Phyllis Tickle

Starred review from November 13, 2017
Sweeney, executive editor of Ave Maria Press and coauthor with Phyllis Tickle on The Age of the Spirit, paints an exemplary, intimate portrait of Tickle (1934–2015), the prolific writer who founded PW’s religion department in 1992. Sweeney begins by describing Tickle’s early life and hometown of Johnson City, Tenn. She fell in love with poetry as a child—the result of her father reading poems to her—and also expressed religious interest at an early age, and Sweeney quotes liberally from her writings composed during high school and college to track her spiritual evolution. Tickle spent most of her life in Tennessee, teaching in Memphis and moving to the “Farm in Lucy” outside of Millington in 1977, which became the setting for many of Tickle’s poems, stories, and essays. Though Sweeney sketches the outline of Tickle’s publishing career (which spanned over 40 books), he mostly concentrates on Tickle’s evolving sense of spirituality, which was reflected in her inspirational classics The Divine Hours and The Great Emergence, and how it was influenced by her near-death experience after taking an experimental miscarriage-prevention drug, the violent death of her fifth child only weeks after birth, and formative experiences with other religious writers such as Jack Spong. This loving biography impressively captures the grace Tickle demonstrated during a long, dedicated life.

November 15, 2017
Phyllis Tickle (1934-2015) looms large in North American Christianity. The author of numerous books dealing with religion and spiritualitypoetry, plays, prayers, critical studiesand the founding editor of the religion section of Publishers Weekly, she helped shape the course of American spirituality. Appointed by Tickle's estate as her official biographer, Sweeney traces her life and her influence on religion in America. Writing about Tickle, though, is a bit trickyher own work seems intimate and confessional, but it is elliptical enough for her to hide behind. Interviews with family, friends, and many of Tickle's letters and papers fill in the details of a life often pulled in different directionstoward her family; her love of teaching, publishing, and traveling; and her unbreakable commitment to daily, structured prayer. Readers familiar with Tickle's work will not be surprised to find that her life was complex, shaped by tragedy but also by hard work and a deep and compelling spirituality. A solid biography of a complex, faithful woman.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

November 15, 2017
Mindfulness is a word and a practice that is becoming more and more popular, and readers seeking a deeper understanding of the Buddhist teachings behind the practice will find this book a kind and gentle guide. Each chapter elucidates a facet of Buddhism that influences the author's practice of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The author, a practitioner and teacher of MBSR, uses examples from her own life and from the groups she leads to illustrate the tenets of MBSR, then goes on to connect those tenets to the Buddhist teachings that guide them. Illustrating each example are stories from her own practice and classes. Through it all, the author's tone is clear, logical, and kind, guiding readers to options for practicing mindfulness in their own lives. A companion website also gives help. It is a clear and helpful guide to understanding both the practice of mindfulness and the deep spiritual tradition behind it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)