ALL THIS WEEK—
LET’S MOVE TOWARD KING’S ‘BELOVED COMMUNITY’
REMEMBERING KING’S VISION—Over the past decade, many of our writers have published inspiring columns that honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. Let’s start with the column by our Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton. Stephanie’s story reminds us of how King’s life eventually inspired this annual holiday. Then, Stephanie provides a gateway to several other fascinating columns—including one that has a recipe for Dr. King’s favorite dessert: sweet potato pie! There’s a lot to enjoy here.
And there’s a lot you can do, this week, to honor Dr. King’s vision! Please, read on!
REMEMBERING OTHER HEROES OF THE MOVEMENT—The civil rights movement spanned decades and involved millions of heroic men and women who had the courage to live their lives as if America’s ideals of liberty and justice really could be claimed by all of us.
One of those living heroes is Col. Clifford Worthy—who dared to join the first few African-American cadets at West Point after President Truman signed the order integrating the U.S. Army just after World War II. This week, our popular columnist Benjamin Pratt has written a review of Col. Worthy’s memoir, The Black Knight, praising the book as “a memoir of deep integrity, revealing honesty and wisdom.” Want to do a little good in our world this week? Order a copy of The Black Knight and come back to Amazon.com to leave your review of the book. Your voice will make a difference in how many other readers will find this inspiring memoir.
The Black Knight also was highlighted this month among “Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars” by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
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Help an Author Reach the World in 2019
BECOME A CITIZEN OF A ‘COMMUNITY’—In our Front Edge Publishing column this week, David Crumm writes about the powerful world of Amazon.com’s Community of reviewers. The column is written from the perspective of authors who want to encourage more reviews of their books—but the column also is a Call to Action for anyone who would like to become an effective Amazon.com reviewer. Are you starting 2019 with a resolution to make a positive difference in our world? One of the most powerful, easy steps you can take is to become an Amazon.com reviewer and encourage others to find books that will inspire them, this year. And, please, share this column with friends, especially friends who love to read.
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DISCUSS DIVERSITY IN 2019
WE CAN HELP WITH A FREE SAMPLE—Millions of Americans are discussing gender diversity and sexual orientation in 2019. For example, members of the United Methodist church nationwide have identified this issue as a year-long, global conversation. We want to help! Our publishing house is proud of the high praise we’ve received for publishing a pair of guidebooks with Michigan State University School of Journalism. Those books are called: 100 Questions and Answers about Gender Identity and 100 Questions and Answers about Sexual Orientation.
MSU’s Joe Grimm, the head of the educational project that has published this groundbreaking series of books, is offering to send a free sample set of these two new volumes on gender and sexuality to community leaders hoping to organize a discussion group. The trademark of this MSU book series is: We’re answering the questions everybody’s asking but nobody’s answering. Sample copies could prompt others in your community to order these books—and share this accurate, helpful information on these urgent issues.
So, if you are a librarian, preacher, teacher, book-club coordinator—or any other kind of community leader planning to spark a discussion—please contact us [email protected]
UPDATE—We have a few sets of these samples let. Please, email us now.
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Click this cover image to learn about the January 2019 issue of Visual Parables Journal with complete faith & film study guides of recent movies.
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:
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK—Ed gives this movie 5 out of 5 stars and writes, “Based on James Baldwin’s acclaimed 1974 novel of the same name, Barry Jenkins’ film is a paean to love set in a society permeated by ugly prejudice and injustice.”- ROMA—Ed also gives 5 stars to this widely praised film set in Mexico. He writes, “This is one of those great films that will leave viewers with a great many things to think about. … And thanks to Netflix, even those lacking access to an arthouse theater can gather and watch it at home” or with friends.
- BUMBLEBEE—It’s the best Transformer movie ever made! That’s Ed’s verdict, giving this popular family film 5 stars.
ON THE BASIS OF SEX—Ed gives this new biopic 5 out of 5 stars and urges readers to go see this story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s early life.- AT ETERNITY’S GATE—This film “provides us with a wonderful exploration of art and the world—as seen through the eyes of a sensitive genius who hugely influenced us all to see the world as full of the beauty and the holiness of the divine.” (5 stars) Ed also reminds us that we could reach back to 1991 for Robert Altman’s fascinating Vincent and Theo—about the artist’s relationship with his brother.
- VICE—”If you are among the growing number of political junkies, you will enjoy this film, one that would make a suitable companion for a double-feature starting with Oliver Stone’s 2008 satirical movie about Pres. George W. Bush, called W,” Ed writes about this film, giving it 4.5 stars.
- MARY QUEEN OF SCOTTS—And speaking of politics—long ago and far away in this case—Ed gives 4 stars to this latest tale of the classic conflict between queens.
- MARY POPPINS RETURNS—Ed has a lot of good things to say about the new version of the classic tale! However, Ed gives this version only 4 out of 5 stars, because: “The songs are all serviceable, pleasant to hear as the characters sing them, but they do not fly out of the theater with you.”
- WELCOME TO MARWEN—Steve Carell co-stars in the previous film, Beautiful Boy, as well as this unusual film—based on a true story—about an artist who suffers a severe trauma and winds up retreating into a world of “make believe” figures. (4.5 stars)
- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY—Ed gives the new biopic about Freddie Mercury and Queen 4 stars.
- THE MULE—Yet another true story is brought to the big screen starring Clint Eastwood as an elderly man who gets involved with a drug cartel. (4 stars)
- BACKS AGAINST THE WALL—Start watching your upcoming PBS listings in January for this wonderful documentary about Howard Thurman. In addition to this early column by Ed McNulty, praising the film, ReadTheSpirit magazine will continue to update readers about the debut of this movie. Care to learn more about this giant in interreligous peacemaking? We already have our own Interfaith Peacemakers profile of Thurman in our magazine.
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