2012 Books List

EDUCATION FOR MISSION

BEADED HOPE by Cathy Liggett
When four women embark on a mission trip to South Africa, they all have selfish reasons for going. What none of them expects is how profoundly their lives will be transformed by the people they meet. This is a moving story about the power of faith and hope to overcome even the most tragic circumstances.

BECAUSE HE LIVES by Catherine Ritch Guess -- A BONUS BOOK
A true and living example of the faith, hope and love that emerged from one of the most horrid genocides in the world’s history. Because He Lives portrays the many ways the United Methodist Women members’ supplemental giving helps not only the Methodist Mission in Cambodia but the women and children there.

CESAR CHAVEZ: A Photographic Essay by Ilan Stavans
Mention the name Cesar Chavez and you’re likely to get a wide range of reactions, depending on the age of the person you ask. Although most people recognize the name, they don’t always connect it to his legacy, and not many realize that during the U.S. Civil Rights Era Cesar Chavez led marches trying to improve the status of itinerant workers in the United States.

FORGOTTEN GIRLS: Stories of Hope and Courage by Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett
All over the world, women and girls face starvation, displacement, illiteracy, sexual exploitation and abuse. These pages hold their stories of deep pain and suffering, inspiring courage and incredible hope. They are the stories of girls who have discovered their value in God’s eyes in the midst of cultures that have rejected them.

IT'S EASIER TO REACH HEAVEN THAN THE END OF THE STREET: A Jerusalem Memoir by Emma Williams
In August 2000 Emma Williams arrived in Jerusalem with her three small children to join her husband and to work as a doctor. For the next three years, she witnessed an astonishing series of events in which hundreds of thousands of lives, including her own, were turned upside down. This powerful memoir continues to bring to life the realities of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.

WE WAIT YOU: Waiting on God in Eastern Europe by Taryn R. Hutchison
Inspiring and humorous, We Wait You is the real-life story of hearts transformed after the Revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe. History and faith will come alive as you take this riveting journey with one woman who made a difference during the unforgettable events that forever changed Eastern Europe.

BAMBOO PEOPLE by Mitali Perkins
Two Burmese boys, one a Karenni refugee and the other the son of an imprisoned Burmese doctor, meet in the jungle and must learn to trust each other in order to survive.


LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba
After reading about windmills, William Kamkwamba dreamed of building one that would bring to his small Malawian village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent in his country enjoys: electricity and running water. With a small pile of forgotten science textbooks, scrap metal, tractor parts and bicycle halves he embarked on a daring plan to build an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.

CHANGE THE WORLD: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus by Mike Slaughter
Despite the church’s place of prominence in American culture and the ever-present church in every American town, misconceptions about the faith of Jesus Christ run rampant. Christians are known more for exclusivity than for love, more for potlucks than for solving world hunger. Is it time for churches to get over the cruise ship mentality of being a program provider and reconnect with the true message and mission of Jesus?

MORE BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE by Barbara J. Essex
This Bible study consists of 12 units and is designed for individual or group study. Each study unit begins with a focus text and review of the stories of selected biblical women and ends with reflection questions to help start a discussion about what we can learn from these characters and their stories. The book is designed to help us examine our own motives, assumptions and identity as we explore the stories of our faith.

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS FOR TODAY by Carolyn J. Sharp
Prophets can be mediators who connect us to the holiness of God. They can be idealists whose desires for humanity call us to new heights of God’s desire, and they can be companions for us in the confusing journey through our complicated world. In this book the author offers a lay-friendly introduction to some of the Old
Testament’s most interesting—and often overlooked—prophets.

WOMEN LEAD THE WAY: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World by Linda Tarr-Whelan
Despite enormous gains in the past decades, women continue to be woefully underrepresented in positions of power. This is a loss for everyone. Women’s priorities are overlooked, and society misses out on the new perspectives and fresh insights that women can offer. Women Lead the Way offers practical guidance for bringing your passion, brains and background to the tables where critical issues get decided.


NURTURING FOR COMMUNITY

ALLOW GOD TO WEAR YOUR FACE: Spiritual Care for Those Who Are Ill by Alice G. Knotts
As a spiritual caregiver the greatest gift you have to offer is your calm, spiritual non-anxious presence. This book is a simple guide for people who wish to make visits with sick people more meaningful and effective.

ASYLUM DENIED by David Ngaruri Kenney and Philip G. Schrag
This is the gripping story of political refugee David Ngaruri Kenney’s harrowing odyssey through the world of immigration processing in the United States. Kenney, while living in his native Kenya, led a boycott to protest his government’s treatment of his fellow farmers. He was arrested and taken into the forest to be executed. This memoir tells of his near-murder, imprisonment and torture in Kenya; his remarkable escape to the United States; and the obstacle course of ordeals and proceedings he faced as U.S. government agencies sought to deport him to Kenya. It is a story of courage, love, perseverance and legal strategy.

BREATHE: Finding Freedom to Thrive in Relationships After Childhood Sexual Abuse by Nicole Braddock Bromley
Childhood sexual abuse is suffocating thousands of victims across our nation. With one in three women and one in six men experiencing some form of sexual abuse or assault, our world is full of survivors longing to be healed. The author, a fellow survivor, guides abuse victims and those who love them from muffled existence to
exuberant life.

I AM NUJOOD, AGE 10 AND DIVORCED by Nujood Ali
Nujood Ali’s childhood came to an abrupt end in 2008 when her father arranged for her to be married to a man three times her age. With harrowing directness she tells of her married life and of her daring escape after being sent to the market to buy bread. With help from local advocates and the press, Nujood obtained her freedom, an extraordinary achievement in Yemen, where almost half of all girls are married under the legal age.

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. Available in audio CD and large print.


SOCIAL ACTION

COLOR-BLIND: The Rise of Post-racial Politics and the Retreat From Racial Equity by Tim Wise
Following the Civil Rights Movement, race relations in the United States entered a new era. Since then, many voices have called for an end to affirmative action and other color-conscious policies and programs and even a retreat from public discussion of racism itself. Color-blind presents a timely and provocative look at contemporary racism and offers fresh ideas on what can be done to achieve true social justice and economic equality.

THE DEATH OF JOSSELINE: Immigration Stories From the Arizona Borderlands by Margaret Regan
Fourteen-year-old Josseline, a young girl from El Salvador left to die alone on the migrant trail, was just one of thousands to perish in its deserts and mountains. This book tells the stories of the people caught up in this international tragedy and explores a host of urgent issues: the border militarization that threatens the rights of U.S citizens, the environmental damage wrought by the border wall, the desperation that compels migrants to come north and the human tragedy of the unidentified dead in Arizona’s morgues.

MORAL GROUND: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril by Kathleen Dean Moore and Michael P. Nelson, editors -- A BONUS BOOK
In the face of environmental degradation, species extinction and climate change, scientific knowledge, political processes or economic incentives do not tell us what we ought to do. The missing premise of the argument and the much-needed centerpiece in the debate to date has been the need for ethical values, moral guidance and principled reasons for doing the right thing for the future of our planet, its animals, its plants and its people.

THE NEW JIM CROW: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander -- A BONUS BOOK
As the United States celebrates the nation’s “triumph over race” with the election of Barack Obama, the majority of young black men in major American cities are locked behind bars or labeled felons for life. Jim Crow laws were wiped off the books decades ago, but today an astounding percentage of the African-American community is warehoused in prisons or trapped in a permanent, second-class status, much like their grandparents before them. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community and all of us to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.

REDISCOVERING VALUES: On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street by Jim Wallis
Getting back to “the way things were” is not an option. It is time we take our economic uncertainty and use it to find some moral clarity. Too often we have been ruled by the maxims that greed is good, it’s all about me and I want it now. Those can be challenged only with some of our oldest and best values: enough is enough, we are in it together and thinking not just for tomorrow but for future generations. Rediscovering Values shows that the solution to our problems will be found only as individuals, families, friends, churches, mosques, synagogues and entire communities wrestle with the question of values together.

THE SLAVE NEXT DOOR: Human Traffi cking and Slavery in America Today by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter
In The Slave Next Door we learn that slaves are all around us, hidden in plain sight—the dishwasher in the neighborhood restaurant, the kids on the corner selling cheap trinkets, the man sweeping the floor of the local department store—and we meet some unexpected slaveholders. Weaving together a wealth of voices this book is also a call to action, telling what we as private citizens can do to fi nally bring an end to this horrific crime.

THE BITE OF THE MANGO by Mariatu Kamara
This is the astounding story of one girl's journey from war victim to UNICEF Special Representative. As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry. But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers, many no older than children themselves, attacked and tortured Mariatu. In this gripping and heartbreaking true story, Mariatu shares with readers the details of the brutal attack, its aftermath and her eventual arrival in Toronto. There she began to pull together the pieces of her broken life with courage, astonishing resilience and hope.


SPIRITUAL GROWTH

ALL CREATION SINGS: The Voice of God in Nature by J. Ellsworth Kalas
All Creation Sings wants us to go further than the “green” movement and being simply conscious of the wonder of our creation and the necessity of caring for it passionately. The book calls us to not only see and be grateful for these wonders but to be responsible for them, to go beyond its exquisite beauty to learn some of the lessons it would teach us, lessons about both life and God. A discussion guide is included.

HIDDEN IN THE RUBBLE: A Haitian Pilgrimage to Compassion and Resurrection by Gerard Thomas Straub
Prior to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, Gerard Straub had vividly captured the dreadful conditions that already existed there for a documentary fi lm he was making. Immediately afterward he went back with a team of doctors who rushed in to help the countless victims. This book describes life before and after the earthquake and contains a series of reflections from people fully engaged in helping the Haitians through their darkest days.

LAUGH YOUR WAY TO GRACE: Reclaiming the Spiritual Power of Humor by Susan Sparks
Laughter is the gift that you received at birth, one thing you were able to do freely as a child. It’s a gift that may fade but never fully disappears. Laugh Your Way to Grace is intended to give you permission to reconnect with your own sense of joy and hope. Larger print.

OSTRICHES, DUNG BEETLES AND OTHER SPIRITUAL MASTERS: A Book of Wisdom From the Wild by Janice McLaughlin
This book not only tells us about the wildlife of Africa but also teaches us about ourselves and what we’re capable of, how from the elephant we can learn the meaning of community, or from the hippopotamus humility and self-acceptance. The African landscape and its inhabitants become the catechists in this wonderful collection of stories, perfect for individual or group reflection.

WASABI GOSPEL: The Startling Message of Jesus by Shawn Wood
Wasabi Gospel takes you on a quest to really examine the words of Jesus and their impact on our lives. Using seven well-known gospel passages, the book unpacks their real significance and explores what life would really look like if we lived out those seemingly subtle commands of Christ.

OUTLIVE YOUR LIFE: You Were Made to Make a Difference by Max Lucado
Encourages readers to take action to make a positive impact on the world, by using the biblical book of Acts as a starting point. These are difficult days in our world's history. Billions of people are poor, millions go hungry or thirsty every day. Disease claims thousands of lives daily. But you and I have been given an opportunity to make a big difference. What if we did? What if we rocked the world with hope? Infiltrated all corners with God's love and life? We are created by a great God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our lives, not just in heaven, but here on earth.

FRANCIS THE SAINT OF ASSISI: A Novel by Joan Mueller
A modern retelling of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, this book combines historical details and dramatic style. The author explores the daily lives of Francis and Clare and the lives of thirteen-century Assisi and beautifully translates their stories in these pages. St. Francis: The Saint of Assisi reads like both a love story and a biographical account of the life of the most universally acclaimed saint.

TRUE WHEN WHISPERED: Hearing God’s Voice in a Noisy World by Paul Escamilla
Some things are true when whispered, not shouted. Life’s finest qualities drain away as intensity, volume, and speed increase. When we hear God’s whisper to us, we can address life in a fresher, simpler way -- a way that will last beyond the everyday worry and noise.


LARGE PRINT

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
WHY WOMEN SHOULD RULE THE WORLD by Dee Dee Meyers
In this blend of memoir, social history and call to action, Why Women Should Rule the World challenges us to imagine a not-too-distant future in which increasing numbers of women reach the top ranks of politics, business, science and academia. Reflecting on her own tenure in the Clinton administration, the author assesses the crucial but long ignored strengths that female leaders bring to the table. The book is available in audio and e-book.

NURTURING FOR COMMUNITY
CREATIVE AGING: Rethinking Retirement and Non-retirement in a Changing World by Marjory Zoet Bankson
In a practical and useful way, Creative Aging explores the spiritual dimensions of retirement and aging. It offers creative ways for you to share your gifts and experience, particularly when retirement leaves you questioning who you are when you are no longer defined by your career. Larger print.

SOCIAL ACTION
GREEN CHURCH: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice! by Rebekah Simon-Peter
Climate change is in the news. But what does it mean for Christians, and how can you help? Green Church answers these questions in ways that are both hopeful and engaging. Citing Scripture and science, the book weaves in personal stories of Sabbath, gardening, recycling, camping and the power of faith. She challenges us to consider our role in the care of creation and to help save the earth for future generations.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH
SEASONS OF SALT: Meditations by Millie Horlacher
Whether we realize it at the time, normal events in our everyday lives can have significant spiritual meaning and can also offer valuable lessons—if we only take the time to listen. In more than 60 devotions suitable for individual or group use, Seasons of Salt weaves faith and daily living and shows how everyday activities, including childhood games, kitchen challenges and family and church events present perfect opportunities for expressions of faith.

YOUTH SPIRITUAL GROWTH
LACEY AND THE AFRICAN GRANDMOTHERS by Sue Farrell Holler
What difference can a young Blackfoot girl from North America make in the lives of grandmothers in Africa? A lot, as Lacey discovers. Her decision to help will bring about amazing changes in her life and her community.

THUNDER OVER KANDAHAR by Sharon E. McKay
Best friends Tamanna and Yasmine cannot believe their good fortune when a school is set up in their Afghan village; however, their dreams for the future are shattered when the Taliban burn down the school and threaten the teacher and students with death. Their future in jeopardy, the girls realize they must flee.


YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION
BRANDED by Eric Walters
Ian’s school is in an uproar about the new school uniforms, but he wants nothing to do with the issue. He’s busy pursuing a new-found passion for social justice. Why should he worry about uniforms when there are kids in the world who would give anything to be able to go to school? But things change when he discovers the two issues may be related.

GOING BLUE: A Teen Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers and Wetlands by Cathryn Berger Kaye and Philippe Cousteau
Pollution, oil spills, climate change, overfishing—these are just some of the threats to our planet’s water system, resulting in a lack of clean drinking water for millions of people and the devastation of plant and animal life. Teens around the globe are taking action to address these crises. With this guide you can join them. Will you?

SOLD by Patricia McCormick
Though desperately poor, 13-year old Lakshmi’s life in a small village in Nepal is full of simple pleasures. But then a monsoon washes away the family’s crops, and Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must take a job to support her family. Thinking she has a job as a maid in the city, she is glad to help. But then she learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.