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WILL THE CIRCLE
BE UNBROKEN? reviewed by Liz Bardon
— Quinn Brisben In the quote above, Brisben is referring to death, which is the subject of Will the Circle be Unbroken, the latest book by celebrated author Studs Terkel, who wrote the famous Working. Terkel gathers diverse interviews on a single topic into oral histories of our lives. The interviews are not in a question and answer format; rather, the subjects tell their stories with very little interruption. I felt like I was sitting in on the conversations. The book was so engrossing that I toted it to work with me every day. I couldn’t read much at home, because my husband would take the book to read himself as soon as I walked in the door.
ROUTE 66 reviewed by Ariele M. Huff
CARDS OF LIFE reviewed by Steve McCardell
Now, you can see my hesitation about new decks, and my appreciation of traditional tarot comes of my belief that symbols used by so many people over so long a period have a way of building up something important for readings. There are so many new decks today that none ever has a chance of building this important inner nature. But then, it might also be important for decks that open the doorway for new users, rather than promising that "you, too, can read tarot in ten minutes." A deck like Cards of Life may offer such a doorway.
CASSANDRA’S
ANGEL reviewed by Arlene Arnold
As children, we decide the answers to these questions through our experiences, how we are treated, and what we are told. When we were growing up, did anyone tell us to find our own story, to know who we truly are? Cassandra’s Angel encourages us to treat what others tell us about ourselves as their understanding, which often comes through their own sadness and fear. The angel that comes to Cassandra shows her how to see herself through different eyes.
THE WAY WE
PRAY reviewed by Ariele M. Huff
Organized alphabetically, the book looks at topics rather than separate religions. So chapters about altars, angels, fasting, or feasting include information about how several different faiths view religious customs.
STILL THE
MIND reviewed by Michael Armenia
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It happens at the rate of one per person.
The American image around the world is one of a
nation obsessed with material things, capitalists who place little
importance on anything even remotely spiritual. We often loudly
question this ourselves, blaming our commercialism on early forebears
who labored hard under the puritan work ethic and sacrificed
quality of life for financial success — or mere survival.
We frequently indulge in self-flagellation based on misunderstandings
as elementary as those held by some in other countries, defining
ourselves as crass and secular.
When I first considered reviewing this deck, I
wasn’t too sure about tackling another divination deck on
the market. But I was directed to the Web site to try the cards
out online, and after a quick reading, I was so delighted with
the surprising result that I decided to look further into these
cards.
Trudy Joost’s illustrations light
up each page of this wonderful book for children aged four to
adult with beautiful colors and pictures that see life through
a child’s eyes. Author Gina Otto encourages children (and
us) to find our own story of who we are. Most of us have created
our self-image (our story) based on what others have told us.
Are we smart? Are we lovable? Are we supposed to exist?
In The Way We Pray, Maggie Oman Shannon
has given us many of the answers currently being sought. If you’ve
ever wondered why some religions recommend fasting while others
use prayer beads or ikebana to express devotion, Shannon’s
book will put into perspective these and many other disparate
practices.
Still the Mind,
the new paperback release by Alan Watts, is physically soft,
flexible, and lightweight, a testament to the simple elegance
of his philosophy. Watts is known for his studies of Buddhism,
among other Eastern religions, and wrote on these subjects until
his death in 1973. This book was compiled and edited by Mark
Watts, his son, from recordings made of Alan's lectures in the
1960s and 1970s. It is primarily for this reason that the language
is simpler and more accessible than many of his other written
works. The result is unique and refreshing.
I thought chants were
just chants, but a little Web research taught me that there’s
a lot to learn about this timeless musical form of soul expression.
I hope that you, too, will enjoy exploring the depths of the
form.