"There have been other English accounts of this hero with a thousnad descendants, but this is the first one that is as much poetry as scholarship."—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World

"Well-researched, comprehensive, and persuasive. How We Believe is especially notable in stressing the great power of narration as the vehicle of complex thought . . . The humanistic, evolutionary explanation may in fact be ready to break out of the intellectually remote domain in which it has been developed and too long hemmed-in."—Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University, author of Consilience

Impact of the English Reformation 1500-1640 is a collection of the most important and interesting recent articles on the impact of religious change in England in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. An introduction and sectional commentaries help to guide the reader through the maze of current scholarly debates.

"This engaging introduction to Mormon history and doctrine from the viewpoint of a convert gives a good idea of why Mormonism attracts and holds so many modern Americans. Along with the facts of history, one gets a feeling for the unconquerable spirit of the Mormon people."—Richard L. Bushman, Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University, author of Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism and The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities

Winner of the Christopher Award

"An ingeniously woven literary tapestry that tells the stories of four great American Catholic writers of the 20th century—[Walker] Percy, Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day . . . In Elie's deeply moving study, imperfection is both the starting point of spiritual journeys and the stuff of which wisdom literature is made. [Elie] uses the four authors' lives and work—their pilgrimages, as he says—to explore 'a larger story of the convergence of literature and religion in the 20th century' and to learn from their complicated struggles toward God in a country that is at the same time abnormally religious and unusually devoted to Mammon . . . Inspiring and deeply intelligent."—Lance Morrow, Time

"Kiser is the first American to have told the full story . . . What makes this book so unusual and yet useful for students is the way the author has combined solid research and profound analysis with compelling writing and personal engagement in the story. It is part mystery, part love story and part historical journalism of a very high order. There are precious few such books on the market. The Monks of Tibhirine brings together history, politics and stories of faith that is lived amid fear and violence in a style that is dramatic, inspiring and extremely educational. In this sense it is an excellent tool for teaching students about the Muslim world in which religion infuses life . . . This is an extraordinary story of the meeting of two peoples within the Abrahamic tradition who believed that, the violence notwithstanding, the destiny of all of them was to live together joined in charity and friendship. Kiser's book, as history and witness to faith, would be a valuable companion for many courses on religious studies, history and cultural studies of the Arab and Muslim worlds, but most of all for courses that seek to advance Christian Muslim understanding. I am going to be using it for my religion and conflict resolution course and am also recommending it as well to the Middle Eastern studies department."—Andrea Bartoli, Director, Center for International Conflict Resolution, Columbia University