In this spiritual detective story, Shapiro explores the varieties of experience she has pursued--from the rituals of her black hat Orthodox Jewish relatives to yoga "shalas" and meditation retreats--and the surprisingly joyful quest she undertook to find meaning in a constantly changing world.

In ancient Japan a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed.

"PEN/Bellwether Prize-winning writer Gayle Brandeis' essays explore both the writing life and the embodied life, along with potent intersection between the two. From the title essay investigating the connection between writing and breath to the final essay, which delves into Brandeis' experience with long-haul Covid and its impact on her creative voice, this collection is infused with the urgency of mortality, thrumming with grief, authenticity, and...

The Virgin Mary - a Jewish mother - is central to Christianity, a revered woman in Islam, and a person of persistent fascination for centuries. Marian worship and theology has inspired countless appearances in art, as well as religious philosophy and doctrine, while the concept of the Virgin herself has been involved in controversial discussions over the Virginal body, race, anti-Semitism, and globalism. This Very Short Introduction describes the...

An Appalachian girl, Arizona Houston Hughes, grows up to become a teacher who influences generations of schoolchildren.

Saint Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) was a French priest whose special devotion to Mary made him one of the earliest writers on the subject of Mariology. After being declined permission to be sent on a missionary to Canada, Saint Louis founded the Company of Mary (the Montfort Fathers), a missionary group of priests with the Blessed Mary as their inspiration. Soon, along with Blessed Marie Louise Trichet, he founded the Daughters of Wisdom, whose mission...