Bravo, Mr. Sergey, and Thank You!

This book is a true delight! Full of the light and magic of the world all around us, Tom Cowan's words are sure to make you think and to move your soul.

Delightful reading - and now we're taking turns reading it aloud to each other in the evening. A very positive book - just what we need right now.

Tom Cowan's Celtic Reflections is a wonderful read. Every chapter contains pearls of wisdom. The book is also written in a way that builds on concepts presented earlier to make the point later in the book. The reflections draw on Celtic traditions and myth, as well as Cowan's personal life. His explanation of spirit and living "in the spirit" was particuarly poignant. I plan read sections again to try to pull out individual practices and meditations. Although they are presented in almost every chapter, I wish there had been a summary or methodology to the techniques that were presented. Overall, though, an excellent book worthy of reading and study, whether you are into Celtic traditions or simply want to experience another way look of seeing the world.

I found "Yearning for the Wind" to be an absolutely inspiring text that gives great insight into the heart of Celtic Theology. Of particular interest to me, and something I hold as a personal belief is the Celtic mystery tradition, going back to the time of Plato, that all created things share in the divine life of the Creator (pp. 56). I believe that the spirit of God is in each of us.

Some may ask how the spirit of the divine can be found in those who are not godly, yet we find this too explained in "Yearning for the Wind" and in Celtic Theology in general. In the text a story is related of two groups of sheep. One group being white and the other being black. From time to time one of the white sheep would wander over to the group of black sheep and would itself turn black. And, later a black sheep would wander into the white flock and would thereafter turn white. I took this to mean that we tend to take on the likeness of those with who we associate. So... when we associate with those lacking an abundance of the divine spirit we ourselves show a lack of this spirit too. Yet, the divine spirit that is in us will grow when given an environment that is nurturing to the spirit.

Along this same line however, we are never completely black, nor are we ever completely white. In "Yearning for the Wind" we see this reflected in the story of the tree, half of which is on fire, the flames blazing up to the top of tree; while the other half of the tree is green, leafy and beautiful. Although not explained in great detail I found the story of the burning tree to be similar to the Chinese theory of yin and yang. Each is the opposite of the other, yet yin flow into yang and yang flows into yin, and at the heart of each is the essence of its own opposite. In each person we can find the rage and flames of the burning half of the Celtic tree and at the same time we can find the shade, and leafy beauty of a tree in the fullness of its bloom.

I believe it is what we do with that that is found within each of us that dictates the course of our lives, and how brightly the spirit of the divine is reflected in us. In Celtic Theology we read the story of Dagda's harp, the music of which affected the soul of man. It is the music of sleep that brings us to that state beyond joy. The Buddhists call it `satori' and the Hindus call it `nirvana', but in each case it is simply realizing the spirit of the divine living within each of us. When we reach a state where we realize that inner divine spirit we can thereafter use that spirit to aid others ~ as with the Celtic songs of healing, which heal those who hear them as well as those who sing them.

We must not think however that Celtic Theology is all mystery and hidden spirit. Those of the Celtic faith are very much in tune with life in this world. We see this reflected in the reply of one of Finn MacCool's men when asked by St. Patrick what had sustained him before the `Gospels'. "The warrior-hunter answered `The truth in our hearts, the strength in our arms, and the promise on our lips'." This clearly summarizes the Celtic Moral Code: "To live from the deep inner knowledge of the heart and soul, to manifest it by physical action, and to be true to one's word." (pp. 83)

Although every religion attempts to offer a code or commandments to guide the moral lives of the faithful, I believe that this Celtic insight into morality says it best. For if a man follows the deep inner knowledge of his heart and soul, does he not draw upon the spirit of the divine that is within us all? And, by drawing upon this inner spirit of the divine a man's physical actions with be brave and right and strong. With strength of spirit, and strength of deed, our word will surely be honorable and true.

Tom Cowan's Yearning of the Wind: Celtic Reflections on Nature is truly wonderful. I imagine that I will reread sections of this book time and time again--each time taking something different with me, each time seeing it from a different perspective. His writing is easy. Flowing from word to word and thought to thought, he takes you on a journey of the soul. It's deceptively simplistic and easy to read--but the depth is tremendous. In a few pages, his words convey universal meanings that strike a chord deep within me.

Cowan writes "Live courageously even though circumstances frighten you. Push through fear, knowing that ultimately nothing can harm your soul."

Wise words from an eloquent man.

This is a beautiful, deep, insightful book that anyone on a spiritual path should read. Michael Tamura has got it going on! I highly recommend it! Very powerful.

For those on a spiritual path, the information contained in this book is truly, truly invaluable; like nothing you've ever read before...guaranteed! Michael lovingly and compassionately explains how you can uncover your true purpose and "Building the Temple of the Soul". Each sentence tells an informative, descriptive story whereby tools are offered and can be practiced in everyday life!

The information contained in this book is truly a gift and a plethora of information that cannot be read just once. Each sentence bursts with profound new insights and is healing to the soul.

"Your purpose-plant is growing into a strong, well-rooted tree. A magical transformation is taking place in which nature turns a still-green sapling into a mature majestic tree. In the beginning of your incarnation, nature (God through your parents) provided you with a new body. Now, fulfilling your purpose means transmuting that mortal body of karma into an immortal body of wisdom".

This is just one paragraph offered out of 254 astonishing, life changing pages!

This is a book filled with some of the most highly evolved spiritual information and guidance I've ever found. I HIGHLY recommend it.

This book is like watching a movie that has you so engrossed you don't want it to end. If that sounds cliché, you won't think so after you've had it in your itchy palms, awake late at night, not able to move you're so in awe of what you are reading.

For what it's worth, James Van Praagh had a private session with the author years ago and was genuinely in awe. James wrote the forward for "You are the Answer". In it he talks about how this book reminded him of his own `inkling of purpose'.

This delicately touches what this book is about. The idea is that in quieting our minds with the help of meditative exercises we can create the space for our spiritual seeds to grow into our true divine selves. We pick up charges from many sources: acquaintances, family, thoughts, and perceptions. Because we are energy ourselves we become sponges for all of this making it impossible to decipher what is truly ours and what is .. everything else. From "Validating Spirit", "Resistance to Willingness", "Growing Neutrality", and into "Choosing Truth at Every Crossroads" you'll find chapters that are full of wisdom and intense teachings that allow you to find your voice and accept yourself with compassionate honesty so that you can begin to understand your purpose here in this lifetime.

Michael Tamura's words are revolutionarily loving and add up to some of the FULLEST sentences you've ever read - you cannot read this book once. In fact, the amount of time you go back to reread a paragraph or sentence will amount to your reading this book a dozen times hoping that the words would come alive and put their healing hands upon you. And that's before you read it all over again because you miss it so much.

I recommend this book to all of the people who ever wanted to feel the lightness of divinity in their everyday life. To remind themselves of love so eternal and so huge and so familiar that being without it is what's missing. This book was like going to the doctor for me. The Soul Doctor.

This book is like watching a movie that has you so engrossed you don't want it to end. If that sounds cliché, you won't think so after you've had it in your itchy palms, awake late at night, not able to move you're so in awe of what you are reading.

For what it's worth, James Van Praagh had a private session with the author years ago and was genuinely in awe. James wrote the forward for "You are the Answer". In it he talks about how this book reminded him of his own `inkling of purpose'.

This delicately touches what this book is about. It begins that within quiet and with the help of meditative exercises we can create the space for our spiritual seeds to grow into our true divine selves. We pick up charges from many sources: acquaintances, family, thoughts, and perceptions. Because we are energy ourselves we become sponges for all of this making it impossible to decipher what is truly ours and what is .. everything else. From "Validating Spirit", "Resistance to Willingness", "Growing Neutrality", and into "Choosing Truth at Every Crossroads" you'll find chapters that are full of wisdom and intense teachings that allow you to find your voice and accept yourself with compassionate honesty so that you can begin to understand your purpose here in this lifetime.

Michael Tamura's words are revolutionarily loving and add up to some of the FULLEST sentences you've ever read - you cannot read this book once. In fact, the amount of time you go back to reread a paragraph or sentence will amount to your reading this book a dozen times hoping that the words would come alive and put their healing hands upon you. And that's before you read it all over again because you miss it so much.

I recommend this book to all of the people who ever wanted to feel the lightness of divinity in their everyday life. To remind themselves of love so eternal and so huge and so familiar that being without it is what's missing. This book was like going to the doctor for me. The Soul Doctor.

This book is GREAT! It is full of super insight and information regarding your walk through a waiting time.

However I, personally, do not care for her writing style. I found her habit of quoting her personal conversations with the Lord through the book distracting (having to read parts again for clarity) and irritating. I did not let that take away from the valuable things I learned, though.

An incredible jewel for anyone struggling with waiting! :)

I've been reading a little of this book each day all summer, then praying and enjoying the day through the view I got from my morning reading. It has really helped me get closer to God. It has helped me get to know who I am better and how to serve God better. It is an amazing book! I love the concept of "purposeful waiting!" Who wants to sit around doing nothing!!! It helped me realized what a GIFT my wait time for people is and how I can put it to use. Wow!

I can't express the gratitude I feel toward Karon, for expressing exactly how I've felt about going through "the wait" for so long. She hits the nail on the head with every single paragraph of this book. How does she do that? I found myself wanting to read it over and over, and truly contemplating the questions at the end of each chapter. Amazingly, the same answers kept coming up for me, so I truly got clear on what I had to do. Thank you, Karon, and thank you Lord for using her to help me! A MUST HAVE!!!

This book is a terrific read! I picked it up and had difficulty putting it down. Karon Goodman is right on with her sense of humor and advice on how to spend your time while in God's "waiting room". Patience is not a strong point for me and I'll be darned if Goodman didn't describe me to a "T" while speaking of herself! Definitely a must read for those Thomas' out there!!

If you have been on earth long enough, your patience has been or will eventually be tested. Not only tested one time, but numerous times. The waiting period from trial to trial at times seem unfair and unbearable. Karon Phillips Goodman shares some profound insights with those of us who have difficult "waiting room" moments.

What do you do during the wait? Do you pout, complain and throw yourself a pity party? Maybe you try plan after plan only to see each one fail?

Karon proposes the idea of waiting "purposely". During our wait it is not God's desire for us to suffer needlessly, but to draw closer to Him. Karon humoruously shares her personal experiences as she learns how to wait purposely. She lets the reader know it is not an easy task, but the benefits are enormous as we choose to let the Holy Spirit guide us to the next level of our Christian walk.

This is a small book, but it's packed with an abundance of wisdom! Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and give you a new outlook the next time your patience is put to the test.

--- reviewed by Tyora Moody for Christian Bookshelf

Book is in like new, great condition. This is a well written book, excellent for reading during individual quiet time or time of prayer.

Many devotionals are too brief, being only a few paragraphs long. These daily readings are a few pages each, so they have more meat to them. Each devotion begins with a scripture reference followed by Emilie's application of the scripture, some suggested action steps, and a brief prayer. In the scripture applications, Emilie focuses on her personal experiences and experiences in the daily lives of most women. She encourages readers to apply God's principles in their roles as wives, mothers, friends, and professionals. I have recommended this book to many women, and I passed my copy along to a friend. I wish more devotionals followed this format.

This book has revived my quite time with the Lord. God has used her writings to bring me back to a desire to be with Him everyday for time alone. She uses real life, down to earth situations to show us where God is working and how we can better follow His ways. Excellent book!

This book was very uplifting and I really enjoyed it. I felt that my walk with God deepened. I liked that you can skip around and do which ever one you want to do. I did alot of journaling with the thoughts for action. I also liked that it had additional scripture that deals with the same topic.

Not only is this a wonderful devotional but it is so inspiring! Emilie includes wonderful tips and ideas for making family times special times! It really does only take 15 minutes "Alone with God" each day to make a difference in your life! Once again to Emilie Barnes I say, Thank you!

This book gives a simple yet profound explanation of the Eucharist. Although thought provoking, it is easy and relaxed reading. It is truly a book you will read over and over again!

If you are a Director of Catholic faith there can be no greater gift that you can purchase for your teachers as the 7 Secrets of the Eucharist. This book makes you take a complete look at yourself and the way that you previously celebrated the Eucharist. You will never beable to celebrate the Eucharist like you did before you read about the 7 Secrets of the Eucharist. This book is a must for all catholic families.

I purchased this book for myself and after reading I purchased extra copies as a Christmas gift for all of my Catechist.

I love the book. But I'm sure the author knows more secrets. It's interesting that a book like this should eminate from a layman.-- Not surprising but interesting. Give us more, more more.
Jack

A 'must read' for all who would like to improve their spiritual life. This book greatly assisted me in my understanding of the Eucharist. I now understand that there is a relationship between 'how I receive' and 'what I receive'.
If I go to God's table in the proper frame of mind to unite myself with the risen Christ, then God will fill me with his graces.
If I go to God's table with a bad attitude, I will come away with nothing.
How many of us leave God's table empty handed? Because we go to it expecting nothing, and thats exactly what we come away with.
God WANTS to pour down graces and blessings upon us. But we don't let him. Because we approch Him with cold hearts and closed hands.
This book helped to teach me how to open my hands, open my heart, and open my mind to God's love.
The difference it has made is amazing.

I bought this book based solely on Fr. Benedict Groeschel's praise, and he is absolutely right. This can truly be a life-changing read, and although it can be read very quickly it deserves to be pondered prayerfully and deliberately. It is not a theological treatise on the Eucharist, nor is it a history of Eucharistic devotion or doctrine, so it is not the best place to start for someone who does not already have at least a basic understanding of what the Eucharist is all about. I would not, for example, recommend it to a non-Catholic friend who wants to know why Catholics believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist or someone who is looking for an introduction to the theology of the Eucharist. But, there are tremendous riches in these pages: Vinny Flynn has, in effect, summarized centuries of the best Eucharistic theology and presented it in a deeply personal and spiritually charged way. If you are looking for a book that will light within your heart a new fire of devotion to Christ in the Eucharist and inspire you to share that love with others, this is the place to start. I expect to return to this book many times in years to come, especially at those times when I feel myself growing spiritually lukewarm.

I picked up this book simply because I have enjoyed Benjamin Lloyd as an actor. I never expected that he would also be a wonderful writer. In addition, Lloyd provides an insight into the joys and struggles of an actor and will help anyone contemplating a career as an artist. It should also be a must read for the parents, spouse or friend of the "struggling artist". ( And, almost by definition, they all must have their struggles. )

Fortunately, no one need struggle as they read this book. It will capture you from the first through the last page! I loved it.

Duane Malm

Acting and teaching acting is revealed in an unusual form: fictional letters between a struggling New York City actor and his Quaker grade-school acting teacher. In adopting the letter format, the pitfalls of an actor's life and the realities of success are more easily captured. It's rare to see such a blending of fiction and fact, but The Actor's Way: A Journey Of Self-Discovery In Letters provides an excellent, realistic survey in a form students can more easily digest.

This riveting book using the letters of the 2 main characters wonderfully developes the interplay between acting, openness, fragility and trust. Using the theater metaphor, lloyd details feelings, emotional interplay, and community building as the constant themes of bringing the "spirit"and "life" into our temporal life. His chosen world of acting and directing demonstrate the ephemeral in our concrete denotative world,AND also brings out the eternal through the incorporation of the impact of art on the observer and the participant. Poetry, music, and drama become meaningless exercises without the emotional and spiritual transportation of performer and audience to a new "weltanschaung".
The specific techniques described are beyond my experience but resonate clearly with similar techniques of relating and isolating specific aspects of relationships in my medical career. I was always amazed by the change in surgeons personalities when they were wearing a mask and when they "out of costume". No question that the mask provided a screen for their persona. The arrogant but friendly and understanding selves disappeared behind the mask replaced by the distant focused martinet.
Most beautifully handled is the spiritual growth within a community that is open and loving and unavailable in a solo setting. "Alice" "walks the talk" and the handling of her "Spiritual Inventory" as she accepts her death while remaining involved in her community. Community, to me, is where someone lives that I am uncomfortable with. The fictional letters create the "uncomfortable" person as part of each character. The modulation of the uncomfortable actions become facets of each person, preserving the "whole" of the person as loving person with demons not seen by others. The curse of secrecy, hiding the "wounded" parts leading to community and personal diminishment. This love of secrecy is the basis of the innate mistrust of most people to Scorpios. The Scorpio demands loyalty but needs his chamber(cave) private, precluding open communication without advance contemplation and strategic analysis, Iago is a classic example of a Scorpio knowingly headed into destructive course aware that he will be destroyed as well.
The incorporation of the Quaker blend of high abstract intellect welded to a belief based on an emotional/spiritual experience (The Gathered Meeting) adds the necessary "vertical plot" necessary for living characters facing life each day.
Many thanks to B. Lloyd for writing such a clear loving book.

I can't stop reading this book! I'm not an actor or a theatre teacher, but I love going to the theatre and try to imagine all the work that goes into creating the characters that we see up on stage. There is so much art and craft to acting and this book helps you to understand it -- and understand the struggles and the growth in each actor, teacher, and director. It's written in a letters between people format which makes it real and lively. This is a book for everyone! Those who haven't read The Actor's Way have a huge treat in store for you!!

The charactor of Andy was genuine, and masterfully revealed in his correspondence with Alice. The relationship that was driven by their link to the theater was so much more than just theater discussion (which I have no experience in, but learned quite a bit)- it got to the core of why and how one chooses a direction in ones life. A book that should be on the reading list of every college student - not just those majoring in the arts! Ultimately The Actor's Way is about authenticty in ones pursuits in life. Want to know where Andy is now in his life. Next book due out???

I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Michael Downey lecture on this particular book before I ever touched it. I was blown away by his lucid and methodical description of that simple verse from St. John, "God is Love." I bought the book with high hopes.

I'll tell you, my hopes were fulfilled! "Altogether Gift" truly is a masterpiece. My Christian faith has been transformed. I always felt that 1 John 4:8 as well as 1 Corinthians 13 and John 15:9-17 were entirely overrated. I believed in them, but thought they didn't do God full justice. What a folly! How impious I was, for these verses are the key to understanding God's creative and salvific activity in the universe--particularly with mankind!

Downey's work permeates with the precious and transforming love that God bestows on those who acknowledge Him. The words God spoke in Isaiah 43:4 become crystal clear through Downey's treasure of theological and spiritual reflection ("For you are precious in my eyes and glorious, and because I love you"). During the course of my reading, I was frequently moved to tears as I realized how much more I (we) can love God if I (we) only allow His love to reach me (us); how much more I (we) should love my (our) brothers and sisters in this world. Wow!

Buy this book. Read this book. Live this book.

This book caused me to pause in wonder on every page. Michael Downey, in language at times poetic, sets forth a spirituality of the Holy Trinity that is intensely relational and vividly personal. His gift is taking theological abstraction and making it more accessible to the educated lay reader. This is not an easy read, but the language is so rich, it is a meditation unto itself and totally worth the time to savor each sentence. While Downey writes from an obviously Catholic perspective, several Protestant friends read it and subsequently bought their own copies.

The 15 Trinitarian meditations at the end are excellent but take some time to explore.

In "Altogether Gift" author Michael Downey eloquently reminds the Christian reader that relationship is the key element in understanding God's nature and purpose. God is the Mystery we experience through our everyday relationships. As I read Downey's book I find myself savoring the text, committing some phrases to memory, writing other passages in a journal. They are words of wisdom for one's journey, probing the depths of the eternal Mystery. "There never was a time or place when or where God was not Love loving."

Downey has made a great contribution to both laity and religious by addressing a central truth about authentic Christian living. "In our dealings with one another there is to be always and everywhere a willingness to embody a spirit of equality and mutuality, true independence grounded in the equal dignity of each one."

Downey clarifies what it means to be made in God's image and likeness. "Perichoresis describes the active mutual, equal relations between the Father, Son, and Spirit, without subordination. This also articulates what human persons are called to be and become."

"Altogether Gift - A Trinitarian Spirituality" is altogether inspirational and altogether challenging.

Michael Downey's new book, "Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality," offers extraordinary and penetrating glimpses into the profound Mystery of God. Gracefully written, thoroughly rooted in classical Christian theology and spirituality, and shaped by the author's own obvious passion, Downey's compelling treatment of the Trinity affects the reader. At the level of intellect, his insightful interpretation of Trinitarian doctrine lends clarity and fresh perspective to complicated, dusty concepts. At the level of heart, his sensitive insight into the mystery of God's life generates moments of release from the aching desire to experience God's loving presence personally and certainly. This important religious classic is an essential read for Christian academics and for persons of faith who crave theological insight and spiritual enrichment.

Dr. Michael Downey's book, "Altogether Gift," is not a book that can be read in one sitting; nor should it be. In fact, it is one of those rare publications that occasionally comes along that needs to be savored in small portions. There is too much compacted into one sentence for the average person to ponder. Downey often does this in his books. To plumb the depth of what he is saying takes reflecive time and solitude. One often has to struggle to make the connections between what he is saying about the Christian faith and exactly how that applies to one's personal experience. I use as an example one sentence (p.86): "Our gift and task is to cultivate, to nurture and sustain the great variety of the manifestations of the magnitude of God's love in all forms of expressivity and creativity." This one sentence is packed with a multitude of questions, questions that can be asked of ourselves as we delve into the depth of our being in our search for the One Love.

This book can be used on many levels, but I can see its real importance and value as a spiritual tool for anyone, especially those exploring the Catholic Christian journey.

I would like to see this book used not only for individual reflection but also in growth groups with women and men who are serious in being challenged in their spiritual life.

"You don't know what you have here," A British lover of America tells a shaggy, typically left-leaning group of circa-1974 Bay-area students at the start of this book. "You simply don't know what you have."

Indeed we don't, as Needleman illustrates by the end of this fine book, and it has nothing to do with "patriotism" as often perceived. At this spiritually fraught moment in our nation, this book is a tonic for doubters, and a useful corrective for the smug. While not a difficult read - a high school sophomore would profit from it - this work compels your attention and deserves to be savored one chapter at a time.

Needleman offers us a sober-minded meditation on the spiritual underpinnings of America; the soaring, and deftly revealed, beliefs of the founders (Jefferson, Madison, Washington, Franklin); a fine chapter on Lincoln; bracing chapters on America's two great original sins: the genocide of the Native Americans, with the legend of Hiawatha as a framing device; and the crimes of slavery and racism, with Frederick Douglass brought to compelling life. Tying it all together at the fitting end is Walt Whitman as a bard of a "community of conscience."

With a close, careful reading, a deeper, resonant pattern emerges.

If one is thirsty for inspiration after reading the toxic, persuasive non-fiction books on the current administration and its works (the latest, the outstanding Tragic Legacy by Gary Greenwald), Needleman's book refreshes as an inspiring - and unstinting - reminder of all there is to love in this country.

The nation's greatness, Needleman posits, lies not in its material success, but in the universalist spiritual underpinnings of the "pursuit of happiness," which Needleman persuasively argues is the freedom to discover, in our own ways, the still, small voice in each of us, or, as Lincoln would say, the better angels of our nature. IF European secularism offers us freedom FROM religion, the American secular tradition offers us freedom OF religion, or the recognition that we are each free to explore, or not explore, the divine mysteries in our own, communal and individual ways.

He does not shirk from crimes against Native Americans and African Americans, but goes beyond to a deeper look at their own spiritual traditions and roots, which have blended into the warp and woof of American life. (He does not explore Mormonism, but has a fascinating chapter on the pre-Revolutionary experimental community of Ephrata, Pa.)

This book actually revived my long-shattered belief in American exceptionalism. That exceptionalism is not the brutish sort that much of the world perceives, but a special, carefully thought vision that comes comes from spiritual and philosophical roots in the Enlightenment. It is not simple-minded, or arrogant, or materialistic, or the heedless and even reckless notion of "freedom" that has cost us so dearly.

Needleman concludes with an inviting, modest bibliography for further reading. I read this not as a bibliography but as an invitation, a call to action through service in a humble, open spirit to our communities and our world. We do not need to be mere consumers; we have more power than we know as citizens. We indeed do not know what we have here - we have plenty. As Needleman insists, we ignore that at our peril. This is one of the best books I have read on what it means to be, and why it is special, to be lucky enough to be American.

Yes, the book can get too dramatic and personal at times and can occasionally rankle. In the context of the overall message, though, these are cavils.

I can't help but think of the neglected final lines of the second verse of America, the Beautiful, one that people never sing: "Confirm thy soul in self control; thy liberty in law."

For several years now, when the topic of my favorite book comes up, I say without hesitation, "The American Soul" by Jacob Needleman. Its insights are nothing short of brilliant; his language so sublime I can't help but reread passages for the sheer poetry with which a philosopher in his prime can convey a profound insight.

If only our presidents, senators, and congressmen had this book at their bedsides. We might actually become the America we once imagined ourselves to be.

This wise, much-needed book by one of America's distinguished philosophers should be required reading for every American. It goes deeply not only into the great ideals that lie at the heart of the original American vision, but also into its crimes throughout its history. "The crimes of America are as much a part of its meaning as its ideals," Needleman writes, "and to embrace one without the other will lead us nowhere." Needleman shows how it is only through awakening to the real meaning of such ideals as liberty, individuality, self-determination, and conscience that we can "become genuine men and women of the soul."

Jacob Needleman's book The American Soul is a masterful explanation of a deeper America, an America that has been lost in the shuck and jive of corporate greed, a media managed for misinformation and consensus and the professional wrestling that too often passes for religion in this country. Needleman writes with an elegant depth of Soul that is his subject and so he writes as a true and an especially wise American indeed. His discussion of the heart moving and inspired Iroquois solution to pettiness, greed and violence is itself worth many times the price of the book. If by some stroke of magical good fortune we could get Dr. Phil and others to stay home for a week so we could have greater access to a voice like Needleman's, America might make move toward remembering who she really is and in doing so become once again a beacon for those who seek the freedom to pursue a life of true depth, meaning and happiness, a life that lies beyond the surface freedom to stock up regularly on consumer goods. By all means, buy this book for yourself and for anyone you truly care about. The American Soul allows us to "remember" something essential and profound within ourselves, something that is the very Heart of America-something that we need to pledge allegiance to once again. This book offers profound perspective on what fitness for conscious citizenship is all about.

This book captures what our founders had in their minds and hearts when they envisioned what America could be. While we have strayed substantially from the original ideals, and lost sight of the original "American Dream," reading Needleman's words reminds us of what possibilities we are sitting on. We still have the potential to become as great, as free and as inspiring - to ourselves and all the world. All we need to do is get ourselves back on track. This book offers reminds us of our roots and instills visions of new possibilities. This is the kind of American I want to be!