Where God Was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion is Bruce Feiler’s sequel to his best-selling Walking the Bible. Feiler explores both the historical and geographical realities behind the latter books of the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the Old Testament), from the times of Joshua, the Judges and the Kings into the ages of the Prophets, the Exile and the Diaspora. Journeying to the Middle East, from Jerusalem through war-torn Iraq and even into the totalitarian theocracy of Iran, Feiler follows the transition of the Jewish faith from one based on a single location Jerusalem and the Holy Land to a faith which understood that God is bound to no location, but is everywhere. Tying ancient history, myth and legend with modern conflicts and experiences, Feiler searches not only for God’s personal call, but for his message to all people today how do we find in our common roots a mutual understanding of God, our world and each other? Where God Was Born is thought-provoking and challenging to individuals of every faith or none at all.

For many Americans, a renewed interest in prayer, faith and spirituality followed the tragic events of Sept. 11. Bible sales soared and copies of the Koran flew off shelves as the distraught turned to religion for hope and understanding. But people have always looked to spirituality in the search for encouragement, and this season is no different, as great scholars and thinkers continue to question our beliefs and celebrate the hope of faith. Whether you’re searching for a book to help answer your own questions or looking for an appropriate holiday gift, several new religious books offer inspiration and insight.

Where did we come from and where are we going? Almost every religion offers a different answer to these age-old questions. In The Quest for Paradise: Visions of Heaven and Eternity in the World’s Myths and Religions, authors John Ashton and Tom Whyte take readers on a journey that explores heaven and the afterlife from perspectives around the world. Drawing on the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome and Egypt, as well as the belief systems of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, this book examines the similarities and differences between beliefs in the afterlife. From the Celtic and Greek Paradise to the Garden of Delights, you’ll discover the historical roots of both myths and religions. Profiles of Mechtild of Magdeburg, Alexander the Great, Buraq and Shangri-La are intriguing. While this book is both fascinating and easy to read, its strength lies in its layout and design. Lined with spectacular photos, drawings and artwork, the pages come alive for readers of all ages. Whether you’re a history or religion buff or just want a better understanding of what others believe, The Quest for Paradise is a great find.

The artwork in Thomas Merton’s Dialogues with Silence is equally thought- provoking and sure to engage your heart and mind. Merton, a Trappist monk who resided at the Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, focused his heart on God but kept his eyes open to the political and social storms of the modern world. Though he died in 1968, his books, journals and letters have been an enduring inspiration to spiritual seekers of every faith.

In Dialogues with Silence we get a glimpse of Merton as an artist. The collection of prayers is illustrated with previously unseen drawings that reveal his desire to know God in spite of his own humanity and shortcomings. The primitive but powerful black-and-white artwork includes hand-drawn pictures of monks, Christ, churches and women. Full of petitions, confessions and observations, the writing outlines one man’s attempt to know God. Whether you’re a long-time Merton fan or need an introduction, Dialogues with Silence is a great unveiling. Although he is a fictional character, Father Tim Kavanagh is a well-known religious figure to many readers. The local rector in Jan Karon’s best-selling Mitford series, Father Tim is dedicated not only to knowing God but making Him known to his small flock. He uses countless quotes and stories to share his wisdom and heart with everyone in the close-knit town.

Patches of Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite Quotes is the journal of the Episcopal priest’s search for material to guide his spiritual journey and that of his congregation. It contains sayings, tidbits and passages from philosophers, humorists and poets, including C. S. Lewis and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Instead of using regular typesetting, this volume appears hand-written complete with loose notes, doodles and even coffee stains. The selections will make you laugh, think and pray. Full of hope and encouragement, this is a great gift book.

Those searching for a more serious read won’t want to miss Jack Miles’ Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God (audio). The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of God: A Biography is back with a new work and focus. The book explores Jesus as a literary character and challenges readers to examine the New Testament as a work of art rather than a work of religion.

This examination of the life of Christ one that began before the creation of the world and stretches to the end of existence is unique. Thoughtful, inquisitive and daring, Miles raises questions and highlights passages with a fresh vigor that challenges the ho-hum of accepted belief. Whether your interest in Christ is historical, scholarly or literary, you won’t be disappointed.

Margaret Feinberg wrote Enjoying God: Experiencing Intimacy with the Heavenly Father (Relevant Books) with S.J. Hill.

For many Americans, a renewed interest in prayer, faith and spirituality followed the tragic events of Sept. 11. Bible sales soared and copies of the Koran flew off shelves as the distraught turned to religion for hope and understanding. But people have always looked to spirituality in the search for encouragement, and this season is no different, as great scholars and thinkers continue to question our beliefs and celebrate the hope of faith. Whether you’re searching for a book to help answer your own questions or looking for an appropriate holiday gift, several new religious books offer inspiration and insight.

Where did we come from and where are we going? Almost every religion offers a different answer to these age-old questions. In The Quest for Paradise: Visions of Heaven and Eternity in the World’s Myths and Religions, authors John Ashton and Tom Whyte take readers on a journey that explores heaven and the afterlife from perspectives around the world. Drawing on the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome and Egypt, as well as the belief systems of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, this book examines the similarities and differences between beliefs in the afterlife. From the Celtic and Greek Paradise to the Garden of Delights, you’ll discover the historical roots of both myths and religions. Profiles of Mechtild of Magdeburg, Alexander the Great, Buraq and Shangri-La are intriguing. While this book is both fascinating and easy to read, its strength lies in its layout and design. Lined with spectacular photos, drawings and artwork, the pages come alive for readers of all ages. Whether you’re a history or religion buff or just want a better understanding of what others believe, The Quest for Paradise is a great find.

The artwork in Thomas Merton’s Dialogues with Silence is equally thought-provoking and sure to engage your heart and mind. Merton, a Trappist monk who resided at the Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, focused his heart on God but kept his eyes open to the political and social storms of the modern world. Though he died in 1968, his books, journals and letters have been an enduring inspiration to spiritual seekers of every faith.

In Dialogues with Silence we get a glimpse of Merton as an artist. The collection of prayers is illustrated with previously unseen drawings that reveal his desire to know God in spite of his own humanity and shortcomings. The primitive but powerful black-and-white artwork includes hand-drawn pictures of monks, Christ, churches and women. Full of petitions, confessions and observations, the writing outlines one man’s attempt to know God. Whether you’re a long-time Merton fan or need an introduction, Dialogues with Silence is a great unveiling. Although he is a fictional character, Father Tim Kavanagh is a well-known religious figure to many readers. The local rector in Jan Karon’s best-selling Mitford series, Father Tim is dedicated not only to knowing God but making Him known to his small flock. He uses countless quotes and stories to share his wisdom and heart with everyone in the close-knit town.

Patches of Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite Quotes is the journal of the Episcopal priest’s search for material to guide his spiritual journey and that of his congregation. It contains sayings, tidbits and passages from philosophers, humorists and poets, including C. S. Lewis and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Instead of using regular typesetting, this volume appears hand-written complete with loose notes, doodles and even coffee stains. The selections will make you laugh, think and pray. Full of hope and encouragement, this is a great gift book.

Those searching for a more serious read won’t want to miss Jack Miles’ Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God (audio). The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of God: A Biography is back with a new work and focus. The book explores Jesus as a literary character and challenges readers to examine the New Testament as a work of art rather than a work of religion.

This examination of the life of Christ one that began before the creation of the world and stretches to the end of existence is unique. Thoughtful, inquisitive and daring, Miles raises questions and highlights passages with a fresh vigor that challenges the ho-hum of accepted belief. Whether your interest in Christ is historical, scholarly or literary, you won’t be disappointed.

Margaret Feinberg wrote Enjoying God: Experiencing Intimacy with the Heavenly Father (Relevant Books) with S.J. Hill.

For many Americans, a renewed interest in prayer, faith and spirituality followed the tragic events of Sept. 11. Bible sales soared and copies of the Koran flew off shelves as the distraught turned to religion for hope and understanding. But people have always looked to spirituality in the search for encouragement, and this season is no different, as great scholars and thinkers continue to question our beliefs and celebrate the hope of faith. Whether you’re searching for a book to help answer your own questions or looking for an appropriate holiday gift, several new religious books offer inspiration and insight.

Where did we come from and where are we going? Almost every religion offers a different answer to these age-old questions. In The Quest for Paradise: Visions of Heaven and Eternity in the World’s Myths and Religions, authors John Ashton and Tom Whyte take readers on a journey that explores heaven and the afterlife from perspectives around the world. Drawing on the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome and Egypt, as well as the belief systems of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, this book examines the similarities and differences between beliefs in the afterlife. From the Celtic and Greek Paradise to the Garden of Delights, you’ll discover the historical roots of both myths and religions. Profiles of Mechtild of Magdeburg, Alexander the Great, Buraq and Shangri-La are intriguing. While this book is both fascinating and easy to read, its strength lies in its layout and design. Lined with spectacular photos, drawings and artwork, the pages come alive for readers of all ages. Whether you’re a history or religion buff or just want a better understanding of what others believe, The Quest for Paradise is a great find.

The artwork in Thomas Merton’s Dialogues with Silence is equally thought-provoking and sure to engage your heart and mind. Merton, a Trappist monk who resided at the Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, focused his heart on God but kept his eyes open to the political and social storms of the modern world. Though he died in 1968, his books, journals and letters have been an enduring inspiration to spiritual seekers of every faith.

In Dialogues with Silence we get a glimpse of Merton as an artist. The collection of prayers is illustrated with previously unseen drawings that reveal his desire to know God in spite of his own humanity and shortcomings. The primitive but powerful black-and-white artwork includes hand-drawn pictures of monks, Christ, churches and women. Full of petitions, confessions and observations, the writing outlines one man’s attempt to know God. Whether you’re a long-time Merton fan or need an introduction, Dialogues with Silence is a great unveiling. Although he is a fictional character, Father Tim Kavanagh is a well-known religious figure to many readers. The local rector in Jan Karon’s best-selling Mitford series, Father Tim is dedicated not only to knowing God but making Him known to his small flock. He uses countless quotes and stories to share his wisdom and heart with everyone in the close-knit town.

Patches of Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite Quotes is the journal of the Episcopal priest’s search for material to guide his spiritual journey and that of his congregation. It contains sayings, tidbits and passages from philosophers, humorists and poets, including C. S. Lewis and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Instead of using regular typesetting, this volume appears hand-written complete with loose notes, doodles and even coffee stains. The selections will make you laugh, think and pray. Full of hope and encouragement, this is a great gift book.

Those searching for a more serious read won’t want to miss Jack Miles’ Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God (audio). The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of God: A Biography is back with a new work and focus. The book explores Jesus as a literary character and challenges readers to examine the New Testament as a work of art rather than a work of religion.

This examination of the life of Christ one that began before the creation of the world and stretches to the end of existence is unique. Thoughtful, inquisitive and daring, Miles raises questions and highlights passages with a fresh vigor that challenges the ho-hum of accepted belief. Whether your interest in Christ is historical, scholarly or literary, you won’t be disappointed.

Margaret Feinberg wrote Enjoying God: Experiencing Intimacy with the Heavenly Father (Relevant Books) with S.J. Hill.

For many Americans, a renewed interest in prayer, faith and spirituality followed the tragic events of Sept. 11. Bible sales soared and copies of the Koran flew off shelves as the distraught turned to religion for hope and understanding. But people have always looked to spirituality in the search for encouragement, and this season is no different, as great scholars and thinkers continue to question our beliefs and celebrate the hope of faith. Whether you’re searching for a book to help answer your own questions or looking for an appropriate holiday gift, several new religious books offer inspiration and insight.

Where did we come from and where are we going? Almost every religion offers a different answer to these age-old questions. In The Quest for Paradise: Visions of Heaven and Eternity in the World’s Myths and Religions, authors John Ashton and Tom Whyte take readers on a journey that explores heaven and the afterlife from perspectives around the world. Drawing on the ancient cultures of Greece, Rome and Egypt, as well as the belief systems of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, this book examines the similarities and differences between beliefs in the afterlife. From the Celtic and Greek Paradise to the Garden of Delights, you’ll discover the historical roots of both myths and religions. Profiles of Mechtild of Magdeburg, Alexander the Great, Buraq and Shangri-La are intriguing. While this book is both fascinating and easy to read, its strength lies in its layout and design. Lined with spectacular photos, drawings and artwork, the pages come alive for readers of all ages. Whether you’re a history or religion buff or just want a better understanding of what others believe, The Quest for Paradise is a great find.

The artwork in Thomas Merton’s Dialogues with Silence is equally thought- provoking and sure to engage your heart and mind. Merton, a Trappist monk who resided at the Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, focused his heart on God but kept his eyes open to the political and social storms of the modern world. Though he died in 1968, his books, journals and letters have been an enduring inspiration to spiritual seekers of every faith.

In Dialogues with Silence we get a glimpse of Merton as an artist. The collection of prayers is illustrated with previously unseen drawings that reveal his desire to know God in spite of his own humanity and shortcomings. The primitive but powerful black-and-white artwork includes hand-drawn pictures of monks, Christ, churches and women. Full of petitions, confessions and observations, the writing outlines one man’s attempt to know God. Whether you’re a long-time Merton fan or need an introduction, Dialogues with Silence is a great unveiling. Although he is a fictional character, Father Tim Kavanagh is a well-known religious figure to many readers. The local rector in Jan Karon’s best-selling Mitford series, Father Tim is dedicated not only to knowing God but making Him known to his small flock. He uses countless quotes and stories to share his wisdom and heart with everyone in the close-knit town.

Patches of Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite Quotes is the journal of the Episcopal priest’s search for material to guide his spiritual journey and that of his congregation. It contains sayings, tidbits and passages from philosophers, humorists and poets, including C. S. Lewis and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Instead of using regular typesetting, this volume appears hand-written complete with loose notes, doodles and even coffee stains. The selections will make you laugh, think and pray. Full of hope and encouragement, this is a great gift book.

Those searching for a more serious read won’t want to miss Jack Miles’ Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God (audio). The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of God: A Biography is back with a new work and focus. The book explores Jesus as a literary character and challenges readers to examine the New Testament as a work of art rather than a work of religion.

This examination of the life of Christ one that began before the creation of the world and stretches to the end of existence is unique. Thoughtful, inquisitive and daring, Miles raises questions and highlights passages with a fresh vigor that challenges the ho-hum of accepted belief. Whether your interest in Christ is historical, scholarly or literary, you won’t be disappointed.

Margaret Feinberg wrote Enjoying God: Experiencing Intimacy with the Heavenly Father (Relevant Books) with S.J. Hill.

Experienced travelers know that the true value of a pilgrimage lies not so much in reaching a destination, but in the journey itself. One young man learns this valuable lesson when he embarks on an unplanned excursion in Climbing Chamundi Hill: 1001 Steps of a Storyteller and a Reluctant Pilgrim, a unique new book by Hindu scholar Ariel Glucklich that combines a fictional adventure with 30 ancient Indian stories.

Chamundi Hill, a sacred site in southern India near the city of Mysore, is a 4,000-foot hill topped by a towering 12th century temple honoring the goddess Chamundeswari. This monument is a much-visited pilgrimage site, reached by ascending 1,000 steps an arduous climb pilgrims traditionally make barefoot, their pain eased by companionship and storytelling. Glucklich’s protagonist, a young American biologist, is mysteriously drawn to the hill. At its base, he meets an elderly Indian man who offers to guide him up the mountain, tempting him with this paradox: “If you pay attention . . . the stories might turn you into a true pilgrim and give you pleasure at the same time!” Their odyssey begins, a slow ascent punctuated by the 30 allegorical stories. These deceptively simple parables, as colorful and vivid as ancient temple paintings, are alive with the exploits of mere mortals and kings, animals, demons and gods. From the first story that of a healthy but misguided man who becomes a suffering leper to the last tale of a truth-seeking fellow confused by the paradoxes of life, they form a thematic endless circle, the classic metaphor for the cycle of human life.

Glucklich has used the time-honored conceit of a dialectic between a wise guide and unrealized seeker to showcase these marvelous stories, many translated from Sanskrit for the first time. The narrative’s young hero remains appropriately nameless throughout the climb, which may be an obvious symbol for everyman, but Glucklich’s thoughtful explication of the quest, through the careful selection and progression of each tale, is not so transparent. Though there are 1,000 steps up Chamundi, the extra step referenced in the book’s title leads to a surprising destination, the epiphany of this entrancing work.

For those who love literary fable, along with a dash of spiritual spice, Climbing Chamundi Hill will prove to be a pleasurable, thought-provoking exercise.

Why is there such a special bond between women and horses? And how do horses sometimes seem to know what humans are thinking and feeling? Linda Kohanov explores these questions and provides an interesting guide to the psyche of the horse in The Tao of Equus: A Woman’s Journey of Healing & Transformation Through the Way of the Horse. A riding instructor and horse trainer, Kohanov offers an insightful look at her experiences with horses and their role in the evolution of her equine-assisted therapy association.

Therapists like Kohanov have tapped the horse’s ability to help victims face their wounds and use them for empowerment. She describes horses that have helped to reveal and heal the wounds of unimaginable acts of violence. Her portrayal of therapy sessions illuminates the process of recognizing, grieving and transmuting terror into understanding, acceptance and power.

The Tao of Equus is a journey worth taking. The book is wide-ranging, covering myths and stories, histories and mysteries that demand further exploration. Many horse people will find coherent descriptions of their own feelings and intuitions in Kohanov’s writing, which is clear and well researched. Experienced riders know that their horses mirror them physically and mentally, and the author validates their suspicions that there is "more to it." Horses possess a previously indefinable something that horse whisperers know, and Kohanov describes those mysterious qualities quite eloquently. This inspirational book would make an excellent gift not only for horse lovers, but for anyone dealing with fundamental questions of grief, sadness and healing.

Thirteen and a Day: the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America takes readers on a cross-country journey through the state of Judaism. A Bar and Bat Mitzvah, for better or worse, is the most visible Jewish ritual, and as such, it can become a kind of indicator of the religion at large. At the very least, it is certainly the easiest rite to pick on. Who hasn’t heard about the obscene amounts of money spent on certain Bar and Bat Mitzvahs including the recent $7.3 million BeyoncŽ concert for a British tycoon’s son? Even in my own sane, suburban universe I hear the grumbles of seventh-grade parents Jewish and gentile whose school-year weekends are held hostage to an endless sequence of B’nai Mitzvah (plural) ceremonies with the attendant parties and presents. (The gifts don’t bother me. I think of it as payback for 13 years of Christmas-envy.) Thankfully, this book is not an excuse to gripe about material excess and spiritual bankruptcy. Neither is it a how-to handbook on planning the perfect party, nor a coffee-table tome designed to bedeck the Bar Mitzvah gift table. Instead, it is a journalist’s thoughtful, even-handed exploration of the history and practice of a surprisingly young Jewish ceremony. The author, Mark Oppenheimer, party-crashes from New York to Alaska in search of stories past and present: stories from the kids, parents, guests, deejays, Torah coaches, rabbis, cantors and also from several adults who have chosen to prepare for their own belated ceremonies. The range of preparation, execution and experiences reflects variables such as denomination (from guitar-strumming Jewish Renewal to the ultra-orthodox), geography, budget, community, individual spirituality and learning styles, and, let’s face it, parental expectations. By keeping the focus on the religious ceremony and not just the party afterwards, Oppenheimer emphasizes the universal need for ritual and recognition. The particularity of this Jewish ritual fills the need nicely so nicely that some non-Jews have started their own faux mitzvahs. Be they forewarned, however, that Jews have had a few hundred years head start at raising the bar [mitzvah]. Joanna Brichetto started collecting Bat Mitzvah invitations and programs at the birth of her daughter in 1994. Only three more years to go.

Prepare to e-mail all your cleverest friends and recommend Trials of the Monkey, Matthew Chapman’s wickedly funny, politically incorrect diatribe on religious superstition and other human follies.

The narrative is loosely organized around the yearly re-enactment of the Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. In 1925, biology teacher John Scopes was tried for teaching evolution in the public classroom in defiance of Tennessee laws. Chapman has a piquant relationship to his subject: he is the great, great grandson of Charles Darwin, who pioneered evolutionary theory. Chapman’s ostensible mission in this book is to travel to Dayton and report on the re-enactment of the Scopes trial. But this purpose is virtually lost in his wickedly delightful portraits of the people he meets on his journey. Chapman, an Englishman living in New York who writes for the film industry, harbors some predictable stereotypes about the rural southeastern United States. Yet he profiles his victims in such intriguing detail and with such wit that reading his book is a lot like eating chocolate mousse: You know you shouldn’t, but it’s just so delicious. The author doesn’t spare himself the edge of his own razor-sharp insight. Alternating chapters are devoted to exposing the most sordid moments of his childhood. But what does Chapman’s reckless adolescence have to do with the re-enactment of the Scopes trial? This is where you have to read with some subtlety, but the key lies, perhaps, in the following sentence: When Darwin called his second book The Descent of Man instead of The Ascent of Man, he was thinking of his progeny. Evolution doesn’t always go forward, in other words. Just look at me, the author quips. Similarly, Dayton, Tennessee, which in 1925 gloried in debating evolution with full intellectual vigor, has subsequently subsided into religious complacency and complete denial of scientific discovery, Chapman indicates.

Witty, incisive and shockingly irreverent, Chapman’s talents have been largely buried in a pile of unproduced Hollywood scripts. Though he has made millions on his writing, he is virtually unknown to the reading world. With luck, Trials of the Monkey will be the first step in reversing that misfortune.

Lynn Hamilton writes from Tybee Island, Georgia.

Much religious teaching has been dedicated to convincing us that man is inherently evil and desperately in need of redemption. In his new book, Waking the Dead, popular author John Eldredge approaches that concept from a radically different angle. “I daresay we’ve heard a bit about original sin,” he writes, “but not nearly enough about original glory, which comes before sin and is deeper to our nature.” “Why does a woman long to be beautiful? Why does a man hope to be found brave?” Eldredge asks. “Because we remember, if only faintly, that we were once more than we are now.” A Colorado-based writer and seminar leader, Eldredge is well known to Christian readers for his clarion call to lead wild, adventurous lives, a message outlined in such earlier books as The Sacred Romance (with Brent Curtis). More recently his bestseller, Wild at Heart, has spawned a phenomenon with its directive that men should define themselves in the image of a passionate God.

In Waking the Dead, Eldredge draws on the power of the mythic structure, populating his narrative with figures from fairy tales, movie screenplays and Bible stories to make his point. He is just as likely to cite Neo and Morpheus from The Matrix as he is to refer to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. “Neo takes the red pill; Lucy steps through the wardrobe; Aladdin rubs the lamp; Elisha prays that the eyes of his servant would be opened; Peter, James, and John follow Jesus up on the Mount of Transfiguration. And all of them discover that there is far more going on here than meets the eye.” Eldredge insists that these stories confront us with the deep truths of life and are a means by which the eternal expresses itself in time. His conclusion that the regenerated heart is good may be shocking to some contemporary Christians, but it is a message that will resonate within the hearts of many readers. Mike Parker is transplanted Texan who writes from his home in Nashville.

“If the sex abuse scandal had never occurred, the Catholic Church in the United States would still face a crisis,” says religion writer Peter Steinfels. In his new book A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America, he cites some leading Catholic indicators: for every 100 priests who die, only 35 new ones are being ordained; regular attendance at Sunday Mass since 1965 has dropped from 65 to 34 percent, and an overwhelming majority of parishioners disagree with Rome’s rigid position on birth control. Steinfels examines these and other sensitive and long-standing issues in this provocative volume. He’s well-positioned to present a reasoned and informed perspective: a former editor of Commonweal, a lay Catholic opinion journal, he writes the Beliefs column in the New York Times, for which he was the senior religion correspondent from 1988 to 1997. Steinfels discusses the sweeping changes in Catholicism in the four decades since the pre-Vatican Council II days, when the laity’s role seemed largely limited to “pray, pay, and obey.” A devoted Catholic, he suggests that profound changes ordination of women and optional celibacy among them might be necessary as the Church in this country stands on the “verge of either an irreversible decline or a thoroughgoing transformation.” Decrying their culture of secrecy, which he says has nourished a lack of accountability and has contributed to the scandal of pedophilic priests, Steinfels says the bishops “seem to cringe and backtrack at every sign of Vatican displeasure.” He calls on the bishops to embrace and utilize the expertise and management skills of the laity in administering the Church’s vast health, educational, charitable and social programs. A People Adrift substantially contributes to understanding the problems ensnaring an institution that provides a spiritual identity to one-fourth of the U.S. population. It should be read not only by interested laity but by involved clergy as well.

Alan Prince lectures at the University of Miami School of Communication.

Whether he’s tracing a young man’s doomed journey into the Alaskan wilderness, as he did with Into The Wild, or chronicling an ill-fated expedition to scale Mount Everest, his focus for Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer is fascinated by human behavior that pushes the conventional limits. His new book, Under the Banner of Heaven, focuses on two Mormon fundamentalist brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty who killed their sister-in-law and her 15-month-old daughter because, they said, God told them to do it. This seems to be the season for probing the more extreme manifestations of Mormonism. Among the recent titles on the topic (both reviewed elsewhere in this issue) are Dorothy Allred Solomon’s Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk, an account of growing up in a polygamous Mormon family during the 1950s and ’60s, and Sally Denton’s American Massacre, the story of the 1857 ambush of a wagon train at Mountain Meadows, Utah, a slaughter apparently ordered by Mormon chieftain Brigham Young. Krakauer alludes to Solomon’s fundamentalist father and to the massacre in this probing narrative. Looking into the mind of the true believer, he observes, “Ambiguity vanishes from [his] worldview; a narcissistic sense of self-assurance displaces all doubt. A delicious rage quickens his pulse, fueled by the sins and shortcomings of lesser mortals, who are soiling the world wherever he looks. His perspective narrows until the last remnants of proportion are shed from his life. Through immoderation, he experiences something akin to rapture.” Raised among Mormons he greatly admired, Krakauer treats their religion in all its theological shades quite seriously. There’s never a snide remark or sarcastic aside. But his studiously balanced reporting can’t soften the savagery of the deed he describes or make palatable the astounding and unrepentant arrogance of the men who committed it. In detailing the events that led to the double-murder, the author also offers a brief history of the Mormon church and the violence and doctrinal schisms that have attended its growth. To help explain why socially disturbing practices arise among certain Mormons, he examines life in the remote town of Colorado City, Arizona (formerly known as Short Creek), a fundamentalist stronghold where plural marriages, although illegal, flourish openly and at government expense. Less frightening than the killers themselves are the intellectually arid and institutionally paranoid communities that incubate them.

Krakauer also takes up the case of Elizabeth Smart, who last year, at the age of 14, was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City to become the “bride” of her fundamentalist kidnapper. While her kidnapping gained international attention, Krakauer shows that her fate was not radically different from that of many other young girls who have been taken into plural marriage against their will and brainwashed into conformity. Shielded by their own sense of righteousness, the Lafferty brothers made no serious effort to cover their tracks after committing the 1984 murders. They were soon apprehended and convicted. Dan was given two life sentences; Ron was condemned to death but has yet to be executed. Krakauer makes no excuses for the Laffertys, but he does demonstrate that they were shaped by a theological mold. His insightful book brings readers closer to an understanding of their insular religion. Under the Banner of Heaven is a first-rate work of nonfiction from one of our most intrepid reporters.