The Best American Spiritual Writing 2005

by Barry Lopez and Philip Zaleski

Book Overview

The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. For each volume, the very best pieces are selected by a leading writer in the field, making the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind.

The Best American Spiritual Writing 2005 includes

Mary Gordon - Natalie Goldberg - Oliver Sacks - Ptolemy Tompkins - Patricia Hampl -...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618586431
• ISBN13: 9780618586431
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

getting better

I found last year's collection, and its debut, to be a bit dull. But 2005 is getting better (and 2006 looks even better). They essays cover religion and spirituality, the poems are hit and miss though (but you have to read Haxton's poem, it's the best piece in the collection). This new edition has yet to hit its stride, though it took Mystery Stories a few years before it really became the best in the series. I look forward to the next couple of editions to see it gel together.

A Great Collection of Varied Spiritual Writing

Every fall I look forward to the release of THE BEST AMERICAN series of books. I always purchase three of the collections: Spiritual Writing, Short Stories, and Non-Required Reading. This year I've also purchased Essays. What I enjoy most about the collections is not that they contain "the best": that is a matter of opinion and it's probably safe to assume that there are many pieces not included in these volumes that would qualify as being "the best." What each volume does contain is a great variety of writings that can appeal to a wide range of readers. It also makes available great writings that could only be collected by people who subscribe to a wide range of periodicals and have more time than most people to devote to reading. This volume, like the other collections of spiritual writings from previous years, represents a wide variety of spiritual traditions and do not subscribe to any one set of religious values. Each piece does, in some way, challenge us to look within ourselves and at our world. While it is not a self improvement book, it doe shave the potential to challenge and change the reader. What I enjoy most about the pieces included in these collections is that many are true to a specific religious or spiritual tradition, yet they also have a way of transcending that tradition and speaking to all people. A piece that comes to mind in this collection that does this is David James Duncan's "The French Guy." The piece tells of the author being asked to give a talk about the ecological meaning of St. Francis of Assisi's life, which the author contends was never a part of his life even though he is considered so by many in the ecological movement. Johnson discusses Francis' life from a Catholic perspective, not taking him out of the context of his time, and presenting a figure who may be at home in the Catholic tradition, but has elements that can speak to people from a variety of traditions. As in the past, there are some well known names in spiritual writing such as Harvey Cox, Brian Doyle, Kenneth Woodward, Richard John Neuhaus, and Heather King (what makes them well known? I own and have enjoyed copies of books they have written) as well as some whoa re emerging writers and the original writings were published in a variety of periodicals, some religious or spiritual and other secular. While I always rush through the volume as soon as I purchase it, I often find myself rereading favorite pieces throughout the year and find that so many of the pieces have a great deal to say.