Union Church

 

This list was compiled by Anne-Marie Kubanek. She chose books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, with themes of social justice, history, the environment/science, and theology/religion/spirituality. She favoured books that might not be widely known and inform us about foreign cultures, other times and lands and religions.

“Half of a Yellow Sun,” by Chimandra Ngozi Adichie. Fiction. Life in Nigeria during the Biafran war. Foreshadows the genocides in Rwanda and Sudan. (Adichie has a new collection of short stories: “The Thing Around Your Neck.”)

 

“In the Times of the Butterflies,” by Julia Alvarez. (1994) Fiction. While the Cuban revolution succeeded, the one in the Dominican Republic failed. The story centers on three politically active sisters.

 

“The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor,” by Sally Armstrong. (2008). Fictionalized biography. A resourceful Scottish woman becomes one of the first settlers in the Maritimes in the 1700s. One of her numerous descendants reconstructs the story of her life.

 

“Nine Parts of Desire: The hidden world of Islamic women,” by Geraldine Brooks. (1995) Religion. A look at how Islam affects the lives of women.

 

“Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China,” by Jung Chang. Autobiography. A young Chinese woman living in Great Britain looks back at the lives of three generation of Chinese women: her grandmother, her mother, and her own.

 

“The Road from Coorain,” by Jill Kerr Conway. (1989) Autobiography. Conway, who served as vice president of University of Toronto and later as president of Smith College, relates her life growing up on a farm in Australia. Fascinating reading for anyone interested in the education of girls and women.

 

“Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight,” by Alexandra Fuller. Autobiography. The story of a young white girl growing up on a farm in former Rhodesia just around the time of its struggles for independence.

 

“Sweetness in the Belly,” by Camilla Gibbs. (2007). Fiction. This Canadian scholar of Islam writes a very convincing story of a western woman who through circumstances became a devote Muslim and taught the Koran to young girls in Ethiopia just before the overthrow of the emperor Haile Selassie. A rare sympathetic look at the Muslim faith.

 

 “Mountains beyond Mountains,” by Tracy Kidder. Biography/Social Justice. The story of the remarkable medical doctor and Harvard professor, Paul Farmer, who is devoting his life to improving the lives of the sick and poor in Haiti.

 

“The Strength of What Remains,” by Tracy Kidder. Biography/Social Justice. The story of a medical student who escaped from slaughter in Burundi in 1994, and eventually returned as a medical doctor to his native country.

 

“Living with Darwin: Evolution, Design, and the Future of Faith,” by Philip Kitcher. (2007). Science/Religion. The prose is dense (the author is professor of philosophy at Columbia University) but if you are interested in the debate around intelligent design and evolution, this is a real gem.

 

“The Grace of Coming Home: Spirituality, Sexuality, and the Struggle for Justice,” by Melanie Morrison. (1995). Spiritualty. I read this book while working on the Affirming Congregation Committee. It relates the spiritual journey of a lesbian woman, who is also an ordained minister within the United Church of Christ (US).

 

“Three Cups of Tea,” by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin. (2006). Social justice. An inspiring story of an American mountaineer, Greg Mortensen, who helped to build around fifty schools, mainly for girls, in Afghanistan. Mortenson has followed up his story with a new book: “Stones Into Schools.”

 

“Thirst,” by Mary Oliver. (2006). Poetry. Based in Provincetown, MA, Oliver writes about the death of her long-time partner. This widely read American poet uses imagery from nature and explores her faith in dealing with loss and grief.

 

“Out Stealing Horses,” by Per Petterson. (translated, 2005) Fiction. A beautifully written account of the coming of age of a young boy in Norway, shortly after the end of the German occupation during the second WW.

 

“Mayflower,” by Nathaniel Philbrick. (2006) History. Learn about the life of the early settlers (the “Pilgrims”) in eastern Massachusetts in the 1600s leading up to “King Philip’s war” between the newcomers and the native Indians.

 

“The Reluctant Mr. Darwin,” by David Quammen. (2006). Biography. The story of Charles Darwin and his wondrous, scary idea- the idea of “natural selection”.

 

“The Heart Specialist,” by Claire Holden Rothman. (2009). Fiction. Inspired by the life of Maude Abbott who was refused entry to McGill University because of her gender. She studied at Bishops University and was eventually hired by McGill University and became a world renowned cardiologist.

 

“Funny Boy,” by Shyam Selvadurai. (1994). Fiction. This is the account of a young boy in Sri Lanka, experiencing the early years of the civil war while struggling in a very oppressive society with the realization that he is gay.

 

“Geography of Hope,” by Chris Turner. Environment. Inspite of grim predictions, Turner finds hope for a sustainable future for our planet.

 

“The Golden Spruce,” by John Vaillant. (2006). Environment. The story of the tragic loss of a spruce considered sacred by the Haida Indian of Queen Charlotte Islands. The book deals with the controversies around logging practices in BC.

 

“With or Without God,” by Grette Vosper. Theology. Vosper is a United Church minister in a western Toronto congregation. She challenges practically every belief within the Christian tradition while firmly claiming a role for herself and people like her within the church.

 

“A Short History of Women,” by Kate Walbert. (2009). Historical Fiction. The story follows five generations of women and their experiences with the women’s rights movement. It begins at the end of the nineteenth century in England, and continues through to the early years of the twenty-first in North America.