NEW IN THE CHURCH LIBRARY

By Carol Jensen, Church Librarian

Two new books in the Church Library are inspiring stories of two men who have truly made a difference.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 was awarded to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who created a bank in Bangladesh that made very small loans to help women begin small businesses.  He found that they not only repaid their loans, but also were able to support themselves and their families.  In Banker to the Poor; Micro-lending and the Battle against World Poverty (332 Y), Dr. Yunus recounts his visionary story in a conversational tone that is both moving and enjoyable to read.  The Grameen Bank is now a $2.5 billion banking enterprise in Bangladesh, and the microcredit model has spread to many other countries.

Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder (610 K), tells the story of Dr. Paul Farmer.  He and several colleagues founded Partners in Health, which strives to bring the best of western medicine to the poorest of the poor by providing partnerships with local organizations in many countries.  Kidder’s excellent book explores the rich drama and epic struggle of this astonishing human being.

In The Great Transformation; the Beginning of our Religious Traditions (200.9 A), Karen Armstrong, author of many significant books on the history of religion, chronicles the “Axial Age (1600-220 B.C.E.),” when today’s major religions emerged.  She examines the ways in which specific religious traditions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Judaism responded to the cultural forces they faced during this period.  They countered its violence and intolerance by exalting compassion, love and justice over selfishness and hatred.  She urges us to realize that many groups and people today have strayed from these core principles, and the path to reconciliation lies in returning to them.

by Carol Jensen, Church Librarian