Best Books for the Holidays from Us to Your Friends & Family

It’s thAT time of year when all the big media outlets publish their “Best for the Holidays” lists written by their resident experts. So, we asked our own resident book marketing expert—Susan Stitt, founding CEO of Morgan Street Media Services in Georgia—to list her Best Books picks from our own ReadTheSpirit bookstore. Here are Susan’s picks for gift giving (and don’t forget—that includes giving yourself a gift or two)!

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By SUSAN STITT
Morgan Street Media Services

For the Detroiter in your life: Hope For the City by Jack Kresnak. The story of Father Bill Cunningham and others who were drawn to the mission of Focus: HOPE. It is a captivating retelling of the life of an English teacher who wore a Roman collar, rode a Harley-Davidson and marched with Dr. King across the Edmund Pettus bridge; a suburban mother of five who organized marriage enrichment events before she persuaded her husband to move into Detroit; the 1967 riot that exposed systemic racial inequality; and the civil rights organization that evolved. Read more about the book and find links to buy it here.

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For the animal lover in your life: Every Living Thing from The Humane Society of the United States. The world’s 2 billion Christians are hearing loud and clear teachings about animals. Pope Francis’s encyclical on creation care now is joined by a chorus of American Evangelical leaders writing about care for animals. The Humane Society of the United States has collected the latest teachings from Christian leaders to inspire individuals and spark fresh discussion in congregations. This book includes the new “Evangelical Statement on Responsible Care for Animals” and teachings from a dozen denominations. Buy it here.

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For the movie lover in your life: Jesus Christ Movie Star by Edward N. McNulty. What did Jesus look like? Add some popcorn and this will be the perfect gift for the movie lover in your world. America’s beloved faith-and-film writer Edward McNulty leads the reader or small group through a dozen big-screen stories inspired by Jesus’s life. McNulty provides everything needed to spark spirited discussion from the best film clips to show your group—to dozens of questions you could ask. Readers explore hits like The Passion of the Christ and Jesus Christ Superstar. There are some surprises too! Can you find Gospel themes in Cool Hand Luke and Broadway Danny Rose? Buy it here.

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For the new parent or toddler in your life: Pre-School U from Detroit Public Television. Pre-School U offers helpful, easy-to-understand lessons in brief videos that are extended and driven home by pointed conversations you can lead among parents and caregivers. These lessons cover all aspects of children’s development—language and literacy, cognition and general knowledge, physical well-being and motor development, social and emotional development and approaches to learning. Buy it here.

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For the tween or teen in your life: Bullying Is No Laughing Matter by Kurt J. Kolka. Millions of Americans follow the adventures of Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Luann, Dick Tracy, Gil Thorp and other top comic strip characters. We love to laugh at their adventures—and their misadventures. This full-color paperback represents a historic “team up” of America’s cartoon favorites, who are springing from the funny pages into this big, colorful book. They’re united in encouraging kids to support each other when someone begins picking on them. National research shows that new forms of bullying follow kids wherever they go—inescapably plaguing them through social media on computers and smartphones. Some of the comic artists contributing to this book have even added personal notes sharing their own experiences with bullies—or offering brief words of encouragement to kids. Buy it here.

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For the peacemaker in your life: Harnessing the Power of Tension by Brenda Naomi Rosenberg and Samia Moustapha Bahsoun. Harnessing the Power of Tension introduces the paradoxical and evolutionary leadership approach to conflict transformation—Tectonic Leadership. By harnessing tension, the authors bridge their commitment as Jew and Arab to directly address the tension that separates them and use it to build alliances at home, in the boardroom, on campus and in communities. Buy it here.

 

Thanks Susan!

Want more?

Check out our entire ReadTheSpirit bookstore.

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