resource archive for religion: reference books

A popular commentator for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and a columnist for Christianity Today, Frederica Mathewes-Green is a unique figure in contemporary literature. In a book eagerly awaited by her growing retinue of fans, she brings readers inside the world's oldest Christian faith, illuminating Eastern Orthodoxy in a manner similar to Kathleen Norris's exploration of Benedictine spirituality.An ex-hippie and former social radical, the author often writes humorously about her unusual road from Woodstock to the altar of an Orthodox church where she is the pastor's wife. At the Corner of East and Now juxtaposes the shifting immediacy of everyday life with the changeless grandeur of Orthodox faith. Weaving her narrative with stories, essays, and reflections on the Church's sixteen-hundred-year-old liturgy,Frederica Mathewes-Green critiques contemporary culture through the lens of one who seeks to live by the tenets of an ancient spiritual practice.The author offers an engaging and artistic voice--at turns humorous and hands-on, serious and intellectually stimulating. Her supple and highly original style makes for an unforgettable read.

A gripping account, Dunkirk reveals the British Expeditionary Force’s (BEF) brave stand against the German army and the dramatic rescue of 338,000 British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in the midst of World War II. In May 1940, the small BEF was sent to help the Belgians and French against advancing German forces. Ill-equipped and under-trained, the Allied troops conducted a fighting withdrawal in the face of the formidable Germans. Winston Churchill feared that nearly all of the BEF would be killed or captured, but thankfully most were rescued and a defeat was turned into a victory--one that lives on in the annals of history. General Julian Thompson draws from previously unpublished and rare materials to recreate the action on the beaches of the small town--from the misunderstandings between the British and French generals to the experiences of the ordinary soldier trying to fend for his life and return to his homeland. Unlike other books on the subject, Thompson’s account gives full weight to the fighting inland as the BEF found itself in mortal danger due to the Belgian army’s collapse on one flank and the French troop’s failure on the other flank. Thompson aims to correct popular myths about the evacuation and set the history straight once and for all about the events that unfolded in May 1940.

"How close did Germany come to winning World War II? Did Hitler throw away victory in Europe after his troops had crushed the Soviet field armies defending Moscow by August 1941? R. H. S. Stolfi offers a dramatic new picture of Hitler's conduct in World War II and a fundamental reinterpretation of the course of the war." "Adolf Hitler generally is thought to have been driven by a blitzkrieg mentality in the years 1939 to 1941. In fact, Stolfi argues, he had no such outlook on the war. From the day Britain and France declared war, Hitler reacted with a profoundly conservative cast of mind and pursued a circumscribed strategy, pushing out siege lines set around Germany by the Allies. Interpreting Hitler as a siege Fuhrer explains his apparent aberrations in connection with Dunkirk, his fixation on the seizure of Leningrad, and his fateful decision in the summer of 1941 to deflect Army Group Center into the Ukraine when both Moscow and victory in World War II were within its reach." "Unaware of Hitler's siege orientation, the German Army planned blitz campaigns. Through daring operational concepts and bold tactics, the army won victories over several Allied powers in World War II, and these led to the great campaign against the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941. Stolfi postulates that in August 1941, German Army Group Center had the strength both to destroy the Red field armies defending the Soviet capital and to advance to Moscow and beyond. The defeat of the Soviet Union would have assured victory in World War II. Nevertheless, Hitler ordered the army group south to secure the resources of the Ukraine against a potential siege. And a virtually assured German victory slipped away." "This radical reinterpretation of Hitler and the capabilities of the German Army leads to a reevaluation of World War II, in which the lesson to be learned is not how the Allies won the war, but how close the Germans came to a quick and decisive victory--long before the United States was drawn into the battle."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

After thousands of years searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. Two human groups: the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds.The group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches. But first, both groups must wait at the aliens' very doorstep for their strange star to relight and for their planet to reawaken, as it does every two hundred and fifty years... .Then, following terrible treachery, the Qeng Ho must fight for their freedom and for the lives of the unsuspecting innocents on the planet below, while the aliens themselves play a role unsuspected by the Qeng Ho and Emergents alike.More than just a great science fiction adventure, A Deepness in the Sky is a universal drama of courage, self-discovery, and the redemptive power of love.   A Deepness in the Sky is a 1999 Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel and the winner of the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novel.