S&P Awards

The Best Spiritual Books of 2006
201 Little Buddhist Reminders By Barbara Ann Kipfer A wonderful collection of Buddhist gathas to bring you back to the present moment in everyday activities.
A Code of Jewish Ethics By Joseph Telushkin A treasure trove of ways to improve your character from Jewish tradition.
A Generous Presence By Rochelle Melander An impressive overview of the art of coaching-its philosophy, tools, and interpersonal dynamics.
A Private History of Awe By Scott Russell Sanders A poignant and beautifully written spiritual memoir that salutes awe and the remarkable ways it enriches and deepens life.
A Rare and Precious Thing By John Kain An edifying and rich collection of essays on spiritual teachers from many different traditions.
A Sacred Voice Is Calling By John Neafsey A robust assessment of the spiritual dimensions of calling and vocation in times of great injustice and inequality.
At Home in the World By Margaret Guenther Illuminating suggestions for creating a rich and flexible rule of life for these tense times.
Beyond Prisons By Harmon L. Wray, Laura Magnani A hard-hitting and ethically provocative call for prison reform.
Blue Arabesque By Patricia Hampl A wonderfully written spiritual memoir about the divine nonchalance in art, creativity, travel, pilgrimage, and the lives of those who fill our days with their light.
Butterflies Under Our Hats By Sandy Eisenberg Sasso A new children's book, based on a Jewish folktale, that challenges us to find hope in the world. For Children
CrazyBusy By Edward M. Hallowell A top-notch guide to dealing with brain overload and the resulting stress of our ultra-fast, ultra-competitive, attention-deficit society
Cultivating a Compassionate Heart By Thubten Chodron Helpful meditations, visualizations, and mantras for Buddhists who want to cultivate a compassionate heart in everyday life.
Digging to America By Anne Tyler A delightful romp through the friendships of two very different American couples adopting Korean daughters.
Dispossessed By Mark Kramer Intimate portraits of families living in appalling urban slums in Manila, Nairobi, Mexico City, Bangkok, and Cairo.
Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert A spiritual memoir that is delightful romp filled with delicious adventures and many keen insights.
Firstlight By Sue Monk Kidd Early essays and stories from one of our best writers of spiritual nonfiction and fiction; it opens our hearts to light and love.
God's Top 10 By Anne Robertson A substantive Christian examination of the broad issues addressed by the Ten Commandments and the ethical riches activated by them.
Grace on the Go By Barbara Bartocci Nifty cues to prayer based on everyday situations and encounters.
Happiness By Matthieu Ricard A Buddhist monk's understanding of happiness as the deep sense of flourishing that arises from a healthy mind as well as a a way of interpreting the world.
Integral Spirituality By Ken Wilber A visionary work that presents a thought-provoking overview of integral spirituality.
Jesus Today By Albert Nolan An extraordinary book about the radical freedom of Jesus' spirituality which leads to unity with God, ourselves, others, and the universe.
Kabbalah By Lawrence Kushner An imaginative and enchanting mystical novel about love, time, creativity, reverence, and the questions that matter in life.
Keep Going By Joseph M. Marshall III Inspiring Native American wisdom about staying the course and finding the treasures hidden within obstacles and tragedies.
Learning the Language of the Fields By Daniel G. Deffenbaugh Brings ecology down to earth and challenges the Christian community to develop a new spirituality of place.
Milton H. Erickson, M.D. By Betty Alice Erickson, Bradford Keeney A tribute to the life and work of psychotherapist Milton Erickson.
On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz By Arthur Kurzweil A celebration of the wisdom and stories of one of the most respected rabbis of our time.
On Your Mark By Megan McKenna A rigorous and deeply spiritual commentary on the Gospel of Mark.
Opening the Doors of Wonder By Arthur J. Magida A fascinating overview of religious rites of passage among Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims.
Ordinary Sacred By Kent Nerburn A graceful, heartfelt, and imaginative collection of stories and spiritual teachings by a gifted writer who believes that beauty nourishes the soul.
Overcoming Life's Disappointments By Harold S. Kushner Edifying religious counsel on resilience and overcoming life's difficulties and setbacks.
Pearls of Life By Carolina Johansson, Carolina Welin, Martin Lonnebo Christian prayer beads as catalysts to prayer, silence, love, mystery, connections, and transformation.
Rabble-Rouser for Peace By John Allen A rousing authorized biography of Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, a crusader for racial justice, peace, and communal reconciliation.
Shamanic Christianity By Bradford Keeney A bold and playful look at what a shamanic Christianity would look like.
Spiritual Direction By Henri J. M. Nouwen Key insights into Christian spiritual direction and the importance of listening, devotion, and the quest for meaning.
Talking to God By John Gattuso, editor A global album of 100 stunning photographs of people at prayer.
The Buddha and the Terrorist By Satish Kumar A poignant Buddhist parable that salutes loving one's enemies and practicing nonviolence.
The Engaged Spiritual Life By Donald Rothberg A substantive guidebook to wedding spiritual practice with social justice as a path of inner and outer transformation.
The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things By Larry Dossey Wonder-filled essays that explore the interface between medicine, consciousness, and spirituality.
The Fabric of Friendship By Joy Carol A celebration of the abiding spiritual underpinnings of friendship among women.
The Great Transformation By Karen Armstrong A solid and substantial case for compassion as a spiritual practice that can save the world.
The Left Hand of God By Michael Lerner A bold and inspiring progressive spiritual vision to animate the hopes and dreams of those who desire a country where peace, freedom, and justice prevail.
The Passion of Mary Magdalen By Elizabeth Cunningham A raucous, inspired treatment of Mary Magdalen as an embodiment of the Divine Feminine.
The Play of Light By Louis Masson Elegant essays that tutor us in the art of seeing epiphanies and relishing sacramental showings in everyday life.
The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness By Rami Shapiro A beautiful and profound book, packed with concrete practices, on lovingkindness in Judaism and other religions.
The Secret Message of Jesus By Brian D. McLaren The right book at the right time with its call to a new form of Christianity that can appeal to evangelicals, mainliners, and spiritual seekers.
The Ten Commandments By Joan Chittister A good case for measuring our spiritual development in terms of the Ten Commandments as laws of the heart.
Voices of Time By Eduardo Galeano Innovative and imaginative glimpses of the violent, wild, and crazy world we live in from one of Latin America's finest and most perceptive writers.
Waking Up to What You Do By Diane Eshin Rizzetto A presentation of Buddhist precepts as spiritual teachers that propel us to act honestly in a world of many complexities.
Yearnings By Irwin Kula A sagacious book on the blessings and the bounties of spiritual yearning.
Your Daily Life Is Your Temple By Anne Rowthorn A fine examination of the importance of openness and hospitality to the forging of an everyday spirituality.