Religion in Review

-- Publishers Weekly, 1/25/2006

Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace
Miroslav Volf. Zondervan, $12.99 paper (224p) ISBN 0-310-26574-6

Arguing that Christians are called to imitate God's generosity, Volf, a theology professor at Yale Divinity School and Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, explores what that looks like in the area of giving and forgiving. Volf relies heavily on Martin Luther's writings in this accessible book that demonstrates how to build "a bridge from self-centeredness to generosity." The first half of the book, on giving, and the second half, on forgiveness, are divided by a short interlude that tries to connect the two parts. While there is a relationship between the two, this book might have been more successful as two separate volumes. Nonetheless, Volf's thinking and writing are lucid and instructive. He eschews pop psychology, relying instead on biblical, ethical and theological understandings of God's generosity, and the ways in which people can best imitate that in the giving of their talents and gifts and in forgiving others. Volf never shies away from the difficult personal and communal issues that giving and forgiving pose; the result is a practical and hopeful resource for those struggling to understand their responsibilities in these areas. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote the foreword. (Jan.)

Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes
Edited by Laurel Snyder. Soft Skull Press, $15.95 paper (280p) ISBN 1-933368-24-1

This anthology of 18 essays takes for granted that Jews will intermarry, and that the children of intermarriages will be "halfs," or half-Jews. Being a half, says Snyder, is not second best; it is not a pale imitation of being really Jewish. Rather, "half" is an interesting, incorrigible, perplexing and profound moniker in its own right, a label that somehow captures the existential angst that all people experience. Read cover to cover, the anthology begins to feel suffocating in its predictability—smart folks reflecting smartly about their struggles with identity. But many of the individual essays are engaging, funny and provocative. Dena Katzen Seidel describes, in a strikingly detached tone, the emotional abuses doled out by her flaky mother, a Christian Scientist. Novelist Thisbe Nissen explains that every New Yorker is a little bit Jewish, while Renée Kaplan observes that the only deal her mismatched parents ever made and kept was the agreement to raise the kids Jewish. "My half-Jewishness is a memento of that short-lived moment of concord between the two," she muses with a touch of melancholy. Half-Jews will see themselves and their families in this book, and they will laugh, and maybe even cry, while reading. (Apr.)

Defining Moments: A Novel
Jacquelin Thomas. New American Library, $22.95 (288p) ISBN 0-451-21775-6

In this sequel to The Prodigal Husband, Thomas reintroduces readers to protagonist Sheila Moore. Several years have elapsed since her misguided affair with her business partner, Jake Madison. Now 42, Sheila, a wealthy African-American beauty, is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She tells Jake she needs to take a leave of absence from their firm, but doesn't divulge anything about her health. Shortly after her diagnosis, she strikes up an unexpected friendship with Nicholas, an author who happens to be a close friend of Jake's wife, Tori. Unsurprisingly, there is little love lost between the two women, and Tori tries to dissuade Nicholas from spending time with her erstwhile rival. But Nicholas genuinely cares about his new friend, and eventually their relationship turns romantic. Will Sheila and the Madisons be able to truly forgive past wrongs? Will Sheila discover the rich Christian faith shared by all the other characters? Devotees of contemporary Christian fiction will not have much trouble guessing the answers to these questions. Thomas draws persuasive characters, but fails to offer the necessary backstory for this sequel to stand alone; readers not familiar with The Prodigal Husband will have to struggle through 100 pages before fully understanding everything that went on before. (Apr. 5)

Watching the Tree Limbs
Mary E. DeMuth. NavPress, $12.99 paper (416p) ISBN 1-57683-926-5

In this debut faith-based novel, DeMuth writes with poignancy and grace, transporting readers to the hot East Texas town that is nine-year-old Mara's home. Amid the red dirt and pecan trees, Mara struggles to find her way through a painful and mysterious family situation. Who were her parents? Is her aunt Elma really her aunt—and does Elma really have a tumor? What will happen to her if her aunt dies? The pain in Mara's life multiplies unimaginably when she meets General, the teenage neighbor who repeatedly rapes her, threatening her life if she tells anyone. DeMuth captures the horrific situation—from Mara's inability to keep her body from shaking to her determination to watch the tree limbs to keep her mind off of what is going on—while providing hope of redemption and healing. Her characters are expertly drawn, and encompass meanness, evil, great kindness, and the confusion and quirks of generally good people who don't know how to handle what life has given them. Christian themes are woven throughout as a natural expression of the characters and situation. Readers may be surprised at the dark subject matter (which the cover only hints at), but this book will appeal to many readers both as a thoughtful, powerful reflection on a difficult topic and as a compelling story. (Mar. 15)

The Four Yogas: A Guide to the Spiritual Paths of Action, Devotion, Meditation and Knowledge
Swami Adiswarananda. SkyLight Paths, $29.99 (320p) ISBN 1-59473-143-8

In America, Yoga is primarily understood as a series of physical exercises. But in this book, Adiswarananda, a monk who follows the influential 19th-century guru Ramakrishna and teaches in New York City, unpacks with clarity the spiritual systems of Yoga. A Hindu philosophy, Yoga is intended to bring about union with God. Within Yoga are differences in understanding and practice, so Yoga encompasses diverse ideas and ways. The author systematically examines the four types of Yoga referred to in the title, using the same organizing concepts (philosophy, psychology, practices, obstacles) so that differences and similarities among the paths can be clarified, even about such heady topics as "ultimate reality." Along the way a good deal of the Hindu understanding of God and human nature is translated, literally and figuratively, into Western-friendly ideas and terms. ("Meditation is not relaxation, as is often thought nowadays.") Sanskrit terms are explained in a glossary. Characteristic of explanations of philosophy, the text tends toward lecture-like dryness, even while clear. A guidebook rather than a how-to, this would make a good reference for students of Eastern spirituality. (Mar.)