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The cushion in the road : meditation and wandering as the whole world awakens to being in harm's way / Alice Walker.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : The New Press, 2013Description: xii, 365 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1595588728 (hardcover)
  • 9781595588722 (hardcover)
Uniform titles:
  • Essays. Selections
Subject(s):
Contents:
Witness. On Barack Obama ; Lest we forget : an open letter to my sisters who are brave ; What I want : compassion as a value ; May whatever we have gained, not be lost ; Finally it is here : election day ; Dear Brother President (elect) ; What do I expect from this turn of the historical wheel ; A letter to President Obama about torture ; Understanding health care ; Well done-- Obama and the Nobel Prize ; For what it's worth : some thoughts on war, disappointment, and anger ; Why war is never a good idea ; The road of life ; Human sunrise ; Introducing the Ojibwa warrior ; A wedding ceremony : marrying good men ; Coming to Mississippi ; Saying good-bye to my friend Howard Zinn ; On The Help ; Honoring Cicely Tyson ; We are in this place for a reason ; Listening to Howie : the optimism of uncertainty -- Meditation. The settled mind ; Milagros de las vida turtles ; Facing la madre ; Giving, as generously as the earth ; Seeking counsel from Diego and Frida ; Hitting the mark ; The victory belongs to love : so what about marriage? ; The clarity ; Overwhelm ; Queen snows ; All the stars ; The killing of Troy Davis ; The G in "Ode to Joy" ; Frozen river is a moving surprise ; May I be frank ; ¡Nadie te quita lo bailado! ; Loving audiobooks but not the segregation of books and literature ; At sea on the audacity of hope ; Stubborn flowers climbing ; Windows : discovering Uri Avnery ; Reclaiming the cross ; "This is what you shall do" ; A recipe for difficult times : anxiety soup ; Everyone's a victim ; Sisterloss ; We are remembered for what we teach ; Edwidge Danticat, the quiet stream ; More meditation required! ; "We believe" by Staughton and Alice Lynd ; The inner listener ; From grandmother's horse ; Free dogs and the Albany Bulb Waterfront Park ; Ending the age of waste ; The case of Bradley Manning ; Evolution ; Bursting into love ; Life lessons : gratitude is my only prayer -- Wandering. The universe belongs to everyone ; 12 questions : Korean women's soul questions ; Adopting an orphanage ; Coming to see you since I was five years old : an American poet's connection to the South African soul ; St. John : the Lennonono Grant for Peace ceremony ; About Aung San Suu Kyi, meditator and teacher -- Solidarity. Letters ; A letter from Alice Walker to Aung San Suu Kyi ; A letter about nature from 2005 ; An open letter to Nawal El Saadawi ; To whom it may concern : with special attention to the prime minister, attorney general, and speaker of the Knesset in Israel ; On Palestine ; We can offer what we are ; Boycotts must happen in the heart ; "You will have no protection" ; What changes the world? Bearing witness to the truth ; Nothing is stronger than a circle ; The peace of nonviolent resistance ; Auntie, I simply can't imagine it! ; And so our trails continue ; Overcoming speechlessness ; Empathy is a wave ; To the freedom riders of Palestine ; The sanity of friendship ; Onward ; Encountering the unknown Brazil.
Summary: Essays revisiting themes the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist, and activist has addressed throughout her career, exploring her conflicting impulses to retreat into inner contemplation and to remain deeply engaged with the world: racism, Africa, solidarity with the Palestinian people, the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, Cuba, health care, and the work of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 814.54 W177 Available 33111007140078
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple explores our modern world with "compassion, courage, and humor" ( Booklist ).

Alice Walker once ached for retirement, but in the turmoil of the Democratic primaries and the economic collapse of 2008, she realized she simply had a great deal more to say. Leaving her meditation cushion behind, she found herself traveling the world once again to speak of our intertwined personal, spiritual, and political destinies through ruminations, poems, essays, and letters.

At the height of her literary powers, this revered American novelist, poet, essayist, and activist invites readers on a journey of political awakening and spiritual insight. While visiting subjects she has addressed throughout her career--including racism, Africa, Palestinian solidarity, and Cuba--as well as addressing emergent issues, such as the presidency of Barack Obama and health care, Walker explores her conflicting impulses to retreat into inner contemplation and to remain deeply engaged with the world.

Rich with humor and wisdom, and informed by Walker's unique eye for the details of human and natural experience, The Cushion in the Road is "a heartfelt response to a new generation's yearning for public service" ( Kirkus Reviews ).

"Walker's concern for the state of humanity and the planet comes through as impassioned and genuine." -- Publishers Weekly

"Quintessential Alice Walker: edgy, demanding, prayerful, loving, and aware. An essential companion for those who wish to be a force for positive change in our perpetually challenging world." -- ForeWord Magazine

"Infused with a quiet grace and gentle resolve to act responsibly." -- Kirkus Reviews

Witness. On Barack Obama ; Lest we forget : an open letter to my sisters who are brave ; What I want : compassion as a value ; May whatever we have gained, not be lost ; Finally it is here : election day ; Dear Brother President (elect) ; What do I expect from this turn of the historical wheel ; A letter to President Obama about torture ; Understanding health care ; Well done-- Obama and the Nobel Prize ; For what it's worth : some thoughts on war, disappointment, and anger ; Why war is never a good idea ; The road of life ; Human sunrise ; Introducing the Ojibwa warrior ; A wedding ceremony : marrying good men ; Coming to Mississippi ; Saying good-bye to my friend Howard Zinn ; On The Help ; Honoring Cicely Tyson ; We are in this place for a reason ; Listening to Howie : the optimism of uncertainty -- Meditation. The settled mind ; Milagros de las vida turtles ; Facing la madre ; Giving, as generously as the earth ; Seeking counsel from Diego and Frida ; Hitting the mark ; The victory belongs to love : so what about marriage? ; The clarity ; Overwhelm ; Queen snows ; All the stars ; The killing of Troy Davis ; The G in "Ode to Joy" ; Frozen river is a moving surprise ; May I be frank ; ¡Nadie te quita lo bailado! ; Loving audiobooks but not the segregation of books and literature ; At sea on the audacity of hope ; Stubborn flowers climbing ; Windows : discovering Uri Avnery ; Reclaiming the cross ; "This is what you shall do" ; A recipe for difficult times : anxiety soup ; Everyone's a victim ; Sisterloss ; We are remembered for what we teach ; Edwidge Danticat, the quiet stream ; More meditation required! ; "We believe" by Staughton and Alice Lynd ; The inner listener ; From grandmother's horse ; Free dogs and the Albany Bulb Waterfront Park ; Ending the age of waste ; The case of Bradley Manning ; Evolution ; Bursting into love ; Life lessons : gratitude is my only prayer -- Wandering. The universe belongs to everyone ; 12 questions : Korean women's soul questions ; Adopting an orphanage ; Coming to see you since I was five years old : an American poet's connection to the South African soul ; St. John : the Lennonono Grant for Peace ceremony ; About Aung San Suu Kyi, meditator and teacher -- Solidarity. Letters ; A letter from Alice Walker to Aung San Suu Kyi ; A letter about nature from 2005 ; An open letter to Nawal El Saadawi ; To whom it may concern : with special attention to the prime minister, attorney general, and speaker of the Knesset in Israel ; On Palestine ; We can offer what we are ; Boycotts must happen in the heart ; "You will have no protection" ; What changes the world? Bearing witness to the truth ; Nothing is stronger than a circle ; The peace of nonviolent resistance ; Auntie, I simply can't imagine it! ; And so our trails continue ; Overcoming speechlessness ; Empathy is a wave ; To the freedom riders of Palestine ; The sanity of friendship ; Onward ; Encountering the unknown Brazil.

Essays revisiting themes the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist, and activist has addressed throughout her career, exploring her conflicting impulses to retreat into inner contemplation and to remain deeply engaged with the world: racism, Africa, solidarity with the Palestinian people, the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, Cuba, health care, and the work of Aung San Suu Kyi.

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