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Publishers Weekly

Teach Me to Pray
Heidi Schlumpf -- 5/29/00
New books on this central spiritual practice
are an answer to seekers' supplications



When Jesus' disciples asked him how to pray, he told them to address God as "Our Father" and taught them what's now known as the Lord's Prayer. Today's spiritual seekers looking to books for assistance with their prayer lives have many more choices. From theological treatises to pocket-size gift books--and everything in between--the huge publishing subcategory of prayer titles is broader and more diverse than ever, thanks to an expanding definition of what constitutes prayer and a growing desire for coaching about this most basic spiritual practice.


Insecurity and lack of confidence on the part of those on their knees may be driving the demand for books about prayer. "A lot of people don't feel like they have the freedom or license to pray. And it's a constant challenge for people to take time to pray, so they appreciate books of prayers that help them articulate what's in their hearts," notes Jeremy Langford, editor-in-chief at Sheed & Ward, a Catholic publisher whose spring list of 12 books includes four on prayer. They reflect several trends, including emphases on everyday spirituality, women and monastic life. In I Can Tell God Anything: Living Prayer (Feb.), Jean Maalouf teaches readers how to "pray with your very life." Biographies, prayers and intercessions from inspirational women are collected by Benedictine Sister Joan D. Chittister in Life Ablaze: A Women's Novena (Apr.).

Prayer books can help unsure seekers to better communicate with the divine. "I think people like to use someone else's words to pray because they feel uncertain and unconfident," says George Donigian, director of trade marketing for Upper Room. "People are also afraid to ask their pastor, 'How do I pray?' because churches make the assumption that we all know how to pray." Books on prayer, then, become "portable pastors," often instructing readers in the basics of prayer. A classic how-to from Upper Room, Teach Me to Pray by W.E. Sangster, was rereleased in March with a redesigned cover and updated language. Another new prayer title from Upper Room is Richard L. Morgan's Fire in the Soul: A Prayer Book for the Later Years (Apr.), a collection of prayers on aging, retirement, loss and death.

Back to Basics
While many prayer books try to meet the needs of specific market and lifestyle niches, a growing number of publishers are doing books that get back to basics. Spirituality "lite" prayer books still sell, but it seems more seekers are trying to anchor their spirituality--and their prayer--in a tradition. In fact, a modern-day compilation based on the 6th-century Benedictine rule of fixed-hour prayers is being called the prayer book of the year. The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle (a PW contributing editor) was released by Doubleday in March and has climbed to number six on Amazon.com's list of bestselling prayer titles. The publisher is already going back to press after a 10,000 first printing. Doubleday Religious publisher Eric Major attributes the book's success to the dizzying pace of modern life: "You can't get away from your cell phone and e-mail. But people want times when they can completely switch off and be with God."
Classic Collections
Responding to the rising interest in tradition, a number of Catholic publishers are putting together collections of classic prayers. Our Sunday Visitor released three prayer books this spring, all aimed at traditional Catholic audiences. "Prayer books are some of our bestsellers," says OSV's marketing director, Jill Kurtz. New this spring are Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (Jan.), edited by Susan Tassone; Mention Your Request Here: The Church's Most Powerful Novenas (Mar.) by Michael Dubruiel; and The Way of the Fathers: Praying with the Early Christians (Mar.) by Mike Aquilina.


The 616-page TheBook of Catholic Prayer (Feb.) from Loyola Press contains more than 800 prayers, including the Liturgy of the Hours, compiled by Sean Finnegan. "We believe this is a book that's going to be around for at least a decade," remarks Loyola's marketing director, Heidi Toboni. A less hefty but still comprehensive collection is A Prayer Book for Today's Catholic released in March by Servant; among the seasonal and ordinary prayers compiled by Monsignor Michael Buckley are a litany of saints, the rosary prayers and special prayers for bereavement. Another traditional Catholic collection is Maiden and Mother: Prayers and Hymns to the Blessed Virgin Throughout History by John Miles; Ignatius Press plans a 10,000 first printing for the July release.

Grounded in Scripture
Evangelical publishers also see prayer as a substantial subcategory, with many of their books, not surprisingly, grounding prayer in Scripture. Two spring prayer books from Thomas Nelson are definitely anchored in the Bible. Bible-Based Prayer Power (June) by Ken Anderson is subtitled Using Relevant Scripture to Pray with Confidence for All Your Needs. A handbook of intercessory prayer (that is, prayer for the needs of others), Prayers to Move Your Mountains (May) by Thomas M. Freiling and Michael A. Klassen, also weaves together scriptural verses with a variety of prayers.

Even books in contemporary categories such as healing and recovery often draw on wisdom from ancient sources. Rodale's Daybreak imprint offers Prayer, Faith and Healing (May) by Kenneth Winston Caine and Brian Paul Kaufman and For Thou Art with Me: The Healing Power of Psalms (Aug.) by Samuel Chiel and Henry Dreher. Simcha Press, a new imprint of Health Communications that focuses on Jewish spirituality, also addresses the power of prayer in healing. In Praying for Recovery (Apr,), Eli Ezry (a pen name for an anonymous author) translates the Psalms for those in 12-step programs who want to connect with their Higher Power.

Evolving Definitions
Further broadening the category is the addition of books on prayer and meditation from Eastern religions. Practitioners of non-Western religions do pray, according to Jonathan Green, associate publisher of Shambhala Publications. "For all the great traditions, people are trying to live in a way that's prayerful, that brings them closer to God as they understand God," he explains. Shambhala's books on Sufism and Buddhism often talk about supplication and prayer. For example, The Knowing Heart (Oct.) by Kabir Helminski describes a Sufi path of transformation, which includes prayer.

Other books on prayer from an Eastern perspective include Zen Meditation Plain and Simple (May) by Albert Low, a rereleased version from Tuttle with updated instructional photographs, and Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn. Released in April by Parallax Press, the collection features traditional and new Buddhist prayers.

Everyday Prayer
In prayer titles, "everyday" has become a key buzzword. For hungry Christians, there's Gathered at Table in Prayer and Song by Edward F. Gabriele, a March release from St. Mary's Press featuring ecumenical prayers that can be sung or recited before meals. For families facing expansion, there's Servant's What to Pray When You're Expecting (Apr.) by Joyce Penner, which collects nine months' worth of prayers to help prepare Mom, Dad and siblings for the anticipated birth. Anyone who has faced the task of praying in public will appreciate Praying the Sacred in Secular Settings by Gail E. Bowman. In addition to tips on tone and content, this April release from Chalice Press features sample prayers suitable for a variety of events, from school commencements to fund-raiser kickoffs.

Marital relationships are the focus of Through Good Times and Bad: Prayers for a Lifetime Together by Robert M. Hamma and Kathryn A. Schneider, a March release from Ave Maria's Sorin imprint. Augsburg Fortress also plans a fall prayer book for married couples: A Prayer Book for Husbands and Wives: Partners in Prayer (July) by Ruth Anne and Walter L. Wangerin Jr. Another niche title from Augsburg is As I Journey On: Meditations for Those Facing Death (Mar.). Authors Sharon Dardis and Cindy Rogers have written 50 prayers on topics of concern to those facing the end of life.

One of Augsburg's bestselling prayer books was one aimed at perhaps the largest niche market: women. Soul Weavings: A Gathering of Women's Prayers by Lyn Klug, a small hardcover gift book published in 1996, is among Augsburg's three top-selling prayer books this year. Madeline L'Engle's APrayerbook for Spiritual Friends (1999), written with Luci Shaw, is about a spiritual friendship between two women.

Many prayer books are aimed at women, whose lives are often very enmeshed in the everyday. Time Out for Prayer (Chariot Victor, May) by Julie Baker teaches women how to incorporate prayer into their daily lives. Joyce Rupp, whose writings are popular with women, collects prayers, p ms and reflections for every season in Out of the Ordinary; Ave Maria Press did a 25,000 first printing of the March release.

Women not only buy and read a lot of prayer books, they also are the primary purchasers of gift books--and that includes gift collections of prayers. "Everything we market toward women on prayer d s very well," Susan Schlabach, senior editor of Promise Press, an imprint of value publisher Barbour that focuses on gift and devotional books, tells PW. Promise published two gift books on prayer this spring: In the Garden by Marsha Maurer and By the Water by Ellyn Sanna; both April releases are subtitled A Collection of Prayers for Everyday.

Keeping it Simple
With all these choices when it comes to prayer books, it would seem something as simple as the Lord's Prayer would be passé. But at least two books have taken a fresh look at the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. A.J. Cardinal Simonis of the Netherlands reflects on the continuing power of this ancient prayer in Our Father: Reflections on the Lord's Prayer (Eerdmans, 1999). The book is peppered with other prayers, including the Angelus and more contemporary ones. Radio personality Michael Youssef describes how he has used the Lord's Prayer in his daily prayer time in The Prayer That God Answers: Experiencing the Power and Fullness of the Lord's Prayer, a March release from Thomas Nelson. The interactive book features prayer exercises and encourages readers to write their own prayers. To that, all those who believe in the power of prayer would say, Amen!
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