The best new books I’ve read in the last month are
- (5.0) We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy by Eboo Patel (Beacon Press, 2022)
- (5.0) Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns by Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern (University of California Press, 2022)
- (5.0) A Complicated Choice: Making Space for Grief and Healing in the Pro-Choice Movement by Katey Zeh (Broadleaf Books)
- (4.5) Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: A Decolonized Approach to Christian Doctrine by Randy S. Woodley (Baker Academic, 2022)
- (4.5) Stuck: Why Clergy Are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career . . . and What to Do About It by Todd W. Ferguson and Josh Packard (Fortress Press, 2022)
- (4.0) An Evolving God, An Evolving Purpose, An Evolving World by Joan Chittister (Fortress Press, 2022)
- (4.0) The Bible in the Early Church by Justo L. Gonzalez (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2022)
- (4.0) Learning the Good Life: Wisdom from the Great Hearts and Minds That Came Before edited by Jessica Hooten Wilson and Jacob Stratman (Zondervan Academic, 2022)
5 Star Ratings
Most monthly listings of great new books on So What Faith feature one book with a five star rating. On occasion, a list may contain either no such books or two books. This month, three books earned this recognition.
Striving to build a diverse democracy, understanding and addressing homelessness as a housing problem, and hearing and learning from stories of those who’ve experienced abortions are more than the themes of this month’s 5 star books; they are topics essential to living well and to contributing to the co-creation of a better world for all people. I commend these three books as summer conversation partners. And, I welcome hearing how each or all impact you.
Repeat Appearance
Several authors on this month’s list are making repeat appearances
- Eboo Patel – Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America (September 2012) and Out of Many Faiths: Religious Diversity and the American Promise (November 2018)
- Josh Packard – Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why People are Done with the Church but not Their Faith (August 2015)
- Joan Chittister – The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life (December 2021), The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage (March 2019), Radical Spirit: 12 Ways to Live a Free and Authentic Life (August 2017), and Happiness (December 2011). Additionally, she was named one of the Top 12 Authors of So What Faith’s first decade in April 2019.