New Books (December 2005)

Dear Friends,

It snowed a little here the other day, the first snow. My son, Simon, chose our spot in the meeting house and I was grateful that he sat us on a facing bench where I could see out the two windows opposite and look onto the trees and the snowy schoolyard. As I sat in worship I was filled with the deep peace, the quiet that comes with the winter. I was reminded of the white comforter that we just bought for Simon's bed; he sleeps well under that light warmth and I always love to watch him, dreaming and resting, lying in the quiet repose that fills him with energy in the morning. I could sense the earth's fallow motions on First day, the mysterious underground workings which will be made manifest when the first crocus peeks out of the melting snow, when the first buds appear on the magnolia tree. This dormant time is a welcome reminder of the quiet work needed in order to glean the fruits of the Spirit. The new books featured offer opportunities to contemplate or celebrate and to see the world in a fresh way.

Wider Visions is a poem of a book. It is a collection of Mike Hoyle's stunning, startling photographs of London and Yorkshire paired with quotations from Britain Yearly Meeting's Faith & Practice. Each page offers fresh perspective on Quaker faith, some pages feel jarring and challenging and some pages are contemplative, inspiring reflection. Hoyle has said of this book, "I have combined photographs of the everyday with words in the Quaker tradition to work with each other and turn the everyday world upside down." He succeeds! This is a book to ponder and pick up again and again.

Sing in the Spirit: A Book of Quaker Songs is a collection of songs and music composed by Friends or with Quaker themes compiled by the Leaveners, the British Quaker Performing Arts group. It is a cornucopia of Quaker songwriting, including many, many new songs by Friends, new Quakerly words to traditional songs, as well as many older songs sung at Quaker gatherings. The anthology is organized into sections which mimic Faith & Practice, beginning with 'Approaches to God' with sub-headings including 'Worship' and 'Prayer.' Other sections are 'Faithful Lives,' 'Openings,' 'Testimonies,' 'Children and Young People,' 'Unity of Creation,' and 'Unity and Diversity.' Newer songs include songs from the Taize and Iona communities and songs by Quaker songwriters including 'The ballad of James Nayler,' 'Love was the first motion,' 'The Lucretia Mott song,' 'Advices,' and 'Live up to the light (thou) hast.' As someone who loves to sing, I'm excited at the prospect of learning many of those included here. The Leaveners have wisely produced a companion CD (There's Music in the Air) with many of the songs from the book performed by the Quaker Music Makers, for those of us who need to hear the music in order to learn it.

Jane Yolen, prolific and noted children's book author, attended Acton Friends Meeting for some time and out of that grew an interest in George Fox which resulted in her book, Friend: the Story of George Fox and the Quakers. Quaker Press of FGC has just released the book in paperback (the hardcover edition has been out of print for some time) with a foreword by Fox biographer Larry Ingle. The book puts Fox's life into the context of the upheaval of the English civil war and describes his spiritual growth, as well as addressing the growth of the Quaker movement and organization. It also touches upon Friends' missionary efforts in North America and the long-term impact of the Religious Society. The book is marked by Yolen's eloquent prose style and offers a commendable introduction to Fox's life for young adults and seekers. It is a worthy companion volume to Elfrida Vipont's George Fox and the Valiant Sixty. Larry Ingle's foreword aptly points out a few errors in the book that resulted from Yolen's research being limited to the secondary sources available in the 70s. "Torn by war and wracked by uncertainty and doubt, the people of Fox's age wanted answers, and our author demonstrates those he offered." - –Larry Ingle

Grandmama's Pride is a new children's picture book by Quaker poet and author Becky Birtha. Sarah Marie, the young African-American narrator, travels south in the summer of 1956 with her mother and sister to visit her grandmother. Sarah Marie's mama has them sit on the very back seat of the bus saying they are the best and roomiest seats and they don't have lunch at the lunch counter on the way, because her mama has brought a delicious lunch. When they reach their destination Sarah Marie notices that there are two separate waiting rooms and wonders why her grandmother is waiting in the one without seats. The girls walk to town with their grandmother to do some shopping, rather than riding a bus, because "Grandmama's pride" was "too tall to fit in the back of the bus." During the summer Sarah Marie's aunt teaches her to read and she can now perceive for herself the consequences of the troubling words on the signs near the restrooms and water fountains. When the girls return the next summer, the Supreme Court has desegregated the waiting rooms, restrooms and lunch counters and Sarah Marie's grandmother is seated in the waiting room with seats. Though the history is somewhat condensed, this is a vivid portrait of the quiet strength and dignity of families faced with protecting their children in the face of the horrors of Jim Crow laws. Becky Birtha writes sparely and beautifully.

It's been awhile since I sent out a 'Book Musings', so I'd like to add just a brief note about three other books that were just released:

Opening the Scriptures by Tom Gates is a record of his Bible talks from the 2005 Gathering. He explores the Bible through the eyes of early Friends and how their understanding can shed light on the Bible for contemporary Friends.

Faithful Voices: Oral Readings Exploring Beliefs in Action by Ed Schwartz is a collection of poetic scripts in the voices of folks like John Woolman and Margaret Fell. Participants read the texts aloud twice and then explore the accompanying queries. It is an excellent resource for adult or young adult religious education (working well with mixed-age groups) and a wonderful community building tool.

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and her Students by Suzanne Zermain is the story of Quaker Crandall's efforts at creating a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut in 1831 and the enormous

resistance from the community in the form of riots, arson and a jail sentence that she and her students endured.

Hope this wintry time will offer you many opportunities for reflection, peace and glimmers of Light.

In Friendship, Lucy

Posted by QuakerBooks on December 1, 2005 12:00 AM | Permalink