What's New

Two New Important Books

Just Released - Right Relationship: Building a Whole Earth Economy

What is right relationship? A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, resilience, and beauty of the commonwealth of life. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.

"Out of the rich Quaker tradition of personal commitment to peace, equality, and justice comes this powerful call to transform our relationship to the earth and its commonwealth of life. In recognizing the inherent connections between ecological health, social well-being, and a moral economy, the authors have provided, for Quakers and non-Quakers alike, light amid the darkness." - Curt Meine, conservationist

The authors Peter G. Brown, Geoffrey Garver, and Keith Helmuth will be making a presentation on their book, along with a book signing at Arch Street Meeting House, 4th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia on Saturday, February 14th from 2 to 4 pm. Come help them celebrate!

Coming February 5th - Fit for Freedom, not for Friendship

Quaker Press of FGC will publish Fit for Freedom, not for Friendship: Quakers, African Americans and the Myth of Racial Justice on February 5th. The book explores the history of the complex relationship between Quakers and African Americans.

"The legendary status of Quakers in the struggle for Black freedom undergoes serious scrutiny and critique in this courageous and visionary book. This timely examination is a challenge to us all in the age of Obama." - Cornel West, Princeton University

See a video about Fit for Freedom, not for Friendship on YouTube.

We're offering the book at a discounted price until January 15th. When you order, it will indicate that the book is 'out of stock' next to the buy button, because we don't have the book yet. We'll ship it and charge your card when the book is released in February. You can pre-order either the hardcover or paperback.

Come help us celebrate the launch of the book with a party at Arch Street Meeting House at 4th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia on February 5th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Musical Group Tribe 1 and Storyteller Charlotte Blake-Alston will open for authors Donna McDaniel and Vanessa Julye, as they present stories from and about the book. They'll be available afterwards for a book signing and reception.

Posted by QuakerBooks on January 6, 2009

Author Interviews

The Vocation and Soul of an Educator: An Interview with Parker J. Palmer

By Chel (Michel) Avery:I reached Parker Palmer by phone at his Wisconsin home after several false starts trying to schedule an interview. He travels much of the time. And I had been inconsistent about my readiness for our conversation. When Angelina at Quakerbooks first asked me to interview Parker Palmer, I was delighted. I had first encountered his voice in the 1980's, when a colleague recommended To Know As We Are Known (Harper), one of his early books that spoke to my interest in how to create meaningful learning environments for adults. Later, when I worked at Pendle Hill and when I became involved with Quaker schools, I found that his pamphlet Meeting for Learning (Friends Council on Education) was a classic, frequently-quoted guide among those involved in Friends education. I am always interested in accounts of how people's lives and vocations unfold, and I was quick to read and profit from his own personal story when Let Your Life Speak (Jossey-Bass) was published. So it was with high expectations that I purchased The Courage to Teach (Jossey-Bass) when it came out just over a decade ago. The book was stimulating much discussion among Quaker educators and I looked forward to reading it. Read more

Posted by QuakerBooks on April 12, 2008 | Comments (0)

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Book Musings

Living Prophetic Witness - December 2008

Posted by QuakerBooks on December 12, 2008 | Comments (1)

Welcoming the Stranger

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Friends Meeting of Austin for a weekend committee meeting. I found such a sense of welcome and invitation to the stranger in their new meeting house. It was quite an undertaking hosting all of us who had come to that meeting, yet we were fed and housed and nurtured with a warm embrace. The meeting welcomes its families and children and extends its reach into the community in many ways. They’ve chosen a neighborhood that increases the likelihood that their community’s wealth of diversity (ethnic, economic, sexual, and political) will walk through their doors.

On Sunday, I arrived at the meeting early and was asked to help unload a member’s car that was stuffed to the windshield with bread. The meeting collects leftover bread from Whole Foods and distributes most of it to homeless shelters in the area.

Posted by QuakerBooks on March 16, 2008 | Comments (0)

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Staff Picks

Graham Garner's Picks

These are a few books we stock that Friends haven’t seemed to notice yet... Read more

Posted by QuakerBooks on September 28, 2006 | Comments (0)

Laird Holby's Picks

Looking for language to illuminate the "inner light" and for the encouragement to live it. Read more

Posted by QuakerBooks on September 28, 2006 | Comments (0)