Autobiography: religious and spiritual Books
Mandel Vilar Press The Jewish Underground of Samarkand: How Faith
Book SynopsisA portal into the perseverance of Jewish culture in the face of attempts to destroy it.To answer his son's question: what was it like growing up in Samarkand? Rabbi Hillel Zaltzman wrote and researched this memoir and history about Chassidic Jews who found refuge in Samarkand during the World War II and continued to live there under Soviet rule. This is a personal story for Zaltzman, who was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. When the Nazis invaded Kharkov, Zaltzman’s parents fled with their three young children to Samarkand (Uzbekistan). There they reconnected to other refugee Chassidic families, as well as some famous Chassidic rebbes also in flight. In Uzbekistan they created a thriving Jewish community until its institutions were abruptly shut down by Stalin immediately after the war. Still this Jewish community in Samarkand, Uzbekistan is remembered as shpitz Chabad—the epitome of Chassidic ideals and devotion.Zaltzman’s father kept him out of the Soviet schools, where atheism was promoted and Sabbath observance was impossible, teaching him furtively at home, until a neighbor discovered his existence at the age of 9. Zaltzman had no choice but to attend a public school then, but he still observed the demands of his faith and stayed home from school when necessary. Hillel studied with esteemed Chabad Chassidic rebbes who taught at great personal risk. If discovered, they could be sentenced to harsh labor in Siberia.Zaltzman credits his father’s unswerving commitment to his chinuch—his Jewish education—was beyond any compromise, and it was an exemplary expression of their Chabad brand of Chassidic Judaism: “The Chabad community was infused with a rich inner world of Chassidic vitality,” Zaltzman writes.Meanwhile, the Soviet regime remained obsessed with eliminating a Jewish religious identity; a special division of the NKVD (Soviet secret police) was assigned the task of destroying Jewish schools and yeshivas, and surveilling individuals through synagogue informers. Zaltzman records his experiences and adventures and those of other memorable people he has known and the sacrifices they made to share their love of Torah and Jewish learning in the secret underground yeshivas. He describes their attempts to celebrate Jewish holidays, make matzah, and obtain prayer books, as well as their other colorful escapades. He also tells of their exasperating experiences trying to obtain exit visas to leave the Soviet Union. The largely untold story of Chabad activism and heroism comes through with great immediacy in this first-person account of spiritual resistance to a Communist regime at war with the Jewish devotion to God and Torah. From the age 16, along with several other idealistic young men, Hillel Zaltzman was involved in Chamah, an underground Jewish organization that helped sustain and preserve Jewish life in the Soviet Union through education. Chamah established a network of underground Jewish schools that clandestinely taught more than 1,500 children over the years and provided material and spiritual support to Jews trying to obtain exit visas in the 1960s and 70s. Hillel himself was allowed to immigrate to Israel only in 1971, after years of trying. Now living in New York, he is the director of IChamah, an international organization which is devoted to serving Jews from the Former Soviet Union in Israel, Russia, and the US. Rabbi Zaltzman was honored for his humanitarian and Jewish outreach in the U.S. Senate in May 2016, as part of Jewish American Heritage Month.Trade Review"Zaltzman's stirring memoir, which was originally published in 2015 as Samarkand and has been condensed for this new edition, recounts his attempts to preserve Jewish culture in Soviet Uzbekistan. . . . He writes of these achievements in steady, unshowy prose, succeeding in his stated goal to enlighten readers who are unaware of a thriving Jewish community in the former Soviet Union. It's a fascinating blend of personal and cultural history."—Publishers Weekly "While the Kremlin ruthlessly suppressed organized religion, Chassidic Jews in Samarkand managed to sustain their traditions with determined ingenuity. Brimming with vivid detail, this book will interest anyone curious to know how they survived in the face of Stalinist repression."—Joshua Rubenstein, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University and the author of nine books on Soviet history including The Last Days of Stalin "A debut history that details the plight of a family of Jews who fled from Ukraine to Uzbekistan while pursuing their faith . . . . the author does a remarkable job of vividly depicting the city of Samarkand, which became famous for its tenacious preservation of Jewish customs despite zealous political persecution. It serves as an effective historical study of Jewish life under Communist tyranny, and Zaltzman's mastery of details of the period is undeniable.—Kirkus Reviews "The inspiring story of Chabad's underground followers in far-off Samarkand as recounted by a Lubavitch activist who defied the Communists and survived to tell the tale. A valuable source on Jews under Communism and an unforgettable chronicle of courage and perseverance."—Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University "I'm drawn in by the storytelling, its unembellished directness and clarity and by the brief sketches of each character that nevertheless embody an entire personality in the eyes of an intelligent and sensitive observer. Rabbi Hillel's earnest poignancy and his humanity and modesty are irresistible. The bravery of resistance to oppression dominates throughout. You have in your hands a cultural treasure!"—Cynthia Ozick, American novelist, and essayist whose fiction and nonfiction books include The Shawl, Levitation: Five Fictions, The Cannibal Galaxy and Metaphor and Memory. "Very little is known about the history of the Jews of Samarkand during the Soviet period. That is partly due to the clandestine nature of their struggle to maintain their Jewish identity under the most difficult circumstances. It is also due to the nature of the Soviet authoritarian regime that was intent on keeping the Soviet Jewry struggle hidden from public view. Rabbi Zaltzman's book makes an especially important contribution to Jewish history because it sheds light on aspects of the Jewish struggle for religious liberty in the Soviet Union that had not been previously studied and revealed. This book will inform, enlighten, and inspire the reader about events that took place in Samarkand that in many ways changed the course of Soviet Jewish history."—Michael N. Dobkowski, John Milton Potter Chair in the Humanities, Hobart and William Smith Colleges "Rabbi Zaltzman has the storyteller's genius: part historian, part I. B. Singer. In this astonishing narrative of a largely unknown piece of Jewish history, he tells of his family's journey and that of fellow Chabad Lubavitchers to the Uzbek city of Samarkand as they flee the Nazi invasion of Ukraine. He then recounts their struggles in Samarkand to keep themselves—and their religious practices—alive under the brutal rule of the Soviet Union after the war. Against those formidable enemies, Chabad Chassidism triumphs. No amount of political persecution can win when facing the dedication of the Chabad community. It is a dramatic story of perseverance, devotion to Jewish learning and the Jewish determination to survive."—Sol Gittleman, Alice and Nathan Gantcher University, Professor Emeritus, Tufts UniversityTable of ContentsPartial Table of Contents (Balance will be filled by February 1st):1. A Chassidic Education in Communist Russia2. My Father’s Youth in Lubavitch3. The War Years in Samarkand4. The Uncles I Didn't Know5. The Postwar Years under Stalin6. Our Distinguished Guest: R. Berke Chein7. Secret Worship Services8. The Legendary Chassid: R. Simcha Gorodetzky9. Our Bukharian Champion: R. Refael Chudaidatov10. Making Matzah11. The Founding of Chamah12. The Underground Yeshiva13. What Was the KGB Looking for in My Workshop?14. Shabbos Bereishis in the Cotton Field15. Mentor and Friend: R Mendel Futerfas16. Adventures on the Road17. Matchmaking in the Shadow of the KGB18. My Mother's Death and My father'sImmigration to Israel19. Leaving Russia20. From Dream's in Russia to Reality in IsraelGlossary About the Author
£19.79
Hohm Press,U.S. Autobiography of a ZEN Monk
Book SynopsisWhile countless memoirs exist written by Zen students and teachers, few are as engaging and as tantalizing as Taisen Deshimaru''s. Looking back at his early life, growing up in Japan, from the viewpoint of his status as a Zen teacher in Paris, the author reflects on his earliest misadventuresfrom defacing a valuable painting of Bodhidharma as a child, to turning the Zen stick on a young monk during a retreat. Adventures abound with stories about alcohol and women, during his student years, and his activities during World War II in working for the arms industry in Malaysia, where he was sympathetic to the underground freedom movement. This first English-language translation of Taisen Deshimaru''s autobiography will be prized for its clear and honest documentation of this great master''s life. Many people all over the world have been influenced by Deshimaru''s Zen teachings, especially his book on Zen and the martial arts. This memoir fills an important gap in our knowledge of his teacher, Kodo Sawaki''s influence on the world of Zen. The story of how Deshimaru met Sawaki as a boy, even slept in the same room with him, and later received monastic ordination is the story of a lifelong friendship of two extraordinary characters in the history of modern Zen. Deshimaru''s influence extends beyond Zen practitioners, though, especially in those interested in the martial arts, as he touches on his martial arts experience as a young man and offers a look into the master''s early training. Additional interest extends to historians who recount the supposed scandals of Zen masters'' participation in the war effort. Although Deshimaru''s viewpoint is decidedly subjective, he was intimately acquainted with priests and generals alike, and approaches the difficult subject with a refreshing lack of judgmental disdain which counterbalances many other more lopsided works.
£21.60
BenBella Books A Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslim's Hajj of
Book SynopsisFrom the recipient of a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow Based on the New York Times' Critic Pick documentary "The first book about the Hajj from a gay perspective, written by a man with a deep knowledge of Islamic history. This pilgrimage is the centerpiece of his book, and he recounts it with courage and fierce emotion." —The Guardian This is the Islam you've never been allowed to see. Daringly reported from its frontlines and forbidden to most of humanity for centuries. The Hajj pilgrimage is a journey every Muslim is commanded by God to go on at least once in a lifetime if they are able and, like millions, Parvez Sharma believes his spiritual salvation lies at Islam's ground zero, Mecca. But unlike the journeys of his fellow Muslims, the consequences of his own could be deadly. In A Sinner in Mecca, author, filmmaker, and 2018 Guggenheim Fellow Parvez chronicles his pilgrimage as a very openly gay Muslim to Saudi Arabia, where Islam's heart beats . . . and where being true to himself is punishable by death. Risking his life, Parvez embarks on a Jihad of the self—filming his experience along the way. Already under fire for his documentary A Jihad for Love, which looks at the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality, he would undoubtedly face savage punishment if exposed—from being thrown off a cliff to public beheading. Parvez's odyssey is at once audacious, global, and remarkable. He meets everyone from extremists to explorers of the spiritual kind and the world they open up is frightening . . . yet breathtaking. In Mecca, Parvez comes out to a pilgrim, who then asks him why he would want to be part of something that wants no part of him. This book is his answer to this question and many more. Parvez provides an unflinching look at our troubling unfolding history, including Hizbullah, ISIS, Trump, the race-wars, an embattled Europe, and more. He offers real solutions, borne of his efforts to get his hands dirty to find them. This is a lived history—and its author is no armchair theorist. Following the New York Times Critics' Pick hit documentary of the same title, A Sinner in Mecca unflinchingly showcases parts of the dangerous ideology that governs today's ISIS and how much it has in common with Saudi Arabia's sacred, yet treacherous dogma, Wahhabi Islam. A Sinner in Mecca is simultaneously one man's personal odyssey as well as a groundbreaking, provocative revelation of a clandestine world and its fastest growing and most contested religion.Trade Review"The first book about the Hajj from a gay perspective, written by a man with a deep knowledge of Islamic history. This pilgrimage is the centerpiece of his book, and he recounts it with courage and fierce emotion." —The Guardian "You will never think the same way about Saudi Arabia and Islam after reading this beautifully written book." —Washington Book Review "Sharma's spiritual search is intimate and careful, and ultimately one of understanding." —Foreword Reviews "Sharma's . . . book uses that trip not only to gain perspective on extremists and religion, but as a glass to view the world here in the United States, the challenges felt by the Muslim community, and the oppressive weight of the Trump admisistration."—Towerload "Parvez's heroism is rare and his courage well-documented. Putting his own life at risk, he takes us on a surprising and compelling journey through the frontlines of his much contested faith. A brilliant follow up to his films, A Jihad for Love and A Sinner in Mecca." —Reza Aslan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zealot "In our lives, we face a choice of whether to live with judgment or reach deep within ourselves to find an inner moral compass that leads us to a metaphorical Mecca of unconditional love. With his powerful, brave book, A Sinner in Mecca, Parvez Sharma takes us on his hero's pilgrimage, teaching us of an ethereal truth: the qibla, or direction of Mecca, resides within each one of our hearts." —Asra Q. Nomani, author of Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam "Parvez Sharma's Hajj pilgrimage is not only a journey to Mecca but to his deepest self. Both a Muslim and an out gay man, Sharma writes bravely and brilliantly. His religion is ancient. His story is timeless." —Kevin Sessums, New York Times bestselling author of Mississippi Sissy and I Left It On the Mountain "Sharma's gripping journey unfolds with cinematic splendor, giving those of us who will never experience the hajj firsthand the next best thing. This book examines modern Islam's beauty and its ugliness with an unflinching gaze and a hopeful vision for its future." —Cole Stryker, author of Hacking the Future and Epic Win for Anonymous "As a gay man and a Muslim, Parvez Sharma's unique personal journey is reflected in this powerful examination of faith, sexuality, and gender. In a divided world, Sharma fearlessly crosses the boundaries and barriers that separate us from each other and finds common ground in the search for love and truth."—Cleve Jones, author of When We Rise
£12.34
Catalyst Books Today is Tomorrow
Book SynopsisBy 1996, millions of South Sudanese have been killed, died of starvation, or fled the decades-long civil war ravaging their country. So when the Presbyterian Church in the United States begins recruiting a development team to work with war refugees in the region, Caroline and her husband Mark are eager to help. But it’s only months before ghosts from their individual pasts whistle in to disrupt their marriage and their new postings. Caroline finds relief in teaching and peace work in South Sudan, but the heavy responsibility she now carries for dozens of vulnerable families—coupled with the prevailing ideas of Biblical womanhood that put pressure on her personal life—makes it increasingly clear that Caroline is under-prepared for the high-stakes crisis in which she is now embedded. Through a number of consequential mistakes and increasingly debilitating self-doubt, Caroline clings to hope that her willingness to stand with the South Sudanese will count for something in the end. A deeply personal examination of South Sudan at war—and a woman at war with herself—Today is Tomorrow shines a warm light on the darkest of places.Trade Review"I have found the book hugely anthropological, historical, cultural and Spiritual. It is an adventure compelled by the love of God. “Today is Tomorrow” is indeed an incredible statement of hope for all who would like to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12— Bishop Dr. Arkanjelo Wani Lemi, Former Presiding Bishop of Africa Inland Church, Former Chair of the South Sudan Council of Churches, Chair of the Technical Committee for establishment of the Truth, Reconciliation and Healing Commission “Caroline Kurtz has a gift for weaving her personal life struggles with the threads of southern Sudanese life, where contestations produce resilience and pain meets joy. My African friends who read Today Is Tomorrow may wonder if such experiences of an American woman can be real. My American friends who read this may wonder if such experiences in Sudan can be anything but fiction. But knowing Caroline in America and working side-by-side with her in Sudan, I can say that the realities she describes with such sublime word pictures are all real. She is an artistic wordsmith, and it was my privilege to have her as my right arm at Wunlit where the people made their peace become real, mal mi chum-chum, sweet peace, for a time.” — Bill Lowrey, Facilitator of Wunlit (South Sudan) People-to-People peace conference“As a person who had been involved in the 20th anniversary of the Wunlit Peace Conference, this book deeply moved me. Caroline should be proud of being part of this historical meeting. These rhetorics of war and peace continue to challenge us, and though the environment has changed politically, to say the least, there have been successes and failures, but South Sudan continues to seek peace.” — Machot A. Malou, Research Consultant with the Rift Valley Institute in South Sudan"[R]eal, raw and truly a sacred story... Kurtz shares her personal vulnerability with readers, creating not just an intellectual exploration of cross-cultural differences, but rather a heart-wrenching witness of what it means to give one’s whole life...not knowing whether one’s hopes or intentions will be realized. I recommend her story to anyone willing to dive deep into their own heart to face the haunting challenges and contradictions of seeking to do God’s will when there are no simple solutions." — Rev Dr. Sue Hudson, The Presbyterian Outlook"If you would like to get a better understanding of the complexities of a civil war, its destruction, human suffering, power struggles, peace restoration and reconciliation – this is one of the books to get your hands on." — Woman Zone (South Africa)
£12.34
Forefront Books A Quiet Strength: The Life and Legacy of
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£17.84
Forefront Books Finding My Way Home: A Journey to Discover Hope
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£18.69
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Una educación / Educated: A Memoir
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£16.76
Scribe Us Holy Woman: A Divine Adventure
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£17.00
Monkfish Book Publishing Company An Island to Myself
Book SynopsisA memoir about how solitude can deepen a life.In his twenties, writer and activist Michael McGregor traveled to the remote Greek island of Patmos to spend two months alone. It was 1985, before cellphones or the internet, when even a phone call home was costly. Those days transformed his understanding of himself, his God, and his purpose—and in this book he offers, for others, how finding a place of solitude can change a life.McGregor had spent three years writing about the world’s poorest people and five months traveling when he chose, at 27, to live for two months in total solitude, 6,000 miles from home. He went primarily to write a novel, but from the moment he stepped onto the ferry to begin the 11-hour ride to Patmos, he knew his time would be meaningful. As he settled into a routine that included hours of writing each day, walks through fierce wind in the evenings, and nights that brought on dreams, memories, and unexpected spiritual encounters, he soon realized that solitude can be difficult and even dangerous but also awe-inspiring and life-altering.McGregor immerses the reader in particulars of the simple life he lived for two winter months on an island where he knew no one. He reflects on authors and spiritual teachers before showing the ways in which his returns to solitude in subsequent decades reflected or altered his earlier experiences of being alone.In the book’s final section, McGregor returns to Patmos during the same January dates he visited four decades earlier. He attempts to replicate his earlier experience. His reflections on the changes in his life, the island world, and his understanding of both God and solitude add another dimension to this multifaceted book.
£16.14
Casa Creacion Hijo de Hamás: Un apasionante relato de terror,
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£14.44
Catalyst Books Reading Secrets
Book SynopsisA trans pastor’s fascination with the Scripture inherited from his closeted, fundamentalist father. When his dad died, Malcolm Himschoot inherited his father’s Bibles. He chose to re-read them, examining his dad’s notes in the margins, teasing out the details of his upbringing and gender identity amid the structures and forms of biblical narratives. For Malcolm, coming out meant exile and verbal excommunication; he embodied all his gay father tried to hide. In Reading Secrets, Malcolm travels alongside the ghost of his father, exploring their inherited homophobia and the American culture that shaped their triumphs and tragedies. With these poetic and evocative meditations, Malcolm transforms the Scripture he inherited, and finds a place in it for himself.
£12.34
WestBow Press All the Days of My Life: The Autobiography of a
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£23.96
WestBow Press Spared by Grace: An Inspiring True Story of
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£21.80
WestBow Press Journey to Heaven
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£22.75
Simon & Schuster When Heaven Calls Life Lessons from Americas Top
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£16.14
Random House USA Inc The Great Blue Hills of God: A Story of Facing
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£20.39
Theologischer Verlag Aufbruch Und Widerspruch: Schweizer Theologinnen
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£67.45
Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd Autobiography of a Yogi
Book SynopsisHis influence in the American yoga movement, and especially the yoga culture of Los Angeles led him to be considered by yoga experts as the "Father of Yoga in the West."
£11.63
Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd How to Be One with God: An Autobiography of a
Book SynopsisScriptures and holy books are not understood in their right perspective unless one becomes an initiate or twice born. However great a scholar one may be, one cannot really appreciate the facts presented therein in the real sense. Why this is so, and what is the way back to our original spirituality, is the subject matter of this book. The book presents the author''s autobiography, giving details of the evolution of the universe and then various methods of transcending normal consciousness to become twice born. Finally the method of Shakipat for a quantum jump into divinity through the power passed onto a disciple by the Guru is presented. The author has given his recommendations and suggestions to the seekers based on his personal experiences.
£12.59
Prakash Books Autobiography of a Yogi
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£8.99
Fingerprint! Publishing Autobiography of a Yogi
£8.54
Prakash Books Autobiography of a Yogi
£7.99
Prakash Books The Story of My Experiments with Truth Mahatma
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£15.19
Kadena Press To be Poor and Obscure: The Spiritual Sojourn of
Book SynopsisAs one walks through these confessional essays, one encounters Karl and his world, where the personal, political, and spiritual are interwoven into a Lumad design.
£23.96
Kodansha Europe Head Office Four Lamas of Dolpo Autobiographies of Four Tibetan Lamas 16th 18th Centuries Volume 2
£33.25
Hong Kong University Press The Memoirs of Jin Luxian: Learning and
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£40.50
Hong Kong University Press The Memoirs of Jin Luxian: Learning and
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£19.00
Mzuni Press From Herd Boy to University Lecturer: An
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£15.68
Sophia Institute Press Journey Into His Heart
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£13.83
House of Stone Publishing The Unbroken Pastor
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£8.24
