Other books that might interest you

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  Brown Church - Five Centuries of...

  Robert Chao Romero

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  Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist 
   
   
   
  Interest in and awareness of the demand for social justice as an outworking of the Christian faith is growing. But it is not new. 
   
   
   
  For five hundred years, Latina/o culture and identity have been shaped by their challenges to the religious, socio-economic, and political status quo, whether in opposition to Spanish colonialism, Latin American dictatorships, US imperialism in Central America, the oppression of farmworkers, or the current exploitation of undocumented immigrants. Christianity has played a significant role in that movement at every stage. 
   
   
   
  Robert Chao Romero, the son of a Mexican father and a Chinese immigrant mother, explores the history and theology of what he terms the "Brown Church." Romero considers how this movement has responded to these and other injustices throughout its history by appealing to the belief that God's vision for redemption includes not only heavenly promises but also the transformation of every aspect of our lives and the world. Walking through this history of activism and faith, listeners will discover that Latina/o Christians have a heart after God's own.

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  Native American Legends -...

  Odessa Nightshade

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  For centuries, Native American legends have served as the foundation of cultural identity, spiritual belief, and moral guidance for Indigenous peoples across the continent. These stories, passed down through generations, reflect the deep connection between Native American communities and the natural world, offering insight into their understanding of life, death, and the unseen forces that shape existence. More than just myths, these legends form the backbone of spiritual practices, social structures, and the traditions that continue to thrive today.  
    
  One of the most striking aspects of Native American storytelling is its reliance on oral tradition. Unlike written histories, which remain fixed in time, oral traditions are fluid, evolving with each retelling while preserving the essence of ancestral wisdom. Elders and storytellers pass these tales to younger generations, ensuring the survival of cultural knowledge and reinforcing values such as respect, humility, and harmony with nature. Through storytelling, communities maintain a sense of continuity, bridging the past with the present and preparing future generations for the challenges of life.  
    
  At the heart of Native American legends is an intrinsic connection to the natural world. Many stories revolve around the land, animals, and celestial bodies, portraying them as spiritual entities rather than mere physical elements. Rivers, mountains, and forests are often imbued with sacred significance, serving as homes to powerful spirits or the setting for legendary events. Animals, too, play a vital role, with figures like the wise Raven, the cunning Coyote, and the noble Eagle embodying various aspects of human nature. These stories do not merely explain natural phenomena—they offer guidance on how to coexist with the environment, reinforcing the belief that humans are part of a greater, interconnected whole. 

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  Among the Living and the Dead -...

  Inara Verzemnieks

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  "It's long been assumed of the region where my grandmother was born . . . that at some point each year the dead will come home," Inara Verzemnieks writes in this exquisite story of war, exile, and reconnection. Her grandmother's stories recalled one true home: the family farm left behind in Latvia, where, during WWII, her grandmother Livija and her grandmother's sister, Ausma, were separated. They would not see each other again for more than fifty years. Raised by her grandparents in Washington State, Inara grew up among expatriates, scattering smuggled Latvian sand over the coffins of the dead, singing folk songs about a land she had never visited. 
   
   
   
  When Inara discovers the scarf Livija wore when she left home, in a box of her grandmother's belongings, this tangible remnant of the past points the way back to the remote village where her family broke apart. There it is said the suspend their exile once a year for a pilgrimage through forests and fields to the homes they left behind. Coming to know Ausma and the trauma of her exile to Siberia under Stalin, Inara pieces together Livija's survival through years as a refugee. Weaving these two parts of the family story together in spellbinding, lyrical prose, she gives us a profound and cathartic account of loss, survival, resilience, and love.

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  The Jews of Summer - Summer Camp...

  Sandra Fox

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  In the decades directly following the Holocaust, American Jewish leaders anxiously debated how to preserve and produce what they considered authentic Jewish culture, fearful that growing affluence and suburbanization threatened the future of Jewish life. Many communal educators and rabbis contended that without educational interventions, Judaism as they understood it would disappear altogether. They pinned their hopes on residential summer camps for Jewish youth: institutions that sprang up across the United States in the postwar decades as places for children and teenagers to socialize, recreate, and experience Jewish culture. Adults' fears, hopes, and dreams about the Jewish future inflected every element of camp life, from the languages they taught to what was encouraged romantically and permitted sexually. But adult plans did not constitute everything that occurred at camp: children and teenagers also shaped these sleepaway camps to mirror their own desires and interests and decided whether to accept or resist the ideas and ideologies their camp leaders promoted. Focusing on the lived experience of campers and camp counselors, The Jews of Summer demonstrates how a cultural crisis birthed a rite of passage that remains a significant influence in American Jewish life.

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  Willow's Story

  Louise Allen

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  A young girl’s life is shadowed by secrets and lies... 
   
  When Willow arrives in the Allen household, curious things begin to happen. 
   
   
  Who is the strange child dressed in outlandish clothes who refuses a mobile phone? What are the mysterious allegations that have been made about her? 
   
  Determined to find out Louise gets more than she bargained for, as she unravels the truth about Willow’s family background and uncovers some distressing 
  secrets.

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  Bye Bye I Love You - The Story...

  Michael Erard

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  With our earliest utterances, we announce ourselves—and are recognized—as persons ready for social life. With our final ones, we mark where others must release us to death's embrace. In Bye Bye I Love You, linguist and author Michael Erard explores these phenomena, commonly called "first words" and "last words," uncovering their cultural, historical, and biological entanglements and honoring their deep private significance. Erard draws from personal, historical, and anthropological sources to provide a sense of the breadth of beliefs and practices about these phenomena across eras, religions, and cultures around the world. 
   
   
   
  What do babies' first words have in common? How do people really communicate at the end of life? In the first half of the book, Erard tells the story of first words in human development and evolution, and how the attention to children's early language—a modern phenomenon—arose. In the second half, he provides a groundbreaking overview of language at the end of life and the cultural conventions that surround it. Throughout he reveals the many parallels and asymmetries between first and last words and asks whether we might be able to use a linguistic understanding of end of life to discover what we truly want.

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