Best this month
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat The Last Lions
In the popular mind, the lion is the “king of the beasts,” ranking at the top of the food chain. These powerful and lithe carnivores are highly social animals. Male lions rule the pride (ranging from five to 35 members), but the lionesses do most of the hunting. These magnificent creatures deserve smart, committed and creative advocates—they have two in Derek and Beverly Joubert, the writers and directors of The Last Lions. The Jouberts spent seven years film- ing lions in the wild and three years edit- ing hundreds of hours of footage. The result is an astonishing documentary about the struggle for survival of a lioness and her three cubs. She faces many rivals and enemies in defending her young ones. The Jouberts have made it easy for us to empathize with this lion- ess, but they don’t anthropomorphize her. They ask us to see her as she is—a predatory and protective animal who deserves our respect as a dazzling creature in God’s creation (National Geographic Entertainment—rated PG).
Homer, the Library Cat
Homer is a cat who treasures silence and
solitude. He lives in a quiet house with a quiet woman. When she is
The Brussats pub- lish the website www. SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
away, he plays peacefully with yarns and feathers. But one day a loud crash sends him into the street and he begins a quest to find a quiet place to rest. He tries the post office, the fire station and even an empty box- car. Homer is finally happy in the library. Reeve Lindbergh has written a children’s book that will also appeal to adults who long for some peace and quiet. More people these days are visiting monasteries and retreat centers in a quest for silence and solitude. So Homer has plenty of peo- ple, both young and old, who know just what he’s looking for (Candlewick Press, www.
candlewick.com).
The Meaning of Nice: How Compassion and Civility Can Change Your Life (and the World)
It’s probably fair to say that most people are turned off by rudeness, selfishness and
greed. But in the cold-hearted scramble for suc- cess and perks, many justify their bad behavior as what’s needed in a dog-eat-dog world. At the same time, those who feel more optimistic about human nature point to the upturn in volunteerism as more people discover the benefits of being nice.
Joan Duncan Oliver, an award-winning journalist, takes us on a cogent tour through the complex world of nice, drawing on a variety of disciplines. Researchers have found that a nice person is kind, generous, caring and compas- sionate. In a chapter titled “Why Manners Mat- ter,” Oliver lists the seven magic words that are the essence of this practice: “Please. Thank you. Excuse me. I’m sorry.” She concludes: “The nicest people are simply those who haven’t for- gotten our essential kinship as human beings” (Berkley Books,
http://us.penguingroup.com).
42 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
BEVERLY JOUBERT
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