The revealing latest from astrologer Taylor (Birth Chart Interpretation Plain & Simple) helps readers use their birth charts to answer life’s deepest questions. Breaking down the chart’s basics, Taylor overviews the celestial points, including the south node, which denotes “where we have come from,” and the north node, which provides clues about one’s future. She theorizes that the rising sign (“The astrological sign that was rising on the eastern horizon when you were born”) is one’s sun sign from a previous life, providing the protection and “confidence to begin anew” in “this brand new... world,” and offering a window into the “soul’s purpose.” With that in mind, Taylor offers unique spiritual lessons for all 12 rising signs. Aries rising signs, for example, are advised not to waste their fiery spirit “on unworthy and unnecessary battles” and instead pursue meaningful causes. Though Taylor’s lucidly explained interpretations resonate, the absence of sample birth charts makes this best suited to those already well-versed in the subject. Dedicated astrology buffs will gain insight into what the stars have to say about their futures. (June)

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Bestseller Roberts (All Hope Is Found) extends a sincere invitation for Christian women to “tap into the courage to live authentically.” Addressing those who’ve “lost” their power, Roberts encourages readers to identify the fears and limiting beliefs that once provided a sense of safety but now serve only to constrain. Replacing such notions with “a stronger, more powerful belief” in God’s love regardless of circumstance will pave the way for one’s truest self to emerge, she asserts. Later chapters detail how readers can access their true desires and trust that they are worthy of achieving them. Drawing from her own experience, Roberts recalls how she learned to “see beyond what I think about my messy insides and to dare to believe that where I see mess God sees material.” While it’s not always clear how readers should verify that their goals, once uncovered, will mesh with God’s plans (“If there’s something you want that is not aligned with what God has for you, He will teach you how to not want it any longer”), Roberts’s solid mix of spiritual insight and personal anecdote yields valuable reassurance that being oneself and being faithful can be mutually reinforcing. Christians who feel unmoored will welcome this. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Rice University religion professor Pinn (Interplay of Things) aims in this astute survey of Black humanism to “overturn the assumption that only Black theism” offers a viable “life orientation.” Defined in part by a “rejection of God concepts” and a belief in “the materiality of life,” Black humanism can be traced to the earliest enslaved Africans through folktales that “advanced a human-based... sense of life,” according to Pinn. It evolved over the course of the 20th century as Black Americans shaped “the political and economic life of the United States,” Pinn writes, and found expression in such movements as the Harlem Renaissance and Black Lives Matter. Characterizing Black humanism as akin to a “religion” because it provides a framework for tackling life’s biggest questions, Pinn spotlights such groups as the Black Nonbelievers, an Atlanta-based organization which aims to connect those “who are living free of religion and might otherwise be shunned by family and friends.” Taking note of the recent uptick in Black “nones”—i.e., Black Americans who don’t identify with any religion—Pinn delivers an erudite yet accessible look at what it means to be “good without God.” It’s a perceptive window into an often-overlooked—yet increasingly important—system of thought. (May)

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Happiness and suffering are not antithetical—they’re inextricably linked, according to this lucid English-language debut from Tibetan Buddhist teacher Wangdrak. Instead of spending one’s life avoiding pain, readers should harness the “power, energy, and spiritual growth” within suffering to make way for an “all-pervasive happiness” rooted in the mind’s “pure true nature,” and eschew the “grasping” that causes one to “shrink away from the totality of experiences.” Contending that the attachment to self is the root of suffering, Wangdrak offers guidance on cultivating gratitude, using meditation to receive positive and negative stimuli with equanimity, and practicing “tonglen,” wherein practitioners take on the suffering of others. Moving from meditation basics to thornier concepts such as making peace with physical illness, Wangdrak builds a convincing if challenging case for embracing pain as fuel for personal development and the source of a deeper contentment. Buddhists of all stripes will find value. (June)

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Harvard law professor Feldman (The Broken Constitution) delivers a sweeping overview of Jewish ideas “as they exist today, and as they are being transformed for the future.” Eschewing the traditional classifications of Judaism (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, etc.) in favor of categories that better reflect “how God and spiritual morality are conceived internally,” Feldman breaks down what he defines as Traditionalists, Progressives, Evolutionists, and Godless Jews. He examines the benefits and drawbacks of each group (Traditionalists, for example, live in highly supportive communities that are rife with sexism and gender hierarchies), and their views on issues related to God, Jewish life, and Israel. Rather than anointing one group as the future of Judaism, he advances an inclusive notion of all Jews as members of a family that finds in God and one another “love and embrace along with contention.” The same holds true even for “godless Jews and cultural Jews,” who in their nonbelief are “struggling with God too, whether they like it or not.” Feldman’s methodical analysis takes little for granted—not even the value of Jewish survival in and of itself (“We should hope to preserve Jewishness only if doing so reflects our deepest values,” he writes). This will be a welcome resource for readers curious about Judaism’s past, future, and purpose. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Rice University English professor Morton (The Stuff of Life) presents an erudite theological meditation on the ecological “hell” into which the world has descended. According to the author, humans were created to be blessed inhabitants of Eden, “entwined with... oxygen breathed from leaves and birdsong.” Yet, unaware of their blessedness due to the “foundational error” of “original sin,” humans have fallen prey to fascism; “settler-colonial Christianity,” which paves the way for corporations that harm the earth; and a “toxic theism” that holds sway on social media, undermining faith in science and social institutions. Morton draws loosely on the notion of Christian mercy and the “liberation phenomenology of African American Christianity” to counteract the judgmental ethos of “revenge-based environmentalism,” though what this new model might look like in practice never quite comes into focus. Instead, a mystical meditation on the author’s 2023 return to Christianity after years spent practicing Buddhism adds a final twist to an account whose tendency toward ambiguity and paradox makes for challenging reading. Still, persistent readers will find insights into the ways religion shapes conceptions of science and the self. (May)

Reviewed on 04/19/2024 | Details & Permalink

Rabbi Allen explores in her stimulating debut the “immense potential of creativity” to cast “ancient Jewish wisdom” in a new light. Defined here as a way of working through “thorny issues within ourselves” and the world while remaining “open to new insights,” the creative process inspires readers to use their experiences to interpret traditional Jewish texts in new ways, yielding “energizing, exciting, and useful... insights.” More broadly, creativity also offer new angles from which to understand key elements of faith. For example, Allen suggests that the knowledge that God fashioned creation from the “void” can inspire readers to experience “darkness... [and] chaos” as “generative.” Through a clever mix of artistic exercises and rabbinic wisdom, Allen encourages readers to “peel back layers of what we think we know” to construct new understandings of their faith and themselves. It’s a unique and invigorating lens on Judaism. (July)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

“Technological innovations” are required to manage the ill effects of climate change on urban landscapes, according to this informative if irksome debut. Ecological engineer Galle recounts efforts by herself and others to implement such technical fixes. These include the installation of sensors to notify arborists when the soil around trees in a park in Maastricht, Netherlands, has dried out, in order to halt a mass die-off; the use of LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors mounted on vehicles to monitor the health of trees in New York City and Singapore by collecting hard-to-record data, such as tree canopy size; and the deployment of AI-directed drones that spray flame-retardant chemicals to fight wildfires in cities in Southern California. Galle’s finely detailed microhistories of city employees attempting to find more efficient and effective ways to do their jobs fascinate. But as the stories reach their climactic moment of technological innovation, they start to sound more like promotional material (“DIOPSIS will give local authorities the information they need to prove the incredible value of targeted investments and maximize cities’ outcomes”). While the narrative is instructive on a granular level, its boosterish tone feels at odds with the dire situations under discussion, in which excessive monitoring is necessary merely to mitigate worsening conditions. This disappoints. (June)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Tebow, winner of the 2017 Miss Universe pageant, debuts with a sincere invitation for readers to separate their identity from earthly accomplishments and reinvest it in their faith. After finishing out her tenure as Miss Universe, the author “watched her identity slip through her fingers” as she “handed over my crown, and with it a giant part of myself.” Time spent languishing in a “no-man’s-land” of personal and career uncertainty taught her to swap out self-confidence rooted in accolades for God’s “everlasting and unchanging” love, accept waiting periods as part of “God’s plan,” and better understand that “life on earth is temporary, but... our ultimate hope lies in eternity,” a perspective readers can emulate by connecting with God through prayer, journaling, or serving others. (Tebow also reminds readers that even while waiting for the next step in God’s plan, they should appreciate the good in the present moment: “God... doesn’t want us to go through life only to look up at the end and realize we missed it.”) Though the glittery pageant industry world of fake eyelashes, hair curlers, and simultaneous privilege and enormous pressure won’t be relatable to most, Tebow’s advice on how to harness God’s “purpose, hope, and ultimately victory” has widespread appeal. Christian women will be inspired and renewed by Tebow’s uplifting message. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Pastor Dobbins debuts with an ill-considered guide for Christians who’ve endured sexual abuse, judgment and exclusion from pewmates, and other forms of “church hurt.” Though he acknowledges that “the place that should be known for lifting burdens is too often known for adding to them,” Dobbins generally recommends staying within the church rather than leaving it (“Asking God to move in your life without [the church] is like asking a carpenter to build without a hammer or a surgeon to heal without a scalpel”). He offers advice for retaining faith amid crisis, harnessing “God’s Spirit” to forgive offenders when appropriate, and remembering that God has a plan (sexual abuse survivors are assured they’ve reached a “crucial turning point where [their] testimony is being shaped by God”). Despite the author’s positive intentions, the offensive tone, dizzying lack of nuance (he conflates the shame he felt after seeing pornography with the trauma of those who have endured “physical, violent, or even criminal” sexual abuse), and frequent contradictions (after devoting a chapter to encouraging readers to “stay planted” at their current church community, Dobbins writes that “the change we need is another church”) make this more of a harm than a help. Christians will be best off giving it a wide berth. (June)

Reviewed on 04/12/2024 | Details & Permalink