The Heart of Spirituality

People find spirituality in a variety of places--in religion, nature, or the personal journey to find meaning in life. Likewise, all kinds of books explore spirituality, and some find it in interesting places--hiking in the Himalayas, delivering telegraphs during World War II, or even at the movies. The Heart of Spirituality delves into six spiritual classics, each with its own distinct perspective. Join us to discuss them with other readers.

The series will feature the following books:

September 21, 2010 - 6:30 p.m., South Hill

People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks 

When a priceless six-hundred-year-old Jewish prayer book turns up in a destroyed library, young Australian book conservator Hannah Heath discovers a mysterious series of artifacts in the book's centuries-old binding--and unwittingly exposes an international cover-up. Exploring a host of themes including religion, war, and the independence of women, author Brooks spins two parallel tales: Hannah's present-day attempts to decode the book's clues, and a backward-through-time account of its history.

October 19, 2010 - 6:30 p.m., South Hill

The Moviegoer

by Walker Percy

Young New Orleans stockbroker Binx Bolling feels alienated from his own life. Between family problems, the decline of Southern traditions, and his lingering trauma from the Korean War, Binx struggles to build lasting relationships--and turns to movies as an escape. At once funny and philosophical, this 1961 novel follows Binx as he daydreams constantly and searches for meaning in his routine existence.

November 16, 2010 - 6:30 p.m., South Hill

The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion 

Right after author Joan Didion and her husband, John Dunne, return home from visiting their only child in the hospital, John dies of a massive heart attack. Haunted by his memory, Joan struggles to make sense of his death and her own "magical thinking": the nagging, irrational hope that her deceased husband might someday return.

February 15, 2011 - 6:30 p.m., South Hill

The Snow Leopard
by Peter Matthiessen 

In the fall of 1973, Peter Matthiessen and zoologist George Schaller set out on a two-month hike to Crystal Mountain. Their goal: to find the snow leopard of high Asia--a creature so rarely spotted that Schaller was one of only two Westerners known to have seen one in the wild since 1950. Their quest takes them 250 miles into the Himalayas--a journey filled with wildlife, wonder, beauty, and reflections on matters of life and death.

March 15, 2011 - 6:30 p.m., South Hill

The Human Comedy
by William Saroyan 

With no father and a brother at war, 14-year-old Homer Macauley decides to becomes the man of the family and takes an evening job as a telegraph boy. While he maintains the normal life of a California teenager--school, church, play and home--his new job brings him face-to-face with families who have lost sons in World War II. Homer's loving family and strong optimism anchor his journey to manhood in this hopeful tale.  

April 19, 2011 - 6:30 p.m., South Hill

Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor Frankl 

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir chronicles his experiences laboring in four Nazi concentration camps and his subsequent quest to help others find meaning in their lives. In a thoughtful examination of the most extreme human suffering, Frankl explores the staggering question: How does one find a reason to live? People cannot avoid suffering, says Frankl, but they can choose how to cope with it--and even find purpose in the worst of conditions. 

If you have any questions about the programs please call the South Hill Branch at 444-5386.