Want to change the world...?

When John Wood took time off from his stressful job at Microsoft to go trekking in Nepal, he had no way of knowing what an impact that vacation would utlimately have for 1000s of children across Asia. Following his time in Nepal, John launched the nonprofit organization Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org) which has created more than 2,000 schools and libraries for children across Asia. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World is a captivating memoir, an inspiring read, and offers practical insight into managing a global nonprofit. Don't miss it. -Morrigan

Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards is a beautiful memoir that will touch your heart even if you are not a horsewoman. Richards makes the reader really understand how an animal's love and trust can help us find the deeper and better parts of ourselves. Like that old adage,"I'd like to be the peson my dog thinks I am", so does Richards learn through the simple grace of helping a deeply (emotionally) wounded animal back to health that she is ultimately helping herself. Don't miss this book! -Rhiannon

Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America

by Chas S. Clifton

One of the newest entries to the world of scholarship about the history of Wicca in the United States, Her Hidden Children covers a great deal of territory, with a focus on the development of Wicca in Britain in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, its movement across the Atlantic to the United States, and the early days of American paganism. The Gardners are spotlighted in great detail, as are a variety of others, including Tim Zell and the Church of All Worlds, Aiden Kelly and the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, Gleb Botkin and the Church of Aphrodite, and Z Budapest and the Susan B. Anthony Coven No. 1.

One of the book's strengths, and most interesting threads, is the manner in which it details how the people involved were influenced by particular literary works, which are quoted chapter and verse. Also, he discusses at length some of the issues that have long plagued neopaganism regarding the idea of an unbroken line of witches since the Middle Ages, how the words pagan and wicca were derived linguistically, “hereditary” witches, and so on. At the same time, in-depth coverage of certain people, groups, and topics leaves out many of influence in the development of American paganism (e.g., the Alexandrian tradition). Also, despite Clifton's mention of the importance of feminism in the spread of Wicca, I sensed some disdain on his part regarding that camp, which has no place in such a work as this. Regarding end matter: Though the book is well-footnoted and includes a lengthy bibliography, I found the index lacking. All in all, this book was a mixed bag but probably worth a read as a starting point for someone with little knowledge in this area. -Inanna

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

by Bart D. Ehrman

For those who, say, grew up in a faith where the Bible was the “unerring Word of God” delivered from His lips to men's pens but who now know differently, Misquoting Jesus will serve as a solid starting point in learning more about how the Bible as we know it today developed. More accessible to the lay reader than some of Ehrman's more scholarly works (e.g., Lost Christianities, still sitting half-read on my nightstand after more than 8 months), this work covers two topics at once. One is the Bible itself, but the other is the scholarly activity of textual criticism, or how researchers can determine how the texts have been altered or even added or deleted altogether over the years. I found the discussion of the criteria scholars use to trace back the lineage, so to speak, of ancient texts just as interesting as that of the specific text in question. Good stuff all around. --Inanna

One Small Boat; The Story of a Little Girl, Lost then Found by Kathy Harrison

A memoir written by a Massachusetts foster parent since 1988. This is an intimate portrait of one of the hundreds of children who have been nurtured by Harrison and her husband as they struggle to provide short term, emergency foster care. Five year old Daisy is from a well to do family placed into foster care suffering with a speech impediment and eating disorder who gradually reveals a background of neglect and sexual abuse. Harrison shares her honest assessment of the foster care system as well as her emotions and limitations as a foster parent. She and her husband are good caring people who believe in the healing power of love. A riveting and personal account of foster parenting and the children whose lives are forever shaped by it. A story that leaves you wanting to go out and make a difference! -Aurora

If you're a sucker for beautifully laid out and photographed books about entertaining (as I am) then you will love Kimberly Kennedy's book, The Art and Craft of Entertaining. Kennedy offers lots of hard information which is actually useful. The book includes upscale craft projects, recipes and lots of lists. Her style is very elegant and refined yet quite relaxed. Take some notes from someone who truly enjoys entertaining for the sake of creating a beautiful environment and give this book a read-through. Also an excellent choice for your Martha-loving friends!! -Rhiannon

Strange Piece of Paradise: A Return to the American West to Investigate my Attempted Murder--and Solve the Mystery of Myself by Terri Jentz.

Terri Jentz and her Yale roommate began a cross-country bike trip in 1977. While camping in an Oregon state park a stranger ran over their tent and brutally attacted them with an axe. Jentz was able to drag herself to the nearby road and flag down a passing truck, saving herself and her roommate. Jentz suffered a multiple injuries including a gashed arm and collapsed lung while her friends skull was crushed and she was blinded and suffered amnesia of the attack.

In 1992 Terri Jentz returns to the scene of the attack to investigate the facts of the case and to answer some nagging questions of her own psyche. This is an account of a true crime that is not written in the true crime genre. It questions why our society is so fascinated with blood and gore. Why we crave the "dangerous stranger". It deals with the larger issues of justice. And it offers no easy answers. As Jentz deals (or as those around her don't deal) with her psychic and psychological wounds the reader questions how individuals and society can deal with their wounds. This is a contemplative book for a contemplative reader. ~Damara

The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God?
Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy

An academic treatise on the origins of the Jesus myth, both Freke and Gandy capture the "all religions are aspects of the same Divinity" with clarity and vision. As a Pagan married to an Agnostic, we read this book together and found more common ground than we had initially suspected. This book tends to have two responses: either (from a Christian perspective) my religion isn't the only one/isn't real so now I am lost -or- (from any perspective) religion is in the eye of the beholder and we are all on a journey.

Grounded in the premise that Jesus never existed in human form and was a creation by Jewish mystics based on the resurrecting Godmen from other faiths (namely Osiris, Dionysus, Attis, Mithra, and others), this book follows the beginning of the Christian movement and gives the reader two, conflicting paths: that of the Literalists, who seemingly "won" the battle and now leave their legacy of Christianity, and that of the Gnostics, who initially created the Jesus myth for their people to have a "Mystery" religion and were wiped out by the Literalists in a bloody war for religious supremacy.

In addition to a well thought and well documented argument, the writers give detailed endnotes and citations, allowing the reader to verify information or just to delve deeper into the philosophical and religious circle they open. I have used this book in my discussions with other Pagans, especially those "hurt" by Christians or Christianity as a way to heal and also as a way to explain that, truly, we are all the same. It is a must have for any religious library and for anyone looking to understand their neighbor, regardless of religious background.

Goddesses in Everywoman;Powerful Archetypes in Women's Lives by Jean Shinoda Bolen

"Everywoman has the leading role in her own unfolding life story" begins this classic volume for those exploring their inner goddess. Women often seek help in order to learn how to be better protagonists or heroines in their own life stories, to do so, women need to make conscious choices that will shape their lives. This volume helps us learn the powerful insights of the enduring archetypes represented-which are responsible for major differences among women. An informative read for those of us who communicate with the Universal Goddesses! Aurora