Books Archive – Page 13 of 18

The Global Vegan Family Cookbook

For fans of The Vegan Family Cookbook, as well as anyone who is concerned about animals, the environment, and their health, Chef Brian McCarthy is back with a cookbook that shows that international vegan food is not only good for the planet and good for you, but it’s easy and fun to prepare, too.

The Global Vegan Family Cookbook contains more than 300 simple, nutritious recipes, such as Turkish Bean Soup and Cardamom Coconut Bread Pudding. Along the way, you will sample appealing appetizers, blissful breakfasts, and decadent desserts with origins from around the globe. Written by a professional chef who has been eating and enjoying a vegan diet for two decades, this cookbook will take you on a culinary trip around the world without the need for a passport. Vegan cooking has never been more diverse, or delicious!

Understanding Animal Abuse

Until the last decade of the twentieth century, the abusive or cruel treatment of animals had received virtually no attention among academicians, particularly sociologists, criminologists, social workers, and family scholars. This was true despite its surprisingly common occurrence, its disturbing nature, and its negative consequences for both people and animals.

Sociologists, criminologists, social workers, psychologists, legal scholars, feminists, and others are recognizing the myriad reasons that animal abuse is worthy of serious scholarly focus.

Humans, Animals, and Society

Whereas animals have played a central part in human society over the years, when it comes to the social sciences they have largely been neglected. However, interest in Human & Animal Studies (HAS) has grown exponentially in recent years, giving rise to university and college courses around the world specifically on this compelling and vital subject.

Considering topics ranging from the human & animal bond, meat eating, and animals in entertainment, this book presents key concepts in simple and easy-to-understand ways as it covers the breadth of empirical work currently being done in the field. Through an examination of ideas such as anthropocentrism and the social construction of animals, it looks at how animals are symbolically transformed, presented, and re-presented as part of human culture. Ultimately, the book argues that there is nothing “natural” about our social relations with animals, but that animals are made use of and understood through a human lens.

Humans, Animals, and Society spans the diverse interests of the HAS community and is necessary reading for students and the general public looking to better understand our relationship with animals.

“Humans, Animals, and Society is a timely and welcome addition to the rapidly growing human animal studies library. Much of the literature comprising this field is cerebral and esoteric, which limits its reach into the public’s consciousness. With current examples, thoughtful analysis, and a sympathetic voice, Nik Taylor provides a reader-friendly, up-to-date overview of the rapidly evolving human animal relationship. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in the field, as well as to course instructors seeking an accessible, up-to-date introduction.”—Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., Animal Studies Department Chair, Humane Society University, and author of The Exultant Ark

“A timely and incisive examination of current key debates in human animal studies. With its clear thematic structure, Humans, Animals, and Society deftly steers the reader through a range of complex questions about human animal relations. Written in an accessible style, it is essential reading for those seeking an introduction to HAS. For those familiar with the subject area, this book is an invaluable survey of scholarly work in the field.”—Claire Molloy, Professor of Film, Television and Digital Media, Edge Hill University, UK

“Nik Taylor’s Humans, Animals, and Society is a much-needed, state-of-the-art overview of the emerging field of human animal studies. Covering such diverse topics as animal assisted therapy, the moral emotions of slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians, the portrayal of animals in movies, the link between animal abuse and human violence, and the moral obligations of scholars, this is an accessible yet intellectually rigorous introduction to the study of human animal interactions. Taylor’s book will appeal to scholars and students, and anyone fascinated by the relationships between people and animals.”—Hal Herzog, Professor of Psychology at Western Carolina University, and author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat

Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious

In this searching study, Fr. Murchadh Fr. Ó Madagáin describes the life and thoughts of Fr. Thomas Keating, the Trappist monk who was one of the founders of the centering prayer movement. Centering prayer aims to reclaim the Christian contemplative and mystical traditions after centuries of neglect and to make it available for modern spiritual seekers. Fr. Ó Madagáin traces its roots back to the fourth- and fifth-century Desert Fathers such as Evagrius and John Cassian. He shows how it was used in the medieval classic The Cloud of Unknowing and practiced by saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, then revived by Thomas Merton during the twentieth century.

Fr. Ó Madagáin illustrates how, by bringing the insights of contemporary psychology to bear on this ancient method of prayer, Fr. Keating has not only revitalized the contemplative tradition, but also has enabled it to become a powerful tool for people of faith to gain insight into themselves and God, whom Keating calls the “divine healer.” Fr. Ó Madagáin also unpacks the processes at work in centering prayer and clears up some of the common misunderstandings that surround it.

Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious is an essential work for all those interested in the history and practice of centering prayer. In addition to describing the background of this unique and effective practice, Fr. Ó Madagáin offers unique insights into the ideas of one of its leading contemporary teachers and practitioners.

The Animal Liberation Front

The actions of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) constitute one of the most misunderstood components of the animal advocacy movement in the U.K. and U.S. Not so much an organization as an ever-changing cluster of individuals who free animals from laboratories, farms, and other animal-confinement facilities, the ALF has been by turns romanticized and vilified, hounded and lionized. In this detailed introduction to the ALF, which constitutes the opening chapter of their edited volume, Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?, academics Steve Best and Anthony Nocella place the ALF in the context of other liberation and social justice movements and examine its stated commitment to nonviolence and the forces arrayed against it. The result is a potent, polemical, and passionately engaged study of activism in an age of terror laws and fearmongering.

Good News for All Creation

Good News for All Creation notes that plant-based diets reflect the love, compassion, and peace of Christ, and they constitute good, responsible stewardship of God’s creation. Using traditional Christian teachings, the authors make a compelling case that, if Jesus were among us today, he would choose to be vegetarian.

“If you need a biblical mandate for changing your diet, this book will meet that need. It is important to read for your own good, for the good of the world, and for God’s sake.”—Tony Campolo, professor of sociology, Eastern College, St. Davids, PA

“Good News for All Creation is an effective and powerful testimony that becoming vegetarian strengthens, rather than weakens, one’s Christian beliefs and one’s personal witness of Christ’s compassion.”—Keith Akers, author of The Lost Religion of Jesus

“The authors speak with much theological integrity, passion, and common sense. Their approach to diet is moderate and balanced, mixing practical advice with a serious engagement with Scripture. This book is a generous gift to all Christians who want to explore the spiritual aspects of food.”—Stephen Webb, author of Good Eating and On God and Dogs

“Here are solid reasons why so many Christians are becoming vegetarian. The book also offers sound advice about promoting vegetarianism among Christians, as well as up-to-date nutritional information.”—Richard Alan Young, author of Is God a Vegetarian?

Divine Therapy & Addiction

“All spiritual traditions have a wisdom literature. Alcoholics Anonymous is a spiritual tradition. Its influence and spread in the present century is going to depend on how well each generation of those in recovery assimilate and interiorize the basic wisdom that is enshrined in the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions.” —Thomas Keating

In this major new work, Father Thomas Keating reflects on the wisdom and legacy of the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve-Step Method and its connections to, and similarities with, the Christian mystical traditions of centering prayer and Lectio Divina. In conversation with a long-time member of AA meetings, Father Thomas talks insightfully about surrendering to one’s Higher Power and the journey that must be undertaken for the healing of the soul to begin.

Call to Compassion

Covering doctrine and the lived experience of the world’s religious practitioners, Call to Compassion is a collection of stirring and passionate essays on the place of animals within the philosophical, cultural, and everyday milieus of spiritual practices both ancient and modern.

From Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, through the Abrahamic traditions, to contemporary Wiccan and Native American spirituality, Call to Compassion explores sacred texts and teachings with regard to the ethics of kindness and compassion, the interconnected nature of all that exists, and the moral imperative for a vegan diet. This wide-ranging collection of essays unveils the uncompromising beauty of religious ethics, inviting readers to think about how they live in light of their spiritual convictions.

“At the crossroads where humanity now stands, this book will help us consider the effects of what human activities are doing to ourselves, other animals, and to Earth. As we are increasingly faced with the global consequences humans have created, ancient wisdom from these traditions can serve as an inspiration and guide for compassion and activism for animals that, in the long run, will affect everything.”―Julie Andrzejewski, Department of Human Relations and Multicultural Education, St. Cloud State University

“In a time such as our own, when religion is commonly used to legitimate war and terror, Call to Compassion importantly gestures to how world religions might variously find common cause in their work for peace between the species. A liberation theology for the animals such as this has never been more necessary.”―Richard Kahn, Core Faculty at Antioch University Los Angeles

“A classic in the making, the book offers a unique examination of animal rights in other cultures through the perspective of world religions, demonstrating compassion isn’t the exclusive purview of any one culture or species. A must read for students and activists in our era of globalization!”―John Asimakopoulos, Director, Transformative Studies Institute

“Harmony with nature and respect and compassion for all life forms were original tenets of geographically separated but spiritually connected movements. Recognizing the importance of these religious movements to the development of the major ethical and philosophical ideas shaping human thought can only give one pause in imagining a present quite different from the global market and technological culture we now inhabit, based as it is on the deaths of approximately 55 billion land animals alone killed annually for food worldwide. This book fills that pause with the knowledge and wisdom we need to move forward in imagining, and acting on, a different present and future based on that original harmony.”―Carol Gigliotti, Emily Carr University, Media and Critical and Cultural Studies, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

“Kemmerer and Nocella should be praised for compiling a pivotal book that will have profound influence on how animals are viewed in society.”―Sarat Colling, VIVA, Canada

“Religion has an important role to play in animal rights and this book takes a major step to making the case for a theology of animal liberation. An urgent book for urgent times.”―Peter McLaren, UCLA, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

“Truly a pivotal book that challenges what it means to be ethical. Call to Compassion is a powerful book with an amazing list of outstanding contributors. Read now!”―Richard White, Editor, Journal for Critical Animal Studies

“This book is influential in impacting the way people reconstruct the internal logic of their religion. The first of its kind to help change what has been viewed as right and wrong.”―Justin Hand, F.A.C.T.

“At a time when the animal rights movement has been repeatedly smeared as extremist, or even ‘terrorist,’ this volume shows that, in fact, its core values stem from a long history of nonviolent teachings in all of the world’s major religions.”―Will Potter, GreenIsTheNewRed.com

“Finally, a book that connects animal advocacy with the profound spiritual resources of world faiths. This landmark collection of learned and impassioned essays will doubtlessly be widely read and admired.”―Uri Gordon, author, Anarchy Alive!

And the Word Was Made Flesh

This collection of homilies for feast days and special occasions is rooted in the experience of the grace celebrated in the liturgy. Father Keating draws from his life’s devotion as a Trappist monk and abbot to provide a sacramental perspective on such feasts as The Immaculate Conception, The Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Passion Sunday, Good Friday, The Paschal Vigil, Easter, Pentecost, The Feast of Saint Benedict, and Thanksgiving Day. Also included are homilies for special occasions in the monastic life.

To Change a Mind

In this companion to his first book, An Unchanged Mind, Dr. John McKinnon provides invaluable advice to all parents of teenagers and young adults. Using case studies gathered from his years helping parents with troubled adolescents, the author explores the ways that adolescent development can be derailed in today’s complex culture and how parents can prevent this from happening in the first place.

Dr. McKinnon writes about how parents need to recognize their children as individuals, with their own feelings and opinions, as they start to establish their separate identities as young people and begin to negotiate their way through high school and beyond. He also makes clear that parents must continue to establish limits. These allow children to flourish and further their goals within boundaries that enable them to learn the consequences of their actions (both good and bad), thus providing a fundamental lesson of being an adult. The book explains that parental recognition and limit-setting work together to promote maturity.

Packed with examples and sensible and practical advice for parents of pre-teens and teenagers, To Change a Mind is an essential guidebook for parents seeking to make their lives—and the lives of their children—richer and more fulfilling, as the family navigates together the potentially treacherous seas of adolescence.