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| C A T E G O R I E S | |
Adult Winners |
Children's Winners |
GRAND PRIZE |
GRAND PRIZE Children's Illustrated Book |
NAUTILUS 2004 – ADULT WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE
The Soul of Money: Transforming your Relationship with Money and Life
by Lynne Twist
($25.95hc, 0-393-05097-1, W.W. Norton)
It is a rare book that examines the influence of money over our personal and economic lives with refreshing insight and from a multiplicity of perspectives, and yet Twist shows remarkable dexterity and thoughtfulness in offering just such an analysis. She acknowledges at the outset the internal conflicts that the pursuit of money often triggers—as a barometer of survival, a measure of self-worth, the force that can unite or shatter a community, whether your own or a village at the edge of a rainforest. And yet it’s as clear to Twist as a shiny new penny that money’s impact on our lives is ultimately a mirror of core values and how arduously we strive to live them, individually as well as collectively. Drawing from her experiences as a fundraiser and social activist, gleaning the dynamics of deep poverty as well as great wealth, she masterfully delivers a treatise for our times. It is both a challenge to change and a message of hope.
BUSINESS
Saving the Corporate Soul & (Who Knows?) Maybe your Own
by David Batstone
($26.95hc, 0-7879-6480-8, Jossey-Bass)
Batstone, founding editor of Business 2.0 magazine and executive editor of Sojourners, looks squarely at the systemic dysfunctions of corporate America and maps a way out. Asserting that a company’s ethical foundation is its most important asset, economically as well as for employee morale, he offers eight standards of performance that address everything from financial transparency and community relations to environmental sensitivity and global vision. Filled with examples of successful companies that are also good corporate citizens, the book makes a convincing argument that “principled business” is not an oxymoron.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity
by Wm. Coperthwaite, photographs by Peter Forbes
($35hc, 1-931498-25-3, Chelsea Green)
This meticulously produced tome, equal parts autobiography, ecology, and philosophy, stands alone in the breadth of its author’s passion and vision for what life could—and should—become. Self-built tools, “economic architecture,” and the beauty of labor are only a few of the dimensions that fill out Coperthwaite’s organically ordered world. He is a true revolutionary, deeply mistrustful of societal norms. In response he has created an entirely different status quo, one he encourages others to explore.
HEALTH & HEALING
Your Hands Can Heal You: Pranic Healing Energy Remedies to Boost Vitality and Speed Recovery from Common Health Problems
by Master Stephen Co and Eric B. Robbins, M.D.
($26hc, 0-7432-3562-2, Free Press)
The nexus of body/mind/spirit is made startlingly clear in this eminently practical book on self-healing. Co, one of only four Pranic Healers in the world, and Robins, a urologist, surgeon, and certified Pranic Healing instructor, combine their considerable expertise to give readers step-by-step guidance in harnessing the body’s own natural curative energy. Much of the book targets prevention by teaching energy-enhancement and awareness skills, with specific instructions given for 24 common ailments such as arthritis, backaches, migraines, and insomnia. This book will revolutionize one’s perspective on dis-ease.
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MEMOIR / PERSONAL JOURNEY
Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat: A Skeptic’s Path to Religion
by Nevada Barr
($21.95hc, 0-399-15057-9, Putnam)
Having made a career as a best-selling mystery writer, Barr turned next to the mystery of her own spiritual alienation. And with the same wit and insight that benefits her Anna Pigeon character, so too does her search for meaning sparkle distinctively from the rest. Her journey unfolds in a series of short vignettes. Barr weaves each one—forgiveness, sin, judgment, humility (more than 40 in all)—into a tapestry of personal history and self-understanding that finally leads her to a place of worship where she can comfortably hang one of her many hats.
PARENTING
Raising Depression-Free Children: A Parent’s Guide to Prevention and Early Intervention
by Kathleen Panula Hockey
($12.95, 1-59285-042-1, Hazelden)
Clinical depression in today’s children is far more widespread and serious than many realize. Hockey clearly identifies types of depression and typical symptoms, and then offers concrete and often fresh perspectives on interacting with troubled youngsters, finding positive ways to work through difficult times, and so on. Her emphasis on the role of critical thinking skills in helping to develop confidence and to avoid certain types of depression will be especially helpful in dealing with bright yet easily alienated children. Hockey’s lucid and unpretentious writing balances information about child development with well-considered examples of how to proceed. It’s a valuable resource for all who love and work with children.
SELF-HELP/PERSONAL GROWTH
Healing through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear, and Despair
by Miriam Greenspan
($23.95hc, 1-57062-877-7, Shambhala)
Greenspan, a psychotherapist and specialist in women’s psychology, eloquently rejects the notion that troubling emotions are best dealt with quickly so “normal” life can go on. Powerful truths are buried within those uncomfortable realities, she argues, and in fact the path to healing and peace of mind runs directly through them. With intelligence and compassion she explains the dynamics of this “emotional ecology” and how to mine the wisdom they contain. Bad feelings are actually good, she says. They are the keys to self-transformation.
SOCIAL CHANGE
Common Shock: Witnessing Violence Every Day; How We Are Harmed, How We Can Heal
by Kaethe Weingarten, Ph.D.
($24.95hc, 0-525-94742-6, Dutton)
Weingarten, a Harvard professor and founder of the Witnessing Project, has written a powerfully lucid and eye-opening analysis of the pervasiveness of violence in our culture and the subtle ways it can damage us. From horrifying images of war to the playground cruelty of children, we live in a world saturated with senseless brutality. And yet we are oblivious to the many ways it can alter our thoughts, our behaviors, and even our beliefs because, as the author asserts, we’re in shock. With painstaking thoroughness (nearly 150 pages of appendices and notes), she walks readers through the typical reactions, and then leads them out with a steady therapeutic hand.
SPIRITUALITY
Seasons of Grace: The Life-Giving Practice of Gratitude
by Alan Jones and John O’Neil
($24.95hc, 0-471-20832-9, John Wiley)
In a society of perpetual avarice and ambition where nothing is ever enough, the notion of gratefulness seems quaint and downright naïve. According to Jones and O’Neil, however, gratitude is the glue that keeps our basic humanity intact. In a book as gracefully laid out as the title would suggest, the authors reveal the essential role of gratitude in connecting us to ourselves as well as to those around us, and how a spirit of gratitude can be lived more consciously throughout the year, each season a metaphor of thanks and self-reflection.
SMALL PRESS/SELF-PUBLISHED
Sing Past Winter: A Modern Psalter
by Margaret Jacoby Lopez
($24.95, 0-9729834-1-4, Blue Fire Books)
Using her considerable talents as an artist and poet, Lopez transformed a traumatizing experience of physical and emotional pain into a visually stunning portrait of survival and spiritual breakthrough. Moving images of a spirit alternately in crisis and rebirth are juxtaposed with poignant verses of reflection and hard-won wisdom. A searing achievement of sight and soul.
NAUTILUS 2004 – CHILDREN WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE
Gilgamesh the Hero
retold by Geraldine McCaughrean, ill. by David Parkins
($18hc, 0-8028-5262-9, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
Among retellings of ancient epics, this is a standout, and must surely be the best English version of Gilgamesh to be found anywhere. McCaughrean’s skillful adaptation from a number of translations cannot help but generate admiration and enthusiasm for the ancient Sumerian narrative celebrating the ageless virtues of friendship, loyalty, and great courage. To spend some time with Gilgamesh’s marvelous victory over darkness is to gain knowledge and respect for the cultural foundations of modern Iraq while enjoying an involving story. Parkins’ robust woodcuts convey the power and strength of this story with an almost primitive beauty.
CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED BOOK
Tenzin’s Deer: A Tibetan Tale
by Barbara Soros, ill. by Danuta Mayer
($16.99hc, 1-84148-811-9, Barefoot Books)
Tenzin—a boy born with the knowledge of centuries awake in his brain—saves the life of an injured musk-deer (an endangered species) with care, love and prayer, then must let his beloved friend return to the wild. This spare and beautiful tale unfolds with layered grace and non-didactic examples of compassionate prayer. The delicate illustrations evoke the original culture of this story without resorting to stereotypes. The expressions on people’s faces maintain their human individuality even as they reiterate the message of love and tenderness for the earth and all beings. Buddhism in action plus a truly engaging tale make this a book that children will beg to hear again and again.
