Few topics are more controversial in the Catholic Church today--and indeed, in many other churches--than homosexuality. Unfortunately, the usual response to such controversy is to avoid discussing the topic in question, either by simply and nervously refusing to address it, or by using authority to squelch presentation of anything other than the "official" position (which all too often is the product of simplification or misunderstanding).

Jung and Coray are doing the Catholic Church, and wider society, a great service by attempting to open up theological discussion on the Church's teachings of homosexuality and human sexuality in general. The authors make the argument that Catholic teachings must not rely only on one particular reading of Scripture and tradition. Instead, the teachings must also take into account historical context of the times in which Scripture was written, current knowledge of the biological and social sciences, and life experiences that witness to the way God's Spirit is present in people's sexuality today. Jung and Coray and the other contributors to this book--most of whom are theologians associated with Chicago's Loyola University--thus provide a wide range of perspectives and much food for thought around the challenging topics addressed.

As a gay man raised in the Catholic tradition, this reviewer has had cause to question the Church's current teachings on human sexuality--for example, that marital sexual intercourse must always be open to the possibility of procreation, or that while a homosexual sexual orientation is not sinful, for two persons of the same sex to express love through sexual intimacy is sinful. Many of the authors in this collection raise similar questions about these teachings. The conclusion drawn by most of the essayists is that while there is certainly much truth and beauty to be found in the Church's sexual teachings, those teachings are at present based on an incomplete and sometimes inaccurate understanding of the full range of human experience.

One sincerely hopes that "Sexual Diversity and Catholicism" will be widely read and discussed among not just Catholics but anyone hoping to gain a better understanding of the many and diverse ways God's love is expressed through the beautiful gift of human sexuality.

Everybody who appreciates horror fiction should have a Joseph Payne Brennan collection on their nightstand. His short fiction is expertly designed for late night reading when the dark is peering in through the cracks in the blinds and something is scratching at the window that might or might not be a tree branch. Widely published in the late fifties up until the 70's, Brennan perfected the pulp horror tale with unmatched skill. In the introduction to this particular anthology, Stephen King describes Brennan as one of the masters of pulp horror fiction and he is right on the money. (And when I use the word "pulp", I use it with all the respect and reverence the classification deserves. Forget about the literary snobs who use the word as an insult.) THE SHAPES OF MIDNIGHT contains two of his classics "Slime" and "Canavan's Backyard" which King praises as the literary equal to Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily". Brennan's work is full of ancient Egyptian curses, things that crawl from the swamp, eyes under the bed, and the collision of reality and nightmare in the mundaness of every day life. Brennan is an author to seek out if you care about horror fiction and enjoy reading under the covers with a flashlight. His work is also great for reading out loud to your significant other late at night, shivering under the covers.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to hear Joseph Zitt read aloud from Shekhinah a few years back. Immersed in both the strong Jewish literary tradition and Zitt's own immeasurable poetic talents, its a strong, intensely moving work that defies any standard description. Strongly recommended for anyone looking for a chance to experience a great, unsung poet or whose just looking for a chance to see the beauty of language wonderfully displayed. One of the wonderful things about sites like Amazon.com (and others) is that it allows us a chance to discover wonders that we otherwise might never even hear about. Shekhina is one of those wonders and I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.

The Javanese have great pride in their language which for some people it is considered as the language of the feudalism. Not being able to speak the appropriate Javanese especially to the elders is embarassing: a Javanese should speak good Javanese. But now, the national language has caused great change. The author has made thorough studies regarding it. The book will make a comprehensive reference for researchers and scholars interested in the field of language shift. There is no such book that gives a full description about the language shift from Javanese to Indonesian.

The science of cosmology gives a quantitative foundation to our views about the universe. A Short History of the Universe explains in layman's terms and with excellent pictures how our theories of the structure of the universe have evolved, thus feeding the areas of philosophy and religion. What do we mean if we say that the universe has limits, but is also infinite? Why is it that the sun is considered to be halfway through its lifetime? How can the universe be expanding in every direction that we look when the earth is not at the center of the universe? These sorts of questions are answered--and answered well. If you have curiosity about how the heavens are studied, this book is definitely worth your time.

I've been interested in the history of communications (the Signal Corps in particular) during the Civil War for many years. This is the most detailed and complete book on the subject you'll find anywhere. Even if you're interested in general info on the war, this book provides many interesting insights on the battles and life during the conflict. For the serious researcher, the personnel listing in the appendix is nearly worth the price of the book alone. Kudos to Butternut & Blue and Walt Mathers (Signal Corps Association 1860-65) for republishing a remarkable and very readable history!

This book is a wonderful Christmas story about how the song Silent Night came to be. The pictures are made of cut paper and are just marvelous. I hope you will read this book and enjoy it as my family and I did.

Joseph West has done it again. As good as Me and Johnny Blue was, this book may be even better. The premise alone tips off the reader to expect something different. Since when has a Western used a 20-year-old Chinese-American orphan as the protagonist? Add to that West's sense of humor, a continually unfolding plot which gradually shows who the real detective is, and you've got a story like no other. I hope others realize what a gem this "Western" is and read it from cover to cover. New (at least to me) authors such as West and Peter Brandvold have (I believe) opened up the Western genre to a younger and more diverse audience while retaining the 19th century frontier world this genre has always had.

The forground of this book is very simple: a young man hopelessly falls in love for a woman he can't marry. But in the background a deep psychological plot slowly evolves and carries the reader to the complex world of the Jewish towns in Eastern Europe before WW 2. Agnon as usual is very perceptive, very smart and writes with his wonderful combination of humor,cynicism and compassion.

In a day when most poetry is pre-occupied with self-absorbed and abstruse "insights", this is a refreshing change of pace. The author juxtaposes the serious, the funny, and the silly, but it hangs together well. If you like meter and rhyme, you'll like this. He doesn't use foul language to make his points, which is refreshing.
Collier doesn't hold very much sacred, but his admonitions are, for the most part, gentle. As a teacher of English, I'd recommend this book to other teachers and their students. His poem, "Brave Young Hearts," is a very powerful indictment of the human proclivity to wage war.