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The Emmaus Readers: Listening for God in Contemporary Fiction

by Gary Schmidt, Gary D. Schmidt (Author)

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233976,373 (3.5)None
Stories matter. Sometimes it's a story that can best tell the truth. When an eclectic group of nine friends--fiction-readers and professors at Calvin College in Michigan--came together weekly to wrestle with great contemporary novels, they were surprised to discover how much spiritual meat they found. Together, the self-described Emmaus Readers read P.D. James, Ron Hansen, Ian McEwan, Yann Martel, Oscar Hijuelos, Frederick Buechner, and several others, across a variety of genres: historical fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, science fiction, and mystery. Each novel is given a thorough synopsis, biographical information about the author, a substantive overview of the issues to be discussed and discovered, detailed discussion questions, and recommendations of other great novels of similar importance. Designed for reading groups, book clubs, librarians, and any individual reader who simply loves novels that explore spiritual issues relevant to daily life, The Emmaus Readers offers to help you listen for God in contemporary fiction. The Emmaus Readers includes experts from the English, Spanish, French, Sociology and Library Science departments at Calvin College. Editors Susan M. Felch and Gary D. Schmidt and are both professors of English. Schmidt is the author of critical books such as A Passionate Usefulness: The Life and Literary Labors of Hannah Adams, and novels for middle grade readers such as Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, a Newbery Honor Book. Felch has written on sixteenth-century women authors including Elizabeth I and Anne Lock, and is co-editor, with Schmidt, of a series of "spiritual biographies" of the seasons of the year. They both live near Grand Rapids, MI.… (more)
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God in contemporary fiction
  SrMaryLea | Aug 23, 2023 |
NCLA Review -Where can God be found in modern life? According to The Emmaus Readers, the answer is in contemporary fiction. The twelve novels considered in this book span a variety of genres: historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and graphic novels. The authors are: Ron Hansen, P.D. James, Mary Doria Russell, David Guterson, Nichole Mazzarella, Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, Leif Enger, Yann Martel, Ian McEwan, Frederick Buechner, Oscar Hijuelos, and Olga Grushin. The reader will find a synopsis of the novel, biographical information about the author, a discussion of the main themes, questions for discussion, and a bibliography of other similar books. Integrative discussion questions about the novels and a bibliography are at the end. The book is designed primarily for reading groups, book clubs, and librarians, but individual readers looking for spiritual issues relevant to daily life will also find it a useful tool. Rating: 4 —AMB Paraclete Press 2008, 208p, 9781557255433, $17.95 [823] ( )
  ncla | Jul 11, 2009 |
The Emmaus Readers, a group of Calivin College academics, met together in 2006 to read and discuss fiction "through spiritual eyes." This reading guide covers 12 contemporary novels of different genres. Most titles will be familiar e.g. Ian McEwan's "Atonement"; others chosen for award or genre may be new; e.g. 2006 Christy award winner Nicole Mazzarella's "This Heavy Silence". For each title there is a discussion, questions and suggestions for further reading.
The novels are grouped into four sections, each with an epigraph theme taken from a line in H. G. Spafford's hymn "It is well with my soul." In addition to discussion questions about each novel, there are discussion questions for each section and an overall set of general discussion questions at the end of the book . (e.g. How do stories in novels function as real spiritual disciplines for us? )
Significant novels discussed (not already mentioned):
"Mariette in Ecstasy" (Hansen) , "Children of Men" (James), "The Sparrow and The Children of God" (Russell), 'Snow Falling on Cedars" (Gutterson), "Peace like a River" (Enger), "Life of Pi" (Martel), Godric (Buechner), Mr. Ives' Christmas" (Hijuelos).
Good selections for discussion of Christian spirituality. ( )
  lmb208 | Dec 8, 2008 |
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Stories matter. Sometimes it's a story that can best tell the truth. When an eclectic group of nine friends--fiction-readers and professors at Calvin College in Michigan--came together weekly to wrestle with great contemporary novels, they were surprised to discover how much spiritual meat they found. Together, the self-described Emmaus Readers read P.D. James, Ron Hansen, Ian McEwan, Yann Martel, Oscar Hijuelos, Frederick Buechner, and several others, across a variety of genres: historical fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, science fiction, and mystery. Each novel is given a thorough synopsis, biographical information about the author, a substantive overview of the issues to be discussed and discovered, detailed discussion questions, and recommendations of other great novels of similar importance. Designed for reading groups, book clubs, librarians, and any individual reader who simply loves novels that explore spiritual issues relevant to daily life, The Emmaus Readers offers to help you listen for God in contemporary fiction. The Emmaus Readers includes experts from the English, Spanish, French, Sociology and Library Science departments at Calvin College. Editors Susan M. Felch and Gary D. Schmidt and are both professors of English. Schmidt is the author of critical books such as A Passionate Usefulness: The Life and Literary Labors of Hannah Adams, and novels for middle grade readers such as Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, a Newbery Honor Book. Felch has written on sixteenth-century women authors including Elizabeth I and Anne Lock, and is co-editor, with Schmidt, of a series of "spiritual biographies" of the seasons of the year. They both live near Grand Rapids, MI.

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