WATER Recommends: September 2022

Tap into what we’re reading at the WATER office with the following resources.

All of the books we recommend are available for the borrowing from the Carol Murdock Scinto Library in the WATER office. Check out librarything.com for our complete collection. We are grateful to the many publishers who send us review copies to promote to the WATER community.


Cover image of White Evangelical Racism by Anthea Butler

Butler, Anthea. WHITE EVANGELICAL RACISM: THE POLITICS OF MORALITY IN AMERICA. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2021 (164 pages, $25).

A crucial read to understand and eradicate the racist foundations of white evangelical Christianity. Dr. Butler lays bare the hypocrisy of a movement that has white supremacy at its heart. In retrospect, so much of the history makes ‘perfect’ sense when read through an anti-racist lens. In present struggles, the contours are even clearer. Read and heed.

Cannon, Katie Geneva. KATIE’S CANON: WOMANISM AND THE SOUL OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2021 (248 pages, $29).

Wonderful new 25th anniversary edition of this classic with Foreword by Emilie M. Townes. If only Dr. Cannon were still with us to reflect on her writing and add to them. That is now our work.  Her spirit lives in this volume. Alleluia!

Cassidy, Laurie and M. Shawn Copeland, editors. DESIRE, DARKNESS, AND HOPE: THEOLOGY IN A TIME OF IMPASSE: ENGAGING THE THOUGHT OF CONSTANCE FITZGERALD, OCD. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021 (480 pages, $44.95)

Mary E. Hunt wrote in a review: “Theological page turners are rare; anthologies that hold the reader’s interest throughout are even rarer. DESIRE, DARKNESS, AND HOPE is a happy exception, a welcome read that incorporates classic Christian spirituality with contemporary theological reflection. Constance FitzGerald, OCD, is an insightful spiritual writer whose work deserves a broad audience. This book is a giant step in that direction.”

Cover image of Night of Beginnings by Marcia Falk

Falk, Marcia. NIGHT OF BEGINNINGS: A PASSOVER HAGGADAH. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2022 (232 pages, $19.95).

A Haggadah that is as beautiful as it is innovative, as poetic as it is theological, as inspiring as it is empowering. The author’s drawings and design add life and breath to the text and tradition. A must-have for people of many faiths and no faith who can appreciate the sacred anew through this pearl.

Kim, Grace Ji-Sun. INVISIBLE: THEOLOGY AND THE EXPERIENCE OF ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2021 (177 pages, $28).

Current anti-Asian violence is a continuation of so many generations of oppression and injustice to immigrants. The voices of Asian American women in theology echo the themes and offer insightful, incisive, practical theories and actions to put them to rest. A broad audience will benefit from this volume.

Cover image of Sisters in Mourning

Pak, Su Yon and Mychal B. Springer, editors. SISTERS IN MOURNING: DAUGHTERS REFLECTING ON CARE, LOSS, AND MEANING. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021 (148 pages, $20).

From the Foreword by Mary Gordon to the final story of a mother’s death, the often fraught and usually loving relationships between mothers and daughters come into poignant focus. Seven writers from different backgrounds and life circumstances flesh out the complexities and offer queries for others to ponder.

Cover image of The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Approaches to the Hebrew Bible

Scholz, Susanne, editor. THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF FEMINIST APPROACHES TO THE HEBREW BIBLE. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2021 (696 pages, $150).

A reference book for all libraries and serious scholars of the Hebrew Bible. This collection is a veritable who’s who in biblical scholarship—Adele Reinhartz, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Esther Fuchs, Carol Meyers, to name just a few. Eco-feminist poet Anne Elvey pushes the disciplinary horizons with her expansive essay. Kudos to the editor for this valuable volume.

Cover image of Women in Buddhist Traditions by Karma Lekshe Tsomo

Tsomo, Karma Lekshe. WOMEN IN BUDDHIST TRADITIONS. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2020 (223 pages, hardcover $89, paperback $22).

Buddhist women are active all over the world in changing their tradition to make it more inclusive, therefore more useful. Karma Lekshe Tsomo is a noted authority who not only chronicles the progress but has been instrumental in it. An excellent book for classes, discussion groups, and/or research.