Click the cover to read our story.
TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS ARE CALLING FOR ACCEPTANCE
SO, LET’S LEARN THE FACTS—It’s time to plan ahead for New Year’s Resolutions that can contribute to healthier, safer communities. Right now, nearly two-thirds of Americans are calling for acceptance of sexual minorities among us. Millions of men and women now feel safe enough to be open about their orientations. These are our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers—sparking fresh questions. As conversations buzz in living rooms, coffee shops, small groups and around office water coolers—we are helping Americans to avoid stereotypes and share accurate information.
This week, Michigan State University School of Journalism instructor Joe Grimm returns to our online magazine to describe this latest guidebook in this MSU series—books that now are used by readers nationwide. This series’ goal is simple: Grimm’s MSU team is answering the questions everybody is asking, these days, but no one seems to be answering in a helpful way.
This is a terrific resource book to order now and have handy for your own reading—and to share with friends. Please, read our Cover Story this week and make a New Year’s Resolution to get a copy of this book—so you can have the information you need to navigate our increasingly diverse communities.
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HOLIDAYS: THIS WEEK
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE—Millions of Catholics around the world now celebrate the traditions surrounding this centuries-old account of Mary’s appearance in the Americas.
Celebrating Christmas Together
WHEN IS CHRISTMAS? For centuries, the date of Christmas—like the date of Easter—has varied in Christian communities around the world. Each year, the “last” Christmas is always celebrated by the Armenian Orthodox, who follow traditional rules about the Christian calendar that place The Nativity on January 19 for the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Many Eastern churches celebrate The Nativity at the end of the first week of January.
However, across most of the United States, Eastern and Western Christians will celebrate together on December 25.
Of course, our Orthodox neighbors began their period of fasting and reflection—the Nativity Feast—weeks ago. Then, on Sunday December 2, Western Christians joined this season of lights and special prayers, called Advent.
HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING—There’s still time! Need a few more gifts for the loved ones on your Christmas list? Consider giving great books to the readers you love. (As of this week, Amazon still is promising to deliver books before Christmas!) To help, we’ve published an overview of some terrific gift-giving ideas, whatever your year-end occasion might be. And, please, consider sharing this column with friends. Speaking for our entire family of authors: We all hope you’ll join us in encouraging Peace on Earth!
Want to see all the holidays? www.InterfaithHolidays.com
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BOOKS BY THE NUMBERS
THE POWER OF THE ISBN—In this week’s Front Edge Publishing column, our Director of Production Dmitri Barvinok continues our Metadata 101 exploration of publishing by explaining the ubiquitous—yet little understood—ISBN. They’re on every book you buy, but the purpose and rules for using ISBNs are among the more arcane mysteries of publishing. Dmitri unlocks that realm to help authors (and readers) understand a lot more about what those numbers can tell us about a book.
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Click the movie still to read Ed’s review of What They Had.
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FAITH & FILM: Ed McNulty
ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.
Among Ed’s free reviews and columns are:
THE GREEN BOOK—During the decades of Jim Crow barriers across much of the U.S., an annual guidebook called The Green Book helped African-American travelers find safe facilities. Now, Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali co-star in a feature film about that era, based on the true story of a classical musician who hired a driver to take him on a Southern tour. Ed recommends the movie, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.- WHAT THEY HAD—Blythe Danner stars in this moving drama about a family coping with their matriarch’s deepening dementia. (5 stars)
- FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD—And, now, for some more encouraging news: Ed enjoyed the latest movie in the Harry Potter franchise and recommends it. (4.5 stars)
Click the movie still to read Ed’s review.
- THE GRINCH—Looking for a great holiday movie? Ed raves about this new version of the classic, writing: “My fears that this expansion of the original 26-minute Dr. Seuss’s classic would be as bad as the 2000 bloated version were quickly laid to rest as this zany animated film unfolded on screen. And, you really do need to see on a big screen the gorgeous scenes of Whoville and the mountains to fully appreciate their intricate detail!” (4.5 out of 5 stars)
- LOSS PREVENTION—Looking for a suspenseful thriller? This film’s got lots of violence and chases. But there’s not much substance to the tale. (3 stars)
- THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER WEB—Another kind of violent thriller is this fourth volume in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. The novel wasn’t written by the original author and the material is more predictable. (3 stars)
- BOY ERASED—This gripping film about an evangelical family sending their son to a so-called gay “conversion” camp is sure to promote good discussions, Ed writes in recommending the movie. (4.5 stars)
- THE HATE U GIVE—Ed says this is the one film all Americans should be sure to see this year. (5 stars)
- FIRST MAN—This film tells us as much about Neil Armstrong the family man as it does Armstrong the astronaut. (5 stars)
- GENERATION WEALTH—Another can’t-miss-it documentary is Lauren Greenfield’s thought-provoking project, both in book and cinematic forms. (4 stars)
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