Louis J. Blume Library

I know why the caged bird sings

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash”. At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age - and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime.

Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns about love for herself and the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read

One hundred years of solitude

One of the twentieth century’s enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize–winning career.

The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Rich and brilliant, it is a chronicle of life, death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the beautiful, ridiculous, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.

Gospel parallels

The titles of some section headings have been changed from those used in the latest edition of Huck. In some cases, this was required by the new translation. Another difference will be found in the printing of the parallels from the Gospel of John, except where a very long passage is involved. The Hazen Foundation made a generous subsidy toward the cost of the plates in order that the book might be available to students at as reasonable a price as possible. The committee supervising the preparation of the Synopsis was composed of Henry J. Cadbury, Harvard University Divinity School, Frederick C. Grant, Union Theological Seminary, and the late Clarence T. Craig, formerly of Yale University Divinity School and later Dean of Drew Theological Seminary. 

Killing Pablo : the hunt for the world's greatest outlaw

“The story of how the U.S. Army Intelligence . . . helped Colombian police track down and kill Pablo Escobar is a compelling, almost Shakespearean tale.”—Los Angeles Times

When the cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar escaped his lavish, custom built prison in Colombia, the fallout drove the nation to the brink of chaos. In Killing Pablo, acclaimed journalist Mark Bowden tells the story of the US military’s fifteen-month mission to find him. Drawing on unprecedented access to the soldiers, field agents, and officials involved in the chase, as well as hundreds of pages of top-secret documents and transcripts of Escobar’s intercepted phone conversations, Bowden creates a narrative that reads as if it were torn from the pages of a Tom Clancy thriller.

The history of the synoptic tradition

One of the milestones in modern biblical criticism, Bultmann's History of the Synoptic Tradition is basic for understanding form criticism. The roots of all Bultmann's works on demythologizing the Bible are found in his earlier studies of the New Testament.

Bultmann is known for his belief that the historical analysis of the New Testament is both futile and unnecessary, given that the earliest Christian literature showed little interest in specific locations.] Bultmann argued that all that matters is the "thatness", not the "whatness" of Jesus, i.e. only that Jesus existed, preached and died by crucifixion matters, not what happened throughout his life.

The Gospel of Luke : a commentary on the Greek text

Renowned New Testament scholar I. Howard Marshall offers this commentary, based on the UBS Greek New Testament, giving special attention to the theological message of Luke. Marshall provides information on the meaning of the Greek words used by Luke and shows which words and constructions occur frequently and are therefore characteristic of his style. This is a scholarly work.

Luke

Using Luke's own prologue as the guideline for his commentary, Fred B. Craddock calls attention to the continuities between Jesus and his heritage in Judaism and the church after him. Like Luke, Craddock assumes the reader is not only a believer but also a leader in the community of faith.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

Understanding Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A guide to understanding the works of Marquez for students as well as initiated nonspecialists in literature. It will be especially useful for American readers since an effort has been made to acquaint them with the society out of which the writer comes and which he describes in his work.

Swan song

Travel 30 miles north, south, or east of San Francisco city hall and you'll be engulfed in a landscape of thick traffic, fast enterprise, and $6 cappuccinos. Venture 30 miles due west, however, and you will find yourself on what is virtually another planet: a spooky cluster of rocky islands called the Farallones.

Journalist Susan Casey was in her living room when she first glimpsed this strange place and its resident sharks, their dark fins swirling around a tiny boat in a documentary. These great whites were the alphas among alphas, the narrator said, some of them topping 18 feet in length, and each fall they congregated here off the northern California coast. That so many of these magnificent and elusive animals lived in the 415 area code, crisscrossing each other under the surface like jets stacked in a holding pattern, seemed stunningly improbable and irresistible. Casey knew she had to see them for herself.

DMT : the spirit molecule : a doctor's revolutionary research into the biology of near-death and mystical experiences

From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted U.S. Government-approved and funded clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extraordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical found in the psychedelic Amazon brew, ayahuasca, is also manufactured by the human brain. In Strassman's volunteers, it consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, aliens, angels, and spirits. Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives.

The new Jerome biblical commentary

When Randle is admitted at the hospital, he runs into something unknown. Though he thinks he can behave as he wants, he will have to deal with nurse Ratched, a strict woman. She won't permit any disturbances within her institution.

Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. Here is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

The Marital sacrament

This book is packed with plenty of great information on the history and development of marriage over at least the past 1700 years. Great resource.

Augustine today

"Dialogue" is one of American religion's shopworn terms. Although we hear much talk about dialogue, very little of it actually takes place. Religious discourse - especially about politics and public affairs - is increasingly polarized, involving much contestation but little conversation. If truths are to be tested, however, there is no substitute for dialogue.
. Each Encounter Series volume includes not only the essays presented at the conference but also a lively narrative of the subsequent discussion, allowing the reader to experience more fully the actual give-and-take of genuine dialogue.

Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory

The Second Edition of this best-selling textbook continues to offer immensely practical advice and technical expertise that will aid researchers in analyzing and interpreting their collected data, and ultimately build theory from it. The authors provide a step-by-step guide to the research act. Full of definitions and illustrative examples, the book presents criteria for evaluating a study as well as responses to common questions posed by students of qualitative research.