We are the ones we have been waiting for : inner light in a time of darkness : meditations

Title:

Author:

Walker, Alice, 1944-

ISBN:

9781595581372

Publication Information:

New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2006.

Physical Description:

xii, 257 p. ; 20 cm.

Contents:

Three fates -- Childhood -- When life descends into the pit -- All praises to the pause -- Crimes against dog -- This was not an area of large plantations -- I call that man religious -- Now that you are with me like my people and the dignity of the world -- Metta to Muriel and other marvels -- How it feels to know someone died for you -- The glimpse of life beyond the words -- Sent by earth: a message from the grandmother spirit -- Orchids -- To be led by happiness.

Subject Term:

Meditations.

Social change.

Summary:

A book of spiritual ruminations with a progressive political edge, from the Pulitzer Prize-winner who has devoted her life to befriending the earth. Walker has long been a force for sanity in a chaotic world. Here she draws on her deep spiritual grounding, her political conviction and experience, and her literary gifts to offer a series of meditations filled with wisdom, hope, encouragement, and, at times, serenity to a world in need of all these things. "Happiness ... comes from the simple belief that what one is feeling and doing is right. That it is right to protect rather than terrorize others; right to feed people rather than withhold food (and medicine); right to want the freedom and joyful existence of all human kind... A deep knowing that we are the earth--our separation from Earth perhaps our greatest illusion--and that we stand, with gratitude and love, by our planetary Self--From publisher description.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	818.54 WAL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	818.54 WAL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	818.54 WAL	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The New York Times bestselling book that both galvanizes progressives for action and is a balm--from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author

"A light in darkness, Alice Walker awakens us to our own power as only she can. . . . Once again, Walker has exceeded our expectations." --The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When the United States recently exploded with unprecedented demonstrations challenging racial violence and hatred, Alice Walker's New York Times bestselling We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For was one of the books to which people turned for inspiration and solace. Called "stunningly insightful" and "a book that will inspire hope" by Publishers Weekly, this work by the author of The Color Purple is a clarion call to activism--spiritual ruminations with a progressive political edge, that offer a moment of care and solace.

Walker encourages readers to take faith in the fact that, despite our daunting predicaments, we are uniquely prepared to create positive change. Drawing on Walker's spiritual grounding and her progressive political convictions, the book offers a cornucopia of the Pulitzer Prize winner's writings and speeches on advocacy, struggle, and hope. Each chapter concludes with a recommended meditation to teach patience, compassion, and forgiveness.

Walker's clear vision and calm meditative voice--truly "a light in darkness"--has struck a deep chord among a large and devoted readership.

Author Notes

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for her novel The Color Purple. Her other bestselling novels include By the Light of My Father's Smile, Possessing the Secret of Joy, and The Temple of My Familiar. She is also the author of two collections of short stories, three collections of essays, five volumes of poetry, and several children's books. Her books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. Born in Eaton, Georgia, Walker now lives in Northern California.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Often rambling and occasionally pedantic, the essays in Walker's latest collection can also be stunningly insightful. Mixing prose with poetry, she discusses Martin Luther King, feminism and meditation, among other subjects, always circling back to themes of integrity and activism. The most substantial entries are based on live lectures. In a speech to the graduating class of the California Institute of Integral Studies, Walker urges that we not fear the pause that "wisdom requires" when "something major is accomplished," despite our eagerness to rush into "The Future." She manages to show how this "moment of reflection" is natural and necessary, whether the defining event is college graduation, menopause or the buildup to a military invasion. Her 2002 lecture, "I Call That Man Religious," argues that Fidel Castro is a "truly religious man" because he "speaks out for the rights of the poor," in contrast to the Catholic Church, which hid its priests' abuse of children for so long. More contradictory is "Crimes Against Dog," in which she describes a visit to buy a labrador retriever and her discomfort at the similarity between dog breeders and slaveholders, but doesn't consider getting a mutt. Despite the annoying inclusion of homework-like assignments at the end of most essays, this book will inspire hope. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Walker, best known as a novelist, offers a collection of her essays and talks in a variety of venues and efforts to express and encourage spirituality and progressive political ideas. Talking to midwives, black yoga instructors, college students, Buddhists, and other admirers of her work, Walker offers commentary on the ways that modern society is destroying itself and the earth, and yet stands on the threshold of promising development. Walker urges resistance to war, lower birth rates, simpler living, and simple kindness as ways to improve life for us all. In a commencement address, she urges her listeners to value the pause, the time between accomplishments when we wonder what is next and are afraid of the temporary emptiness. Taking her title from words by the poet June Jordan, Walker encourages the reader to recognize the potential that each of us has to make positive changes in the world and our lives. This is a thoughtful and reflective look at life and the search for meaning. --Vanessa Bush Copyright 2006 Booklist

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
1 Three Fates	p. 15
2 Childhood	p. 31
3 When Life Descends into the Pit	p. 38
4 All Praises to the Pause	p. 47
5 Crimes Against Dog	p. 80
6 This Was Not an Area of Large Plantations	p. 88
7 I Call That Man Religious	p. 111
8 Now That You Are with Me Like My People and the Dignity of the World	p. 143
9 Metta to Muriel and Other Marvels	p. 156
10 How It Feels to Know Someone Died for You	p. 164
11 The Glimpse of Life Beyond the Words	p. 183
12 Sent by Earth: A Message From the Grandmother Spirit	p. 192
13 Orchids	p. 219
14 To Be Led by Happiness	p. 246
Permissions	p. 253

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

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