Rev. Lenny Duncan's first book, Dear Church, implored the ELCA—the whitest denomination in the US—to stop hiding behind its social statements and take action for racial equality and justice. His newest book gets even more personal. United States of Grace is a memoir of growing up Black and queer in the US while experiencing racism, homelessness, addiction, incarceration, and redemption. The book hit me as I was spiraling into such a deep cynicism about this country (hello anti-trans legislation at every turn) I was pretty sure I would be stuck there. It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. It gave me much-needed perspective and made me think more about my own beliefs and principles. "I believe systemic…

I truly needed the boost of hope and courage that reading Steven Charleston's Ladder to the Light gave me this past month. This is one powerful little book. Charleston, a retired Episcopal priest and bishop, is also an elder of the Choctaw Nation and a practitioner of Zen meditation. He leaves interpretation open for the phrase "the Spirit" so that as many people as possible feel at home in his writing, saying, "theological debates are for another day." He throws those doors open wide and invites readers "to interpret the nature and meaning of the Spirit for themselves." This book is radical in its inclusion and unity without falling into syncretism, and avoids the trap of offering spiritual platitudes and…

"History is very kind to the memory of mediocre white men." Ijeoma Oluo's Mediocre is a history of how the United States has upheld white male power, the systems they created, and how this has impacted society and given us the systemic issues we all continue to face today. Oluo sets a tone from the start of the book, when she gracefully, effortlessly shows how simple it is to be trans-inclusive: "Men without uteruses should not control our reproductive choices." "When I talk about mediocrity, I talk about success that is measured only by how much better white men are faring than people who aren’t white men." It was nice to see that allyship so clearly, right off the bat. I…