Hope will find you : my search for the wisdom to stop waiting and start living

 by Naomi Levy. Levy, one of the first women to be ordained as a Conservative rabbi, often counseled her congregants when they faced problems. But when her daughter, Noa, was diagnosed with a potentially fatal degenerative disease, she found herself unprepared for the crisis. Putting her life on hold, Levy focused on finding a way to heal her daughter. As she moved through her journey of pain, she eventually realized that she needed to restart her own life and learn to live well despite her family circumstances. Ironically, Noa supplied the necessary inspiration, accepting her physical and learning disabilities while persevering and maintaining an optimistic attitude. An honest account of a family struggle as well as a tribute to a very strong mother-daughter bond, this will appeal to those who gravitate toward self-help books based on Jewish wisdom. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Twelve steps to a compassionate life

 by Karen Armstrong, It takes courage for a religious historian and writer of Armstrong's stature to step out from behind the scrim of scholarship and analysis to offer guidelines for a spiritual practice designed to make humanity a kinder and saner species. With the boon of the prestigious TED Prize, Armstrong (The Case for God, 2009) worked with leading thinkers from a variety of major faiths to compose a Charter for Compassion, which calls for the restoration of compassion to the heart of religious and moral life in a dangerously polarized world. Not content with merely stating lofty goals, however, Armstrong, a revered genius of elucidation and synthesis, now tells the full and profound story of altruism throughout human history. She turns to neuroscience and tracks the evolution of our brains and our natural capacity for empathy, and performs her signature mode of beautifully clarifying interpretation in a mind-expanding discussion of the history of the Golden Rule ( Always treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself ), the essence of compassion and the kernel of every religious tradition. Exquisite and affecting explications of Buddhist, Confucian, Judaic, Christian, and Islamic commentary prepare the ground for meditation exercises meant to engender open-mindedness and the cultivation of compassion, making for the most sagacious and far-reaching 12-step program ever. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A hefty print run is planned for renowned religious thinker Armstrong's bold approach to teaching the compassionate ethos. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

The form of practical knowledge : a study of the categorical imperative

 by Stephen Engstrom. This important, densely argued book by Engstrom (Univ. of Pittsburgh) repays careful reading. The first half derives Kant's categorical imperative from the conditions of practical knowledge, whereby Kant's concepts of desire, intention, wish, choice, and practical judgment are rigorously distinguished. These foundational concepts are rarely explained so thoroughly, and are essential to understanding Kant's philosophy and his ethics in particular. On this foundation, the second half argues for the full equivalence of Kant's many formulations of the categorical imperative. In particular, it argues that Kant's "formulation of universal law" can derive not only "perfect" but also "imperfect duties," and not only duties to others but also duties to oneself. This is an important rejoinder to much recent scholarship (e.g., Allen Wood's Kantian Ethics, CH, Aug'08, 45-6705) that denies the equivalence of Kant's formulations. This book will be very difficult for undergraduates, but is necessary reading for graduate students and faculty who study Kant's ethics or teach Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Summing Up: Highly recommended. --Choice (Check Catalog)

The abacus and the cross : the story of the Pope who brought the light of science to the Dark Ages

 by Nancy Marie Brown. The story of Gerbert of Aurillac, later Pope Sylvester II, not only is a rags-to-riches saga but also captures how the direction of history can be influenced by one person. Gerbert entered the monastery early and thrived on learning and reading. Mastering grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, he also possessed a sophisticated command of Latin and later taught at major cathedral schools and tutored the sons of kings. In Cordoba, the crossroads for the exchange of knowledge between the Arabic world and Europe, he learned the abacus and higher mathematics and astronomy. Brown (Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman) captures the court and church intrigues, disputes, politics, wars, marriages, and backroom maneuvering that drove events before and after 1000 C.E. Had Gerbert lived longer and been more politically savvy, Brown's portrait makes one believe his ability to teach might have jump-started science before the Dark Ages enveloped Europe. VERDICT Enjoyable to read, informative, and highly recommended for all history and history of science buffs. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)