Pam Gustafson:  A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

John Irving wrote A Prayer for Owen Meany in the first person, and his character, John Wheelwright, encapsulates the story on page four:  “What faith I have I owe to Owen Meany, a boy I grew up with.  It is Owen who made me a believer.”

Carol Allis:  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

It was the first hint I had (at a young age, pecking away on my manual typewriter) that a girl could do anything she wanted. Little Women laid the groundwork for my awareness of how a network of women would support and enrich my life, and nurture all my best hopes and expectations.

Katie Williams:  The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes  by Du Bose Heyward  1939

In the book, a determined mother cottontail rabbit overcomes obstacles and realizes her ambition to be one of the five Easter bunnies by demonstrating kindness, swiftness, wisdom, cleverness, and bravery for which she is awarded gold shoes by Grandfather bunny. I have seen since that the book has come to be regarded as a feminist and anti-racist statement. The story includes a number of chauvinist and racist assumptions.

Kenton Clymer:  Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr

Moral Man and Moral Society, published in 1932, reflects on human nature and how to confront evil in the world, including in the area of foreign relations.  It remains one of the more important books on these subjects and foreshadowed Niebuhr’s slow retreat from pacifism to advocating US participation in World War II.

Peter Frederick:  The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The “Brothers K” is a haunting psychological novel of family dysfunction and “sensuality” (the father and son Dmitri), noble ideas in the head (son Ivan), and love, spirituality, redemption from the heart (son Alyosha, female characters).  The plot is a “murder” trial mystery, with higher meaning throughout about godly moral values, relationships, and a theme that “we are all responsible for all.”

Jamie Manning:  Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi

This was the first book I’d read about “ordinary, good people” living in pre-World War II Germany that depicted the slow, insidious transformation of individuals as Hitler’s vision for Germany progressed.  This book revealed to me how “ordinary, good people” could move towards a Hitler-like demagoguery when public policy is devoid of conscious and leadership is dazzling and deceptive.

Janet Kramer-Barr:  The Sion Grail by Janet Kramer

A thrilling tale of romance, adventure and self-discovery, The Sion Grail plunges readers into the intriguing mysteries of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the Holy Grail, the Cathars, and the Knights Templar. In Paris, to search for her French family lineage, Mary Magdalena (Maggie) Forsythe discovers a priceless grail and experiences a spiritual link with Mary Magdalene which challenges her to confront her own soul’s journey, changing her life forever.

Anne Deuring:  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

I am of the Dick, Jane and Sally era.  Nothing even slightly imaginative ever happened to them and the illustrations were so literal.  Harold and the Purple Crayon opened my eyes to the literary possibilities of  wonderment and economical use of words and lines.

Chris Sullivan:  The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings

A coming of age tale that highlights the magic of being young. Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend.

Connie Ryks:  Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

I heard the author speak on public radio regarding her experience traveling atop trains in Mexico to trace a 17-year-old Honduras boy’s journey to find his mother in the U.S.  I have always been interested in the plight of refugees and immigrants so needed to buy this book and have read it many times. The author has stated that “no wall is going to stop a child who is determined to reach the U.S., to help his family or reach his mother.”

Judy Gregg:  Poem from God Whispers: Stories of the Soul, Lessons of the Heart by Rabbi Karyn Kedar

Believe that the universe speaks to you,
And you will be privy to endless chatter…

This poem was given to me years ago when I was feeling directionless and it gave me life.

Jill Engeswick:  Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama (2011)

This book for all ages celebrates the characteristics that unite all Americans and is a moving tribute to 13 groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation.  I love to read this book to children because it has beautiful illustrations (Loren Long) and a powerful message of hope for the future and love for the children.

Adele Sullivan:  White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

White fragility opened my eyes and heart to the unconscious role I play supporting the oppression of peoples of color.  It offered me exciting insights on how I can become a better ally for people of color.

Lori Cocking: Revolution From Within by Gloria Steinem

In this book, Steinem was able to articulate not only the why of my anger around social injustices, but also the importance of not internalizing that oppression. In it, she offers parables from Gandhi, MLK and others facing extreme hate, who talk about the revolution from within and how to value your own sense of self, when you are faced with a society that can oppress you in both overt and subtle ways. 

Lori Cocking:  Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn

A true story of an author who traveled to Pine Ridge to write a story about a beloved native elder.  It is the first book in a Trilogy . It can help change the reader’s perspectives of what is important and what is of value.  A wonderful book to offer insight into Native culture and their struggles to maintain their heritage.

Dyke Williams:  The Stranger and The Plague both by Albert Camus

The Stranger:  reflecting the stark seeming-reality facing college-age kids whereby ‘nothing matters’ and the problematic idea that we should ‘just do it,’ if we want to.

The Plague:  Dr. Rieux faces a relentless plague and human suffering.  He realizes that whatever he does will ultimately be and be seen as futile.  But he digs in anyway, believing that doing good does some good, and it's meaningful to do, even if ultimately seems meaningless. 

Evelyn Headen:  Minding the Body, Mending the Mind by Joan Borysenko, PH.D.

This book pulls together religious meditation and physiological data which can serve as a springboard for further growth.  Dr. Bernie Siegel’s book, Love, Medicine and Miracles, can also serve as a companion piece.

Peg Keenan:  Material World:  A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel

Material World helped me to understand and ask questions about the amazing diversity and similarities in the cultures and families around the world. 

Julie Mall:  Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg

The progressive biblical scholarship of the “Jesus Seminar” New Testament scholars from the mid-90s greatly interested and influenced me.  Grounded in scholarship, yet so accessible, this book both informed and rooted me as a “follower of Jesus.”  Borg presents Jesus as a “spirit person, subversive sage, social prophet, and movement founder.” 

Tamara Rogers:  The Hillsboro Story: a kaleidoscope history of an integration battle in my hometown by Susan Grace Banyas 

This story is also my story.  As children, we experienced this protest in the first test case of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.  This book carried my mind and heart back to this seminal influence with grief, anger, awe, love, disillusionment, and hope.  Banyas has recreated the 1950s events, some 1800s Underground Railroad backstory, matters of racial injustice, and the swirl of memories lingering in the present as a work of theater on paper. 

Connie Bell:  Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne

Through Pooh Bear, A.A. Milne teaches values such as being a caring, kind friend to Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger, being brave and having curiosity about world - finding “Heffalumps,” and going up in a balloon to get honey, and believing that things will turn out all right.  Also, the quality of the writing had an impact on me as it made me an enthusiastic reader and a lover of poetry.

Linda Thomson:  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannan

Set in France, during May of 1944, this book describes the terror, fear, destruction, and suffering of war.  Without acknowledging and understanding the human cost of war, we won’t protest and fight against our country engaging in warfare.  It can be a harsh awareness but no more than for the victims of war.  Realizing war’s cost makes us more ardent peacemakers.

Nancy Rademacher:  The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

A short story about a man who though grieving his wife, opened his heart to unlikely persons and found contentment...a wonderful example of being non-judgmental. 

Janie Warner:  Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt

Becoming Nicole forever changed the way I think about people who are transgender.  It is a powerful story of a family’s journey to love, nurture and accept their transgender daughter.  This story stays with me as I work with young people at school.

Mike Breckenridge:  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

One of my earliest memories is my father reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol aloud in the car as our family drove to celebrate Christmas with our grandparents and other relatives in southwestern Minnesota.  The memory brings back the youthful excitement and anticipation of the holidays, along with the realization and redemption described in the story itself. 

Elizabeth Paulson:  Surprised by God by Robert K. Hudnut

A personal testimony on life in ministry, from a former St. Luke pastor.

“I am in a hospital…there is no glib answer to death…The imminent death of this man from cancer is too much for me. He couldn’t be more than 40…church is…a group of people who are willing to distribute the load.  “Bear one another’s burdens.” Paul said “and so fulfill the law of Christ.”