The Grace Of Silence

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Star. A profoundly moving and deeply personal memoir by the co-host of National Public Radio’s flagship program All Things Considered. While exploring the hidden conversation on race unfolding throughout America in the wake of President Obama’s election, Michele Norris discovered that there were painful secrets within her own family that had been willfully withheld. These revelations—from her father’s shooting by a Birmingham police officer to her maternal grandmother’s job as an itinerant Aunt Jemima in the Midwest—inspired a bracing journey into her family’s past, from her childhood home in Minneapolis to her ancestral roots in the Deep South. The result is a rich and extraordinary family memoir—filled with stories that elegantly explore the power of silence and secrets—that boldly examines racial legacy and what it means to be an American.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Star. A profoundly moving and deeply personal memoir by the co-host of National Public Radio’s flagship program All Things Considered. While exploring the hidden conversation on race unfolding throughout America in the wake of President Obama’s election, Michele Norris discovered that there were painful secrets within her own family that had been willfully withheld. These revelations—from her father’s shooting by a Birmingham police officer to her maternal grandmother’s job as an itinerant Aunt Jemima in the Midwest—inspired a bracing journey into her family’s past, from her childhood home in Minneapolis to her ancestral roots in the Deep South. The result is a rich and extraordinary family memoir—filled with stories that elegantly explore the power of silence and secrets—that boldly examines racial legacy and what it means to be an American.

An award-winning host of NPR's All Things Considered traces her ancestry in America's south and how it reflects the nation's turbulent efforts toward racial equality, a heritage that has influenced her awareness about character, silence and integration. 100,000 first printing.

Now with a new afterword by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI! In a time when technology penetrates our lives in so many ways and materialism exerts such a powerful influence over us, Cardinal Robert Sarah presents a bold book about the strength of silence. The modern world generates so much noise, he says, that seeking moments of silence has become both harder and more necessary than ever before. Silence is the indispensable doorway to the divine, explains the cardinal in this profound conversation with Nicolas Diat. Within the hushed and hallowed walls of the La Grande Chartreux, the famous Carthusian monastery in the French Alps, Cardinal Sarah addresses the following questions: Can those who do not know silence ever attain truth, beauty, or love? Do not wisdom, artistic vision, and devotion spring from silence, where the voice of God is heard in the depths of the human heart? After the international success of God or Nothing, Cardinal Sarah seeks to restore to silence its place of honor and importance. "Silence is more important than any other human work," he says, "for it expresses God. The true revolution comes from silence; it leads us toward God and others so as to place ourselves humbly and generously at their service."

As Emma Perotti's trial for murder begins, her family recalls how young An-ling Huang walked into her ESL class and her family's life, dredging up memories of the daughter they lost years ago. Now Ang-ling is dead. What happened? Born in Prague to an Italian diplomat father and an American mother, Camilla Trinchieri went to the US aged 12 and returned to Italy after graduating from Barnard College. As Trella Crispy and Camilla T. Crespi she has published seven mysteries.

Joel Goldsmith studied the spiritual literature of the world and he writes, "Insofar as I have observed from my study of the spiritual literature of the world, the truth stated in this book has never been fully revealed before, yet it is the absolute basis for true spiritual living." The Thunder of Silence is based on the principle that there is an inner Grace available to all that does not operate through or by physical might or mental powers. Most people are not aware of this Grace, but when It is consciously realized, it will bring into expression everything that is necessary to our unfoldment. But, Goldsmith says, there is a price: this Grace operates only when we are willing to relinquish faith in anything and everything less than God - even faith in the "God" the world thinks it knows. In the first part of The Thunder of Silence, Goldsmith presents the vision of this spiritual way of life and invites the reader to come into the awareness of the abiding Presence within. In the second part of the book, he treads confidently into the often puzzling subject of mind, answering the many questions that always surround that topic. The whole secret, says Goldsmith, lies in "making the transition from a thinking human mind to a mind at rest in a state of awareness." In the third part of the book, Goldsmith gives the reader an illumined interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, which reveals the innermost secrets to attaining the realization of the Presence within. Effortlessly relating the Infinite Way principles to this extraordinary teaching of Jesus, Goldsmith works extensively with its challenging passages and reveals their deep meanings. He shows how practicing these ancient principles can help us to live in the world, but not of it. If we are fed by meditation in the blessed Silence that thunders with Truth, he says, we can live by the grace of God as the Light of the world. Speaking about The Thunder of Silence, Goldsmith says, "It is a radical book. It will blow sky-high concepts of God that have been built up over the centuries." But he cautions: "Readers of this book cannot expect that the mere reading of it will enable them to live by its revealed principles. Those who feel a thrill of recognition in their first reading should make this book their constant companion day and night until their materialistic state of consciousness begins to yield." The Thunder of Silence will surely be a great help to spiritual seekers who want to reach that state of consciousness in which they can truthfully say, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."

"The tranquility of order is a dynamic tranquility, the stillness of a flame burning in perfect calm, of a wheel spinning so fast that it seems to stand still. Silence in this sense is not only a quality of the environment, but primarily an attitude, an attitude of listening. " Let us give to one another that gift of silence, so that we can listen together and listen to one another. Only in this silence will we be able to hear that gentle breath of peace, that music to which the spheres dance, that universal harmony to which we, too, hope to dance." Austrian-born Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast is one of the most influential and beloved spiritual teachers of our time. For decades, Brother David has divided his time between periods of monastic life at the Mount Saviour Monastery in New York and extensive lecture tours on five continents. He has brought spiritual depth into the lives of countless people, whom he touches through his lectures, his workshops and his writings. Brother David was one of the first Roman Catholics to participate in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, studying under Zen teachers and building bridges between religious traditions. His newest book, The Way of Silence, draws heavily on Buddhist teachings to cultivate the practice of “deep” listening: turning away from noise and distraction, paying attention, and embracing quiet. The Way of Silence embraces paradox: absence versus presence in silence. Dynamic tranquility. The all-oneness of aloneness. Humbly, trusting in God, you’ll practice emptying your mind in order to receive wisdom, insight, and understanding. You’ll learn to listen deeply, with a trusting heart—and you’ll joyously discover a new, interior freedom that will make you feel more vibrant, and more fully alive.

A celebration of National Public Radio “full of short histories from familiar names . . . [a] retrospective illustrating just how much they have given us” (Publishers Weekly). “Always put the listener first” has been NPR’s mantra since its inception in 1970, and the result is that its programming attracts tens of millions of listeners every week. This beautifully designed volume chronicles the first forty years of NPR’s storied history, featuring dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, essays, and original reporting by a who’s who of NPR staff and correspondents, and transcripts of memorable interviews. Beyond an entertaining and inspiring tribute to NPR’s remarkable history, this book is an intimate look at the news and stories that have shaped our world, from the people who were on the ground and on the air. With contributions from: Steve Inskeep * Neal Conan * Robert Siegel * Nina Totenberg * Linda Wertheimer * Scott Simon * Melissa Block * P.J. O’Rourke * David Sedaris * Sylvia Poggioli * Ira Flatow * Paula Poundstone * Daniel Schorr * and many more One of Cool Hunter’s Top Five Books of the Year