Baccelliere, Anna. I LIKE, I DON’T LIKE. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2017 (28 pages, $16.00).

What a simple, effective way to teach children about privilege and oppression, the haves and the have not’s, the rich and the poor. Endless lessons in diversity, human rights, and kindness in this wonderfully illustrated (by Ale and Ale) book.

Chaudhry, Ayesha S. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE ISLAMIC TRADITION. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2013 (288 pages, $58.00).       

Qur’anic text Ch. 4, Verse 34 (Q. 4:34) that refers to wife beating is a window into the complexity of Islamic thinking. Dr. Chaudhry offers both an historical account of how the text has been interpreted, as well as contemporary insight into contextual and performative religious approaches. A model feminist volume that shows that all religious ideas are subject to analysis, dynamic in their meanings, and open to change. Listen to our April 2017 WATERtalk with Ayesha S. Chaudhry here.

Harroun, Teri. A WOMAN CALLED FATHER: REFLECTIONS OF PRIESTHOOD IN A WOMAN’S BODY. Newburgh, NY: Five Oaks Press, 2017 (34 pages, $12.99).

It is hard to imagine a Catholic seminary anywhere in the world teaching a unit on “Priest in Menopause.” But the poem by the same name opens the imagination to the reality of women’s ministry whether the kyriarchal church wants it or not. Consider a discussion group around this volume.

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, editor, COLOR OF VIOLENCE: THE INCITE! ANTHOLOGY. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2016 (336 pages, $24.95).

This collection of essays placing women of color at the center of a new anti-violence paradigm focuses on eliminating both personal and state violence. Issues and analyses cover many bases: racism, sexism, classism, ableism, military violence, colonialism, heterosexism, and more. A powerful guide for activists, educators, community organizers, and anyone asking the question, “What would it take to end violence against women of color?”

Kim, Grace Ji-Sun and Jann Aldredge-Clanton, editors, INTERCULTURAL MINISTRY: HOPE FOR A CHANGING WORLD. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2017 (240 pages, $19.99).

Ministers who wrote these chapters are intent on building intercultural communities that embody new forms of church and society. Sharing a common faith does not guarantee anything about common life, common worship, or common action. But with the creative, concerted, compassionate efforts reported here, there are ways forward that work. This is a compelling resource for forward-looking congregations and students of ministry.

Miles, Margaret, THE LONG GOODBYE: DEMENTIA DIARIES. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2017 (104 pages, $14.00).

A stirring account of the descent into dementia and how a sensitive, insightful, imaginative, stalwart companion copes with the changes. At times theological, at others simply raw emotion, this powerful read leaves an indelible imprint—of things that can’t be known, of lives that circle back on themselves, of love that changes yet endures, of questions for which there are simply no answers, easy or otherwise. Read it. Read it again.

Paterson, Gillian and Callie Long, DIGNITY, FREEDOM, AND GRACE: CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES ON HIV, AIDS, AND HUMAN RIGHTS. Geneva, Switzerland: World Council of Churches, 2016 (168 pages, $20.00).

While diseases know no religious boundaries, the treatment of people with diseases can be tempered by theology. Judgment, blame, anything less than full acceptance and embracing are simple wrong. Authors of these essays from around the world point to best practices in many fronts.

Ronan, Marian and O’Brien, Mary. WOMEN OF VISION SIXTEEN FOUNDERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL GRAIL MOVEMENT. Berkeley, CA: The Apocryphile Press, 2017 (424 pages, $19.82).

How visionary of Marian Ronan and Mary O’Brien to bring Grail Movement founders to life in delightful summaries of their amazing lives. Longtime Grail folks as well as those new to the movement will be fascinated by the ways of creative women then and now. The Grail continues to focus spiritual search and social justice through women’s commitments.

Shore-Goss, Robert R. GOD IS GREEN: AN ECO-SPIRITUALITY OF INCARNATE COMPASSION. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016 (300 pages, $36.00).

A trusted queer theologian takes on the whole nine yards of creation. Robert Shore-Goss finds ways through the pollution and exhaust fumes of injustice to glimpse and reveal the beauty and integrity. Mystics of old and contemporary New Age folks alike have attested to the universe’s wonders, but this Christian pastor lets his Buddhist studies guide toward light.