S&P Awards

The Best Spiritual Books of 2001
A Dream of the Tattered Man By Randolph Loney Bears witness to the lives of men struggling for dignity, meaning and love on death row.
A New Religious America By Diana L. Eck A watershed work mapping the changes in the soulscape of this nation, the challenges stemming from diversity, and the usefulness of the activities of the interfaith movement.
A Troubled Guest By Nancy Mairs Unflinching essays on the many guises death has assumed in her life.
An Open Heart By His Holiness The Dalai Lama A timely resource for anyone looking for guidance on the path of compassion.
Anger By Thich Nhat Hanh A very practical book about the spiritual practices we can use to deal with a major toxin of our time.
At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden By Yossi Klein Halevi A courageous, enlightening, and visionary work about building bridges between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Israel.
Blessing By David Spangler Outlines a variety of ways to integrate this spiritual art into everyday life.
Body Toxic By Susanne Antonetta A terrifying memoir about the dangers of living in a landscape poisoned by industrial and nuclear wastes.
Build Me an Ark By Brenda Peterson A memoir by one of America's finest writers about the kinship between animals and humans.
Choosing Mercy By Antoinette Bosco A morally stimulating book opposing capital punishment.
Common Prayers By Harvey Cox A sophisticated and sensitive mapping of Judaism's depths by a theologian who is married to a commited Jew and is raising a Jewish son.
Crossing the Unknown Sea By David Whyte Examines the union of work and soul, yearning and satisfaction.
Fast Food Nation By Eric Schlosser A hard-hitting expose of the terrible consequences of this industry of instant gratification.
Fire in the Turtle House By Osha Gray Davidson Charts the plight of these ancient reptiles and calls us to see that we are all children of the sea.
Forgiveness, the Passionate Journey By Flora Slosson Wuellner A soul-stretching overview of this spiritual practice that is perfect for adult study groups.
Given Sugar, Given Salt By Jane Hirshfield Celebrates the plenitude of being as she ponders the mysteries of transitoriness, our repetitive behavior, unexpected openings in our lives, and the wonderful world of things.
Grain of Truth By Ross A. Laird Charts the pleasures, wonders, and challenges of woodworking.
Heart By Gail Godwin A pioneering work that takes us on a royal tour of ideas, stories, and anecdotes about the heart.
How Can We Keep from Singing By Joan Oliver Goldsmith A paean to the joys, pleasures, and wonders of singing written by an amateur who truly comes alive when she participates in any choir.
Kindred Spirits By Allen M. Schoen Insights into animals by an integrative holistic veterinarian.
Letters of Direction By Abbe Henri de Tourville Letters on the basics of spiritual direction.
Living a Life That Matters By Harold S. Kushner Provides insights into those qualities that give life meaning and value; faith, conscience, integrity, service, and doing good.
Living Peace By John Dear A prophetic work calling us to all become peacemakers and outlining concrete steps to take toward this goal.
My Monastery Is a Minivan By Denise Roy A splendid job conveying the riches of everyday spirituality as experienced by a middle-aged mother with four kids.
Navigating the Tides of Change By David La Chapelle Salutes the marvels of the natural world, the firepower of intuition, and the compassion that animates us to become caring human beings.
Nickel and Dimed By Barbara Ehrenreich Exposes the shadow side of American capitalism where hard-working people with low-paying jobs can't make ends meet despite their good intentions and energy.
Once and Future Myths By Phil Cousineau A lyrical and enthralling paean to myth by a meaning-maker par excellence.
Pacem in Terris By Frederick Franck The story of how Franck, a painter and sculptor, turned ruins of an old mill into a transreligious oasis.
Plain Living By Catherine Whitmire A soul-satisfying collection of quotations from the tradition that emphasizes silence, peacemaking, and conscience.
Proverbs By Rami Shapiro Prescriptions for overcoming ignorance, practicing self-discipline, and having personal integrity.
Red Fire By Paula D'Arcy An inspiring fantasy that will speak to your heart about a girl from a small town that resists change and her mysterious and magical journey from fear to love.
Spiritual Divorce By Debbie Ford An edifying and healing book about how divorce can help individuals reclaim their lives and find personal renewal.
Spiritual Maturity By Joseph Sharp An ambitious work charting the inner rewards and the sharp challenges of a deepened spiritual life.
Ten Poems to Change Your Life By Roger Housden Brimming over with his insights and enthusiasm for ecstatic poets.
The Food Revolution By John Robbins Criticizes this industry for spawning food addiction, suburban sprawl, car mania, industrial culture, and the largest group of minimum wage earners in the U.S.
The Forgotten Desert Mothers By Laura Swan A treasure trove of material on the lives, sayings and wisdom of the desert mothers.
The Great Escape Manual By Edward Hays Concrete and creative spiritual practices that can free us from the prisons holding us captive.
The Human Being By Walter Wink A subversive and substantive view of the incarnation and the challenges humans face as co-creators with God.
The Mountain of Silence By Kyriacos C. Markides Mines the meanings of this mystical tradition that emphasizes prayer, meditation, saints, icons, and union with God.
The Mystic Heart of Justice By Denise Breton, Stephen Lehman Convincingly re-imagines justice as a friend of our soul and an enhancer of community well-being.
The Places That Scare You By Pema Chodron Techniques to help us cultivate compassion as we cope with our demons and frustrations.
The Power of Affirmative Faith By Bruce G. Epperly Twenty-eight affirmations to help Christians and others to put their faith into action.
The Silent Cry By Dorothee Soelle A sturdy, ecumenical, cross-cultural, and multi-religious perspective on the intertwining of mysticism and political action.
The Soul of Rumi By Coleman Barks, Jalal Al-Din Rumi A rich and robust collection of ecstatic poetry calling us to the unavoidable inner work that is the essence of our life on earth.
The Sun and Moon Over Assisi By Gerard Thomas Straub A complex and rewarding meditation upon the lives of Francis of Assisi and Clare.
The Zen Commandments By Dean Sluyter Presents ten suggestions for a life of inner freedom.
To Shine One Corner of the World By David Chadwick A sagacious collection of teaching stories from a Zen master.
Working with Anger By Thubten Chodron A rich arsenal of spiritual practices that can be used to deal with this pernicious emotion and transform it.
Zen 24/7 By Philip Toshio Sudo A master teacher of the way of enlightenment makes everyday spirituality come alive.
Zen and the Art of Anything By Hal French A delineation of the graceful ways in which the wisdom and disciplines of this path can be applied to everyday activities.