Shalom Sistas

Starred review from August 14, 2017
Moore, a podcaster and advocate, debuts with a passionate memoir and guidebook to living that is drawn from her experiences as a minister and activist. In 2005 Moore was doing community development work in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina forced her to relocate to New York City. After losing all of her possessions, she had a spiritual reawakening and decided to forge a new identity as a “shalom sista”: a peacemaker grounded in love, not fear. For herself and other followers of Christ who seek peace on Earth, Moore presents a 12-part manifesto that advocates choosing subversive joy, serving before speaking, and telling better stories. She explains how to deepen everyday spirituality through stories of her own life as a black minister and podcaster married to a white minister and raising their three children; through revisiting her blogged essays; and through Bible stories applied to contemporary political situations. With sass, common sense, humor, and wisdom, Moore embraces mothering and sistering, provides recipes, and decries racism. Through all these diverse threads, the book doesn’t become unwieldy. Fans of Elizabeth Cunningham, Anne Lamott, and Nadia Bolz-Weber will be delighted with this new, exciting voice.