Brian Griffith

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Brian Griffith

Goodreads Author


Born
in Edmonton, Canada
Genre

Influences
Joseph Campbell, Riane Eisler, Starhawk, Vandana Shiva, Noam Chomsky, ...more

Member Since
September 2012


Griffith is a writer who collects stories about the relations between history, religion, and the environment.

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Brian Griffith In traveling to India and Kenya, I saw how different cultures had totally different relations to the same animals. The animals loved in one culture co…moreIn traveling to India and Kenya, I saw how different cultures had totally different relations to the same animals. The animals loved in one culture could be hated in the next. I got curious about the whole history of human bias toward animals, and what it has meant for the health of our planet. Slowly I assembled the stories for "War and Peace with the Beasts."(less)
Brian Griffith A collection of stories about great Iranian women through the centuries, to be called "Mother Persia."…moreA collection of stories about great Iranian women through the centuries, to be called "Mother Persia."(less)
Average rating: 4.01 · 70 ratings · 33 reviews · 7 distinct works
Correcting Jesus: 2000 Year...

3.92 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2009 — 5 editions
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A Galaxy of Immortal Women:...

3.67 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions
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The Courage to Lead: Transf...

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4.21 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions
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The Gardens of Their Dreams...

4.36 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2001 — 3 editions
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War and Peace with the Beas...

4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings2 editions
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Mother Persia: Women in Ira...

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings4 editions
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Different Visions of Love: ...

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2008
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The beauty of Chinese popular culture

As popular religion revived in modern China, it mainly grew from the grassroots up, very commonly led by local women. Their home-brewed versions of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, or Christianity offered healing, vitality, harmonious relationships, good fortune, goddess worship, spirit mediumship, or inner peace. No doubt most of these “new religions” involved beliefs in afterlives, deities, spiri Read more of this blog post »
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Published on March 02, 2025 15:44 Tags: china, common-sense, hope, religion, women
Unsettling Canada...
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Brian’s Recent Updates

Brian Griffith is currently reading
Unsettling Canada by Arthur Manuel
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Brian Griffith and 24 other people liked Laura's review of The Book Witch:
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
"Wow, what a whimsical and fun book!! The writing was beautiful and the story was so creative. I pretty much finished it in one sitting. I found myself laughing, hoping, cheering and tearing up, so many emotions felt. This book captured the beauty of " Read more of this review »
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
"This was a good book. However, I definitely feel it didn't live up to the hype. A very well written story, where we learn much about the history and the oppression of women. And, of those that fight every day to attain it. I will say, there were defi" Read more of this review »
The Age of Extraction by Tim Wu
"Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity, Tim Wu, 2025, 206 pages, Dewey 338.7, ISBN 9780593321249.

Terrific insight into recent history and how Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and the" Read more of this review »
Brian Griffith rated a book really liked it
100 Places to See After You Die by Ken Jennings
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I liked it. It's endlessly witty while offering a very broad sampling of mythological, theological, literary, artistic, or pop culture story lines about our afterlife fates. I'll give two quotes to illustrate the tone:

"Modern cinema afterlives genera
...more
Brian Griffith rated a book really liked it
Age of Anger by Pankaj Mishra
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Mishra takes a centuries-long, world-wide look at the rise of popular resentment, which sometimes seems revolutionary, and often seems totally reactionary. He made me see my age bias in how I’ve judged these things. For much of my life, the Enlighten ...more
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Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts
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The Afterlife Book by Marie D. Jones
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This is enjoyable, and it gets better as it goes on. It starts out rather dry, like an encyclopedia of afterlife folklore from around the world. Then it starts exploring themes such as contact with dead spirits, spouting stories in a way that gets pl ...more
Brian Griffith rated a book it was amazing
52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life for Caregivers, Activists and Help... by Farzana Doctor
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I really enjoy this guide. It wakes me up about all the signals that I usually see as mental clutter to brush aside. Instead of promoting one main approach to handling things, it offers loads of resources for dealing with particular struggles, with r ...more
Brian Griffith rated a book really liked it
The Exvangelicals by Sarah McCammon
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I like McCammon's candid, heavily autobiographical account of growing up in a devoted evangelical community. Her descriptions of slowly falling out with her church and family concern day-to-day experiences more than any doctrinal disagreements. Then ...more
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Quotes by Brian Griffith  (?)
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“We’ve probably all heard that traditional Chinese women were basically powerless, and only started to claim their rights with the
dawn of Westernization. But there’s another side of Chinese tradition, where the folklore is rich in goddesses, immortal women, and female heroes.”
Brian Griffith, A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization

“It was St. Francis who made the first Christmas menagerie, which portrayed the animals coming to kneel before the baby Jesus. Some people think it’s the most beautiful image Christian civilization ever produced.”
Brian Griffith, War and Peace with the Beasts: A History of Our Relationships with Animals

“I remember one exchange that shook me from a daydream, as somebody said that real Christians trust the Bible more than
human reason. “Then why,” another replied, “did Jesus ask ‘Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right?’” (Luke 12:57) The answer was, “We can’t because we’re sinners.”
Brian Griffith, Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story

“Pets, he says, are trapped in a state from which there is no escape. “Domestication has essentially created a mentally disabled child bred to be dependent on us. My dogs will never get to the point where they’ll become wolves and live the way they’re supposed to live.” We wonder why our pets are neurotic, he says, why dogs chew themselves raw and cats shred the drapes. “It’s because they’re not supposed to be living with us. They exist in this netherworld between humans and animals.”
David Grimm, Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs

“Whenever you’re filled with attractive energies, the goodness of life will feel pulled in your direction and, in time, will draw near enough to share its blessings with you.”
Bobbie Merrill, Compelling Conversations with Dolphins and Whales in the Wild: Vital Lessons for Living in Joy and Healing Our World

“This pattern seemed to offer those being rebuffed an opportunity to become more conscious of what quality in them might be unattractive to the dolphins, a quality they would benefit from correcting.”
Bobbie Merrill, Compelling Conversations with Dolphins and Whales in the Wild: Vital Lessons for Living in Joy and Healing Our World

“We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem. We're a bit too quick to come up with explanations for things we don't really have an explanation for.”
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.”
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

660 Green Group — 2014 members — last activity Jun 11, 2026 10:03AM
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Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
74638 All About Animals — 732 members — last activity Oct 11, 2025 04:54AM
We read books about all types animals, reptiles, sea life, birds, and insects. Also, any book with these as a second main character. The book that c ...more
1084513 Environmental Book Club — 856 members — last activity Apr 20, 2026 12:41PM
A global community of eco-enthusiasts reading books with an environmental theme every 2 months. We made this group to educate ourselves about the int ...more
1172499 Wings of Fire — 54 members — last activity Aug 11, 2022 07:47AM
Welcome to the group! If you love Wings of Fire, this group is perfect for you! We chat about the awesome series here, role-play, and have a great tim ...more
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Welcome to the Union County Library's Goodreads Group! Join us to discuss what you're reading, what we're reading, and to get new recommendations. ...more
1173892 NO LONGER IN USE — 1019 members — last activity Jun 25, 2023 12:46AM
got bored SOOO Seeya.
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Comments (showing 1-5)    post a comment »
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message 5: by Fiza

Fiza Pathan Hi Brian! Thank you for accepting my friend request! Looking forward to reading your book reviews, checking out the books you are reading & reading your own literary accomplishments. We seem to have a very similar taste in books! Have a wonderful weekend! God bless! :)


message 4: by Brian

Brian Griffith Colton wrote: "Brian,

Thanks so much for your friendship on GR!

Regards,

Colton"


Thanks loads Colton


Colton Freelove Brian,

Thanks so much for your friendship on GR!

Regards,

Colton


Martin Thank you Brian for wanting to be my Goodreads friend.
I look forward to your reviews.

Cheers,
Martin.


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