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Books: Contemporary Issues
Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Really Are Coming to Terms With America's Changing Families. New York, NY: Perseus Books Group, 1997.
A guide to the causes and consequences of today's family trends. The author shows that every kind of family has strengths that can be fostered and vulnerabilities to be avioded.
Doherty, William. The Intentional Family: How to Build Family Ties in Our Modern World. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1997.
Today's families may include two working parents, remarried partners, stepchildren, single parents and grandparents and many of us feel we have lost touch with our ties to one another. By cultivating the rituals of connection that bring us together, every family can become an intentional family.
Garland, Diana R. Family Ministry: A Comprehensive Guide. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999.
Comprehensive and practical source book for ministers and religious educators. The section on assessing the needs for family ministry contains great practical advice on how to find out what ministry is needed in congregation and community as well as great wisdom about how to use the assessment process to build support for new ministries in the congregation.
Graff, E.J. What is Marriage For? Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1999.
Passionate, witty history of marriage from a feminist perspective. Shows the many forms marriage has taken throughout time and that this institution has always been a social battle-ground, shifting constantly to each economy, era and class. Discussion guide available on Beacon Press website.
Hewlett, Sylvia Ann and Cornel West. The War Against Parents. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.
This book insightfully explains the economic, social and political forces that have undermined parenting in the United States. The authors offer comprehensive vision, framework, and policy prescriptions to reinforce and revalue parenting in our nation.
Kabat-Zinn, Myla and Jon. Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. New York, NY: Hyperion, 1998.
Shows powerful new ways that parents can enrich their families' lives by honoring the fullness of the present moment and the potential beauty that resides within both our children and ourselves.
Mathias, Barbara and Mary Ann French. 40 Ways to Raise a Nonracist Child. New York, NY: HarperCollins: 1996.
This important guide addresses the concerns of both white parents and parents of color -- from how to select toys for toddlers to how to talk with teens about what they see on the evening news.
McGinnis, Kathleen and James. Parenting for Peace and Justice: Ten Years Later. New York, NY: Orbis Books, 1999.
The authors' classic book has been updated by reflecting and sharing their struggles and successes in integrating their social and family ministries, in teaching and involving their children in relevant and meaningful ways in social justice actions.
Pipher, Mary. The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families. New York, NY: Ballentine Books, 1997.
Today's working parents are harried, tired, overextended and frequently unable to protect their children from negative outside influences. This book offers simple actions we can all take and help us rebuild and reconnect with the source of our greatest energy and strength, our families.
Ruether, Rosemary R. Christianity and the Making of the Modern Family. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1999.
This historical account of diverse biblical and Christian understandings of marriage, sexuality, and family models examines the relations among family, work, gender, and faith from biblical times to the future.
Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman and Ronald S. Miller. From Age-ing to Sage-ing. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1995.
This inspiring guidebook to the aging process investigates current brain/mind research as well as spirituality from the world's wisdom traditions to turn the elder years into meaningful and healing times. Reflection and discussion guide available from the UUA RE Department.
Stacey, Judith. Brave New Families: Stories of Domestic Upheaval in Late Twentieth-Century America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998.
The author reveals how popular nostalgia for the "traditional" family takes a heavy toll on real families, and she makes a strong case for protecting family diversity.
Taffel, Ron and Melinda Blau. The Second Family: How Adolescent Power is Challenging the American Family. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2001.
Describes modern teen life and the phenomenon of teens' building relationships with friends – "second family" – that rival and sometimes supplant those with family members, and how parents can understand those peer relationships and strengthen parent-child relationships.
Washington, Valora and J. D. Andrews, editors. Children of 2010. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1998.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children sponsored this series of three dialogue sessions with the overall theme "Children of 2010." This book addresses some of the issues and problems involved in making democracy work for the next generation of children. |
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