Philip Zaleski, an acclaimed writer and the editor of the series, has once again assembled an outstanding collection of thirty-five pieces that ran...
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Mar 14, 2008
Malbadeen
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sometimes life starts getting all freaky deaky on you and you long for the days when you sat in a little room and sang, "read your bible pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow and you'll grow, grow, grow, etc" and then you got your little cookie and you learned a verse and you went to bed early so Santa clause wouldn't see you and you died the Easter eggs so the bunny could hide them.
So then you go to your shelf and you pull down "spiritual" stuff and you try to for More...
So then you go to your shelf and you pull down "spiritual" stuff and you try to for More...
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Jul 30, 2011
Marion
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This book contains some thought provoking essays, but none of them would I call "spiritual". I would say that the essays reflect a wide span of religious and humanitarian values. My favorite essay was on Moral Fiction written by Mary Gordon. Does reading fiction affect our decision making, our moral consciousness, or our ethical stance? Gordon makes a case that dealing with ambiguity, complexity and point of view as presented in moral fiction (for example, George Elliot's Middlemar
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Aug 14, 2010
Edward
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Any collection of essays, stories, and poems that bills itself as "Best Spiritual Writing" is bound to be uneven. Peter Gomes' introduction makes it clear that "spiritual" and "religious" are not contradictory terms and in this collection there are both pieces about organized religion and more individualistic forms of relating to God, Nature, the Cosmos, or whatesver we want to call transcendent realities.
Among many good selections, I thought there More...
Among many good selections, I thought there More...
Nov 16, 2010
Cheryl
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This years selection was mixed. The most inspirational essay was the intro by Lopez, who talked about reverence: that feeling of “immersion in the profound mystery of life.” Other notables include:
Christopher Bamford, The Gift of the Call which uses some lyrical imagery to define a call to religion which I felt as the call to beauty and love;
David James Duncan, The French Guy about St. Francis of “make me a channel of your peace…” fame, my favorite hymn, which was funny and charm More...
Christopher Bamford, The Gift of the Call which uses some lyrical imagery to define a call to religion which I felt as the call to beauty and love;
David James Duncan, The French Guy about St. Francis of “make me a channel of your peace…” fame, my favorite hymn, which was funny and charm More...
Dec 16, 2009
Michael
rated it:
Like the other books in this series, not everything contained within its pages is a gem. Many of the pieces in this year's collection didn't wow me, and one of them made me so angry in the first few paragraphs that I skipped over it. However, I find that the gems are so good, that it makes slogging through the dirt worthwhile, because I wouldn't have been able to read them anywhere else. The highlights this year include "Music's Missing Magic" by Miles Hoffman (although it's hard to
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Sep 18, 2008
Kristin
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I might never read all of the essays in this book, which is very unlike me. Usually I slog through anything I've started, but some of the writing in this collection is pretty weak, especially after having been billed as the BEST. Liked the essay on the Afghanistan Buddhas (especially since another, undestroyed one was unearthed the week I read it), the one on the spirit behind the Sabbath, and the one on Billy and Franklin Graham. However, although the Best American Short Stories is one of my
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Jul 12, 2011
Erica
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i loved all the different angles the entries came from; the 'spirituality', although some essays were 'religious', was all encompassing. some of the writings were very hard to get through, but some were truly goosebump-inducing inspiration. as a person going through her own spiritual treasure hunt, this book really spoke to me. i thoroughly enjoyed my journey through it.
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