JAAZ is very pleased to have Marilyn Crawford as our book editor and you can Email her here..

Please visit our JAAZ LIBRARY PAGE which contains an archive of all past recommended books.

 

THE BREAD OF ANGELS: a journey to love and faith by Stephanie Saldana (Doubleday, New York 2010)

“A remarkable, wise, and lovely book from a truly gifted new writer. The Bread of Angels brims with originality and insight. There is poetry here - the language and the depth of attention recall the young Annie Dillard. But this is, above all, a love story and a compelling one. Not many people can write transcendent, mystical prose and also create a page turner that keeps you up nights. Stephanie Saldana’s achievement is extraordinary.” – Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

A COMMUNITY CALLED TAIZE: A Story of Prayer, Worship and Reconciliation by Jason Brian Santos (Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL 2008)

"A very helpful guide to Taize for thoughtful seekers, especially young people. Animated by the warm and respectful spirit of a fellow traveler, this practical and appreciative introduction can serve as a very good starting point for someone who desires to learn more about the popular Taize songs and place them in their context, or someone thinking of visiting this unique community." -Elsie McKee, Archibald Alexander Professor of Reformation Studies and the History of Worship, Princeton Theological Seminary

NON-VIOLENCE: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky (Random House, New York 2006)

From the book jacket: “Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and, most impressively, the Mennonites and the Quakers – all have passages in their major teachings rejecting warfare as immoral. In this brilliant exploration of pacifism, these points of view are discussed alongside such diverse nonviolence theorists as Tolstoy, Shelley, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Aldous Huxley, Erasmus, Confucius and Lao Tse to show how many modern ideas – such as a united Europe, the United Nations, and the abolition of slavery - originated in nonviolence movements.”

JESUS: the Teacher Within by Laurence Freeman (A Medio Media Book / Continuum, New York 2000)

“The Christian tradition has been a source of inspiration and solace to millions of people throughout the world for two thousand years. An important factor here, as in Buddhism, is the way the lives of the founding masters, Jesus Christ and Buddha, exemplify and embody the teachings they gave. The story of Jesus repeatedly shows his profound love and compassion, his generosity of patience and forgiveness...” “Father Laurence has written this book, Jesus the Teacher Within, in full Christian faith, explaining from his own experience how relating to Jesus Christ and his teaching, combined with meditation, can illuminate the spiritual life... I feel sure that readers of this book, especially those who seek personal transformation and inner peace, will find much to ponder and apply here in their own daily practice.” – From the Foreword by The Dalai Lama

THE LOST CITY OF Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (Doubleday, New York 2009)

“The Amazon has had many chroniclers but few who can match David Grann’s grasp of history, science, and especially narrative. Shifting seamlessly between the past and present, The Lost City of Z is a riveting, totally absorbing real-life adventure story.” – Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Mayflower and In the Heart of the Sea