S&P Awards

The Best Spiritual Books of 2011
365 Thank Yous By John Kralik A lawyer reporting on the positive results of his project to send 365 thank you notes to deserving individuals in his life from family to peripheral people.
A Lamp in the Darkness By Jack Kornfield Buddhist Teachings and practices to help us navigate through tough times.
A New Harmony By John Philip Newell A wake-up call for the Christian community to heed the unfurling of a new Pentecost.
Abraham Joshua Heschel By Abraham Joshua Heschel, Susannah Heschel A substantive collection of writings from the Jewish teacher and moral prophet.
All That We Share By Jay Walljasper A bold and imaginative call for a major paradigm shift from the market system to the commons where sharing and caring are the operative ideals.
Alone Together By Sherry Turkle An abundance of insights and creative observations on our machine mediated lives and what this all means for intimacy, solitude, and being connected.
Between Heaven and Mirth By James Martin Examples from scripture, teaching stories from the religions, and the lives of saints about why the way of joy, humor, and laughter is important for spiritual communities.
Beyond Forgiveness By Phil Cousineau A top-drawer collection of 15 essays on understanding and practicing atonement as an act that makes amends and repairs harm.
Bill Moyers Journal By Bill Moyers A top-drawer collection of 47 interviews with independent thinkers on a wide variety of subjects.
Buddha Standard Time By Lama Surya Das A timely and wide-ranging book on the wisdom Buddhism has to offer in response to the problems of time starvation, addiction to speed, and distractions.
By the Way By Melannie Svoboda Reveals the beauties and the bounties of living a life of everyday spirituality.
Call to Compassion By Anthony J. Nocella II, Lisa Kemmerer An anthology of the growing movement of ethical sensitivity toward animals.
Enlightenment to Go By David Michie An explanation of the spiritual insights of Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life.
Ethical Wisdom By Mark Matousek The case supporting the idea that the brain has hard-wired us to be good and compassionate human beings.
Falling Upward By Richard Rohr A visionary work about the second stage of life as an unfolding of spiritual maturity.
Fragments of a Love Story By Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee Essays on the personal spiritual journey of a Sufi mystic.
Fragments of Your Ancient Name By Joyce Rupp Meditations on the names of God from all religious traditions.
God Is Subversive By Lee Griffith The views of a Christian social activist and believer in nonviolence on war, militarism, and the unjust prison system.
Grace Notes By Brian Doyle 37 stories by a gifted writer offering fresh approaches to everyday spirituality where wonder, imagination, and joy thrive.
Healing the Heart of Democracy By Parker J. Palmer A challenge to us to try practicing politics through the eye of the heart.
How to Train a Wild Elephant and Other Adventures in… By Jan Chozen Bays More than 50 mindfulness exercises that can enrich your everyday spirituality practices.
Into the Heart of Life By Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo An incisive overview of Buddhist essentials from the perspective of a woman with 40 years of spiritual practice.
Keep Your Courage By Carter Heyward Speeches, sermons, and essays from the last decade which address the rampant fears of our times.
Like a Tree By Jean Shinoda Bolen An extraordinary defense and tribute to the significance of trees.
Living in Gratitude By Angeles Arrien A thematically rich and spiritually rewarding guide to a month-by-month practice of gratitude.
Morning, Noon, and Night By Arnold Weinstein A superb work of literary criticism and philosophical insights into the transitional stages of life in growing up and growing old.
Naked Spirituality By Brian D. McLaren An explanation of the four stages of the spiritual life and twelve practices to strengthen, sustain, and deepen faith.
Never Say Die By Susan Jacoby A hard-hitting and illuminating examination of the daunting challenges facing the baby boom generation as they age.
Planting Seeds By Plum Village Community , Thich Nhat Hanh An incomparable resource on mindfulness for children with hundreds of spiritual practices.
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation By Sharon Salzberg A substantive and well-rounded primer on meditation by a masterful Buddhist teacher.
Religion Gone Astray By Don Mackenzie, Jamal Rahman, Ted Falcon Common core teachings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that support the healing of the grievous problems of exclusivity, violence, sexual inequality, and homophobia.
Restoring Life's Missing Pieces By Caren Goldman Spiritual exercises for revisiting people, places, things, and self as a process of personal transformation.
Saving Civility By Sara Hacala A pathbreaking book with 52 practices and ideas for enabling us to become emissaries of civility in these contentious times.
Streams of Contentment By Robert J. Wicks An exploration of paths and practices leading to contentment.
The Art of Intuition By Sophy Burnham An expansive and illuminating treatment of intuition as a life skill that can open many new doors for us.
The Art of Uncertainty By Dennis Merritt Jones A robust and revealing exploration of the spiritual practice of mystery.
The Artist's Rule By Christine Valters Paintner A creative and edifying combination of practices to nurture creativity, contemplation, and monastic wisdom.
The Caregiver's Tao Te Ching By Nancy Martin, William Martin Healing and helpful support for caregivers and their loved ones based on the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching.
The Cosmopolitan Canopy By Elijah Anderson A rousing celebration of city, civility, diversity, and places where the walls between the races are pulled down.
The Emotional Calendar By John Sharp Keen insights into the challenges faced by those whose emotions act up at certain times of the year, during holidays, and on days connected with by bad memories.
The Evolution of Faith By Philip Gulley A look into the transformation of Christianity into a more compassionate, open, reconciling, and loving community.
The Flying Drum By Bradford Keeney A magical mystery tour with sacred objects, mojo, mystery, and healing sponsored by indigenous elders all over the world.
The Hidden Gifts of Helping By Stephen G. Post An uplifting exploration of the physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits of generosity, compassion, and hope.
The Listening Book By W. A. Mathieu An exploration of the spiritual practice of listening with an awakened ear.
The Nature Principle By Richard Louv A visionary book about the widespread rise of interest in the natural world, a more balanced existence, and the transformation of our private and public lives.
The Path of the Yoga Sutras By Nicolai Bachman 51 key elements of the philosophy of yoga.
The Thom Hartmann Reader By Tai Moses, Thom Hartmann A top-drawer collection of essays by talk radio progressive Thom Hartman challenging us to see a new vision of America.
Tutu Authorized By Allister Sparks, Mpho Tutu A wonderful tribute to the life and ministry of Desmond Tutu on his 80th birthday.
Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life By Karen Armstrong Concepts and practices on 12 ways to embrace and walk in compassion as a transformative path.
Untie the Strong Woman By Clarissa Pinkola Estes A poetic and passionate, wild and lyrical spiritual journey into the Sacred Feminine in all her varied guises and glories.