Month: May 2023 (Page 1 of 2)

 A distant mirror: the calamitous fourteenth century /Barbara W. Tuchman. Tuchman examines the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life: what childhood was like; what marriage meant; how money, taxes, and war dominated the lives of serf, noble, and clergy alike. She re-creates the lives of proud cardinals, university scholars, grocers and clerks, saints and mystics, lawyers and mercenaries, and, dominating all, the knight in all his valor and furious follies, a terrible worm in an iron cocoon.

 A Narnian vision of the atonement: a defense of the ransom theory /Charles Taliaferro. Ancient Christians proposed a ransom theory, according to which God pays the ransom for us through heroic self-sacrifice so we can be liberated from the power of the demonic, sin, and death. This theory is widely rejected by philosophers and theologians, yet C. S. Lewis boldly portrays atonement in precisely such terms in his seven-volume The Chronicles of Narnia. Taliaferro defends the integrity and beauty of redemption in these stories and offers a Narnia-inspired theory of atonement. Taliaferro argues that Lewis’s work is no mere entertaining fairytale for children but an important lens through which to view deep themes of redemption and atonement, and all the vital stages involved in overcoming evil with the superabundant good of God’s loving self-sacrifice.

 Between worlds: essays on culture and belonging /Marilyn R. Gardner ; illustrations by Annie Rebekah Gardner. Gardner was raised in Pakistan and went on to raise her own five children in Pakistan and Egypt before moving to New England. This book will resonate with those who have lived outside of their passport country, as well as those who have not. These essays explore the rootlessness and grief as well as the unexpected moments of humor and joy that are a part of living between two worlds.

 Biblical images: men and women of the book /Adin Steinsaltz. Steinsaltz selects 25 biblical figures from the patriarchs to Esther and tries to understand them and their motives. Based on traditional Jewish sources but with his own original approach, he attempts to make them relevant to the modern world.

 Black fortunes: the story of the first six African Americans who escaped slavery and became millionaires /Shomari Wills. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success. Nearly all the unforgettable personalities in this amazing collection were often attacked, demonized, or swindled out of their wealth. Black Fortunes illuminates as never before the birth of the black business titan.

 Exodus: saved for god’s glory /Philip Graham Ryken. In this expository, Ryken mines the story of Israel’s escape from Egypt for knowledge of God’s character and instruction for his followers. Theologically instructive and decidedly pastoral, this commentary leads readers to rejoice at God’s work in the life of every person who follows him on the path to spiritual freedom. Ryken skillfully relates how the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery anticipated the salvation accomplished in Jesus Christ.

 Gideon: a new play /by Paddy Chayefsky. Taken from three chapters of the Book of Judges from the Old Testament, the play Gideon explores the relationship of an ordinary man to God.

Manifesto of the Communist Party /Marx, Engels ; with an appendix, Engels Principles of Communism.  The Communist Manifesto summarises Marx and Engels’ theories concerning the nature of society and politics, namely that, in their own words, “[t]he history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles”. It also briefly features their ideas for how the capitalist society of the time would eventually be replaced by socialism.  In 2013, The Communist Manifesto was registered to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.

 Marketing 5.0: technology for humanity /Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya, Iwan Setiawan. Kotler explains the greatest problem facing marketers today how to integrate three major movements that are changing global markets and customer behavior. His solution to integrating these challenging forces is Technology for Humanity–finding ways to use technology to advance customers’ non-material needs, and satisfy material desires in ways that also uplift the human spirit, and honor larger human goals, such as justice and environmental protection. Marketing 5.0 explains how marketers can use technology to address customers’ deepest needs, and make a difference.

Seven keys to Baldpate: a mysterious melodramatic farce in a prologue, two acts and an epilogue /by George M. Cohan. Based on a novel by Earl Derr Biggers, the dramatization was one of Cohan’s most innovative plays.  Novelist Billy Magee makes a bet that he can write a 10,000 word story within 24 hours. He retires to  mountain resort named Baldpate Inn, in the dead of winter, and locks himself in, believing he has the sole key. However he is visited during the night by a rapid succession of other people, none of whom have any trouble getting into the remote inn—there appear to be seven keys to Baldpate. Magee gets no work done. Just before midnight, he finds out that everyone is an actor hired to perpetrate a hoax, orchestrated by Magee’s friend to keep him from completing the story. In the epilogue, he reveals that nothing had happened during the 24 hours; all the preceding melodrama, including the actors and hoax, constitute the story.

 The Bible and homosexual practice: texts and hermeneutics /Robert A.J. Gagnon. Gagnon offers an analysis of the biblical texts relating to homosexuality. He engages  rigorously with biblical scholars and historians who have written on the topic and demonstrates systematically why attempts to classify as irrelevant the Bible’s rejection of same-sex intercourse fail to do justice to the biblical texts. His conclusions are clear and compassionate, as he cautions readers on all sides of the debate against a truncated gospel, and challenges all to strive for a holistic view of the command to love God and neighbor.

 The burning: massacre, destruction, and the Tulsa race riot of 1921 /Tim Madigan. On the morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob numbering in the thousands marched across the railroad tracks dividing black from white Tulsa, Oklahoma, and obliterated a black community then celebrated as one of America’s most prosperous. This book recreates the town of Greenwood at the height of its prosperity; explores the currents of hatred, racism, and mistrust between Tulsa’s black residents and neighboring white population; recounts the events leading up to and including the holocaust at Greenwood and documents the subsequent silence that surrounded the tragedy.

 The Jewish gospel of John: discovering Jesus, King of all Israel /Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg. The Jewish Gospel of John is a well-rounded verse-by-verse illustrated rethinking of the fourth gospel. The book interprets it as if it was written for the first-century peoples of ancient Israel. The author takes us to a seat among those who most probably heard this gospel read in the late first century. Such exploration of variety of important contexts allows us to recover for our generation the true riches of this marvelous Judean gospel. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg has demonstrated that the Gospel of John is not an anti-Jewish, but a thoroughly Jewish book.

 The royal purple and the biblical blue: argaman and tekhelet : the study of Chief Rabbi Dr. Isaac Herzog on the dye industries in ancient Israel and recent scientific contributions /editor, Ehud Spanier

 The torch-bearers: a satirical comedy in three acts /by George Kelly ; preface by Kenneth Macgowan. A satirization of the dramatics that occur during the staging of a play by amateurs.

 The world that made New Orleans: from Spanish silver to Congo Square /Ned Sublette. Focused on New Orleans’ first century of existence, a comprehensive, chronological narrative of the political, cultural, and musical development of Louisiana’s early years is presented. This innovative history tracks the important roots of American music back to the swamp town, making clear the effects of centuries-long struggles among France, Spain, and England on the city’s unique culture. The origins of jazz and the city’s eclectic musical influences, including the role of the slave trade, are also revealed. This rich historical narrative explains how New Orleans’ colonial influences shape the city still today.

 They were her property: white women as slave owners in the American South /Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers. Bridging women’s history, the history of the South, and African American history, this book makes a bold argument about the role of white women in American slavery. Jones-Rogers draws on a variety of sources to show that slave-owning women were sophisticated economic actors who directly engaged in and benefited from the South’s slave market. White women actively participated in the slave market, profited from it, and used it for economic and social empowerment. By examining the economically entangled lives of enslaved people and slave-owning women, Jones-Rogers presents a narrative that forces us to rethink the economics and social conventions of slaveholding America.

Here is a selection of  print books recently added to the collection

 A force of ones: reclaiming individual power in a time of teams, work groups, and other crowds /Stanley M. Herman. Herman  begins his thesis with a clear statement of his goal: “A Force of Ones is a manual for individual survival in these big-system, group-oriented times.” He further states that the book was written for managers, those who want to manage, and all employees who want to know what they can do to become a successful part of their organizations. Lastly, Herman expresses the hope that the book will earn itself a long-term lease on the reader’s bookshelf and fortifies that idea by thoughtfully providing a summary of each chapter’s major thoughts in sections called “Notes.”

Donald J. Trump: a president like no other /Conrad Black.  Black,turns his attention to his “friend”  and provides the most intriguing and significant analysis yet of Trump’s political rise. Ambitious in intellectual scope, contrarian in many of its opinions, and admirably concise, this is surely set to be one of the most provocative political books you are likely to read this year.

 Fifty-seven words that change the world: a journey through the Lord’s prayer /Darrell W. Johnson. In eight stirring meditations, Darrell Johnson shows how the Lord’s Prayer sums up the essence of Christian faith and, when prayed in faith, draws us into draws us into the Triune God’s work of transforming the world.

 Hymn to the rising sun: a play in one act /by Paul Green. A grim prison drama from the 1930’s, takes place in the barracks of a rural Southern work camp in the early morning on the Fourth of July, and the idea of the cruelly incarcerated waking to Independence Day is the irony that thrums loudly throughout the play.

 Jane Eyre /by Charlotte Brontë ; with wood engravings by Fritz Eichenberg. Eichenberg’s engravings throughout the book reflect the dark, moody mystery of Charlotte Brontë’s beloved story. The novel follows the story of Jane, a seemingly plain and simple girl as she battles through life’s struggles. Jane has many obstacles in her life – her cruel and abusive Aunt Reed, the grim conditions at Lowood school, her love for Rochester and [spolier alert!] Rochester’s marriage to Bertha.

 Luke and scripture: the function of sacred tradition in Luke-Acts /Craig A. Evans, James A. Sanders. (TWU AUTHOR)   Evans and Sanders explore how the author of the third Gospel and Acts understood the nature and function of Scripture. Throughout this collection of exploratory studies,  they present a variety of fresh insights into key passages from Luke and Acts, based on extensive research on ancient Jewish tradition. Clear and concise, this volume will aid a wide audience in understanding how early Christians viewed Scripture—and how it became authoritative in Christian life.

 Madmen and specialists, a play. Madmen and Specialists is one of Soyinka’s most excoriating portrayals of abusers and abused in the new Nigeria ushered in by Biafra and the civil war of 1967-70. Set in the surgery of a doctor, the play is populated by mendicants and the insane, all fodder for experimentation by a shape-shifting doctor whose experiments may be more sinister than they at first appear.

 No is not enough: resisting the new shock politics and winning the world we need /Naomi Klein. Klein shows us how we got to this surreal and dangerous place, how to stop it getting worse and how, if we keep our heads, we can seize the opportunity to make it better. She reveals how Trump is not a freakish aberration, but an extension of the most powerful trends of the last century all rolled into one. This book is the toolkit for shock resistance, giving all of us what we need  to win the argument and right their wrongs.

 Planted: a story of creation, community, and calling /written and illustrated by Leah Kostamo ; foreword by Eugene Peterson. The story of A Rocha’s beginnings and growth is whimsically told in the book Planted, a Story of Creation, Calling and Community. Planted invites the reader to travel  Kostamo and the A Rocha team on the wild ride of salmon saving, stranger welcoming and God-worshipping as they establish the first Christian environmental centre in Canada.

 Rashomon: a drama in two acts /by Fay and Michael Kanin ; based on stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The famous stories of Akutagawa adapted for Broadway The wife of a Samurai officer is assaulted and her husband killed by a roving bandit. Contradictory versions of what happened are reenacted at the trial by the bandit, the wife and the dead husband who speaks through a sorceress. Each version is true in its fashion.

 Rich and famous /by John Guare. Comedy. Satire. The trials and tribulations of one of the world’s oldest living promising young playwrights and his encounters with a lady producer, collaborator, oddball parents and his old girlfriend.

 Small craft warnings /by Tennessee Williams. Set in a run down bar on the Southern California coast, a group of lonely and disparate individuals, rejected by normal society, come together in their need for human contact and understanding. One by one, each tells his story, revealing the desperate emptiness of his existence.

 Soldiers; an obituary for Geneva [play]Translated by Robert David MacDonald. Soldiers is a play about Winston Churchill, the war leader Western civilization produced in its darkest hour. It is also a morality play that makes an impassioned plea for an international convention to outlaw the bombings of defenseless civilians. The play is performed as a play within a play.

 Summer brave /by William Inge. It wouldn’t be fair to say that ‘Summer Brave’ is the original version of ‘Picnic’. A couple of years after ‘Picnic’ had closed on Broadway, after the film version had made its success, I got the early version out of my files and began to rework it, just for my own satisfaction. ‘Summer Brave’ is the result.

 Tamburlaine, parts I and II ; Doctor Faustus, A- and B-texts ; The Jew of Malta ; Edward II /Christopher Marlowe ; edited by David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen ; general editor, Michael Cordner . This edition offers Marlowe’s five major plays, which show the radicalism and vitality of his writing in the few years before his violent death. Tamburlaine Part One and Part Two deal with the rise to world prominence of the great Scythian shepherd-robber; The Jew of Malta is a drama of villainy and revenge; Edward II was to influence Shakespeare’s Richard II. Doctor Faustus, perhaps the first drama taken from the medieval legend of a man who sells his soul to the devil, is here in both its A- and its B- text, showing the enormous and fascinating differences between the two. 

 The effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds: a drama in two acts /Paul Zindel, drawings by Dong Kingman. The play revolves around a dysfunctional family coping with their abysmal status in life. Shy Tillie, prepares an experiment involving marigolds raised from seeds exposed to radioactivity for her science fair. She is, however, constantly thwarted by her mother Beatrice, and by her extroverted and unstable sister Ruth, who submits to her mother’s will.

 The Jesus revolution: a transformative theology of the New Testament /James M. Scott. (TWU Author). The book is an invitation to all people of goodwill–believers and unbelievers, liberals and conservatives–to put aside their differences in order to cooperate in the revolution that Jesus inaugurated, the creation of a new and better world in the here and now as an anticipation of the eschatological finale. In an age in which many people are overwhelmed by life and looking for ways to cope, this book offers fresh perspectives and penetrating insights that are grounded in solid biblical scholarship with the aid of contemporary philosophical concepts.

 The plebeians rehearse the uprising: a German tragedy /Günter Grass ; with an introductory address by the author ; translated by Ralph Manheim.  In the play, Grass criticizes Bertolt Brecht and his Berliner Ensemble for inaction in response to the East German uprising of 1953.^[3]

 The Synoptic Gospels /edited by Craig A. Evans & Stanley E. Porter. (TWU AUTHOR)This volume collects the best articles on the Synoptic gospels from the first fifty issues of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament (JSNT). The reader will find ground-breaking studies that introduce new critical questions and move into fresh areas of enquiry, surveys of the state of play in this particular topic of New Testament studies, and articles that engage with each other in specific debates.

 The Wright brothers /David McCullough. McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private family correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright Brothers’ story, including the little-known contributions of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them.

 Too much and never enough: how my family created the world’s most dangerous man /Mary L. Trump, PhD. In this revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him, Mary Trump, Donald’s only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric. A firsthand witness to countless holiday meals and interactions, Mary brings an incisive wit and unexpected humor to sometimes grim, often confounding family events. She recounts in unsparing detail everything from her uncle Donald’s place in the family spotlight and Ivana’s penchant for regifting to her grandmother’s frequent injuries and illnesses and the appalling way Donald, Fred Trump’s favorite son, dismissed and derided him when he began to succumb to Alzheimer’s. Mary L. Trump has the education, insight, and intimate familiarity needed to reveal what makes Donald, and the rest of her clan, tick.

 Undiscovered country = Das weite Land /by Arthur Schnitzler ; in an English version by Tom Stoppard. Tragicomedy set in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Philandering husband shocked to discover that his wife has acquired a young lover, and he feels honor-bound to challenge him to a duel

 World Christian encyclopedia /Todd M. Johnson and Gina A. Zurlo. The World Christian Encyclopedia, , documents the changing status of World Christianity over the past 120 years from historical and social scientific perspectives. It records the continued shift of Christianity to the Global South and contains estimates for religious and nonreligious affiliation in every country of the world, including detail on Christianity to the denominational level. This reference work features comprehensive descriptions of all Christian traditions, including current information on the uniqueness of Christian experiences around the world.

Wuthering Heights /by Emily Brontë ; illustrated with wood engravings by Fritz Eichenberg. Published in 1847,  Bronte’s dramatic gothic novel of love and revenge has captured the hearts of readers for centuries.  Wuthering Heights is an all-encompassing novel of people, place, and passion.  Containing wood-cut engravings throughout by Fritz Eichenberg,  the story of Cathy and Heathcliff comes alive in words and images for a truly magical literary experience.

 Wuthering Heights: complete, authoritative text with biographical, historical, and cultural contexts, critical history, and essays from contemporary critical perspectives /Emily Brontë ; edited by Linda H. Peterson. This revision of a widely adopted critical edition presents the 1847 text of Bronte’s  novel along with critical essays that read Wuthering Heights from four contemporary perspectives: psychoanalytic, Marxist, feminist, and cultural studies. The text and essays are complemented by contextual documents and illustrations (new), introductions with bibliographies, and a glossary of critical and theoretical terms.

Here is a selection of titles added to the collection recently.

 Beyond the roles: a biblical foundation for women and ministry /Melanie Cogdill, editor. Beyond the Roles brings together an ethnically & generationally diverse group of authors to respond to contemporary issues. Collectively, they remind us of the importance of ministry rooted in the gospel truths and they give us the tools to contextualize our ministries while remaining anchored to God’s Word. Join these authors as they help us respond biblically to the issues we face as we minster to women.

 I don’t want to talk about it: overcoming the secret legacy of male depression /Terrence Real. With this powerful groundbreaking work,  Real expose a virtual epidemic of the disorder in men. Twenty years of experience treating men and their families has convinced Terrence Real that there are two forms of depression: “overt” and “covert.”  Real mixes penetrating analysis with poignant, compelling tales of the men and women whom he treats. He writes with passion and searing clarity about his own experiences with depression, as the son of a depressed, violent father, and the father of two young sons. Real teaches us how men can unearth their pain, heal themselves, restore relationships, and break the legacy of abuse. I Don’t Want to Talk About It offers great wisdom, hope, and practical guidance to men and their families.

 Targum Neophyti 1: a textual study /B. Barry Levy. Examines the textual and literary development of a rabbinic text. The Palestinian Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch under study is both a literal rendition of the Hebrew and a creative embellishment of it. A valuable book for linguists and religious students and scholars.

Here are the titles added to the collection – as the term comes to an end.

 Evangelicalism: a very short introduction /John G. Stackhouse Jr. Evangelicalism: A Very Short Introduction focuses on what motivates evangelicals, on their hopes and fears, and on their agenda for the future.

 On death & dying: what the dying have to teach doctors, nurses, clergy & their own families /Elisabeth Kübler-Ross ; foreword by Ira Byock. The five stages of grief, first formulated in this hugely influential work, are now part of our common understanding of loss. Ideal for all those with an interest in bereavement, this classic text is reissued with a new introduction looking at its influence on contemporary thought and practice.

 Reading theology wisely: a practical introduction /Kent Eilers ; art by Chris Koelle. Eilers shows how theology can form the imagination and enhance ‘the human capacity for perceiving reality beyond the surface of things’–allowing Christians to see and experience God in the everyday. He then guides readers through the essential facets of theology so that it can begin to feel familiar and accessible, even (and especially) to beginners with no prior experience.  Written conversationally and illustrated beautifully with art by Chris Koelle, Reading Theology Wisely is welcoming and engaging. Eilers takes Scripture and the wisdom of past thinkers as well as references to film and the arts–including architecture as part of an ongoing metaphor of inhabiting texts as we do physical spaces. Each chapter ends with a prayer and questions for reflection and discussion, followed by a ‘theology lab’ in which readers can put the content of the preceding chapter into practice.