Hamilton Author Explores the Grieving Process

As the Pastor for 18 years at Mount Hamilton Baptist Church, Leanne Friesen had interacted with many who were dealing with loss. But when it hits home, these things tend to become personal. Her book, Grieving Room: Making Space for All the Hard Things After Death (note: not The Grieving Room) released in February in hardcover from Broadleaf Books and is already into its second printing.

Here is the publisher description:

People long to reduce the enormity of our grief. “Time heals all wounds,” they tell us, or “At least she isn’t in pain anymore.” Yet no matter how hard others try to stuff our grief into a process or a plan, grief cannot be willed away.

Leanne Friesen thought she knew a lot about bereavement. She had studied it in school and preached at memorial services. But only when her own sister died from cancer did she learn, in her very bones, what grieving people don’t need–and what they do. In Grieving Room, Friesen writes with vulnerability, wisdom, and somehow even wit about the stark and sacred lessons learned at deathbeds and funerals.

When someone dies, we need room for imperfect goodbyes, she writes, and room for a changing faith. We need room for regret and room to rage at the world. Room for hard holidays and room in our schedules. We need room for redemption and room for resurrection–and we also need room to never “get over it.”

In this poignant account of a sister’s mourning and a pastor’s journey, Friesen pushes back against a world that wants to minimize our sorrow and avoid our despair. She helps those of us walking with the grieving figure out what to say and what not to say, and she offers practical ways to create ample space for every emotion and experience. Reflection questions, practices, and prayers at the end of the book offer guidance and ideas for individuals and groups.

In a world that wants to rush toward closure and healing, Grieving Room gives us permission to let loss linger. When the very worst happens, we can learn to give ourselves and others grieving room.

The table of contents reveals that the book is organized around 15 grieving “rooms” or “spaces” that are either needed or experienced in various degrees.

For an excellent overview of the book, watch this interview Leanne did with 100 Huntley Street. (Fast-forward to the 9:47 mark; the interview runs about 12 minutes.)

From this point on, since this a trade blog, I want to ‘talk shop.’ I found it unusual that this American-published book by a Canadian author has no representation within our Christian book trade sphere. There is a Canadian distributor, Jaguar Book Group, which many of you reading this may not have dealt with before. This compounds with the American penchant for first-edition hardcovers. A straight 1.4000 conversion of its $26.99 US list — for example, if you purchase from Ingram — would make it $40.99 in Canada. The Jaguar price, $36.50 is more merciful! No representation also means there weren’t review copies in circulation, so I went with the publisher description.

That critique — which has nothing to do with the book’s content — aside, I’ve met Leanne in her other role as Executive Minister of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ), that denomination’s top job; and have heard her speak on two occasions. I expect this book is meeting a real need right now, hence the need for a second printing. Take some time to watch the interview linked above.

Broadleaf Books| 256 pages, hardcover | 9781506492377 | 26.99 US (Ingram) 36.50 CAD (Jaguar)

Multi-Faith Leaders Respond to Social Justice Issues

It’s not every day that I get to spread the word about a Canadian author who also lives in our hometown, but that’s the case today.

Author Karen Hamilton is the former General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches and is an award-winning author, particularly in the field of interfaith dialogue. That well equips her to write a book of this nature.

Her book, Faith as Protest: Answering the Call to Mend the World (Novalis, 2023) includes representatives from ten faith groups who highlight different social justice issues each is facing, and how they respond as individuals, as a group, and in solidarity with the broader religious community. Salvation Army, United, Roman Catholic and Anglican voices are heard along with Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Baha’i, Sikh  and Hindu spokespeople.

A short introduction and conclusion serve as reminders of the delicate balance it takes to bring such a diverse group of people together between the pages of a single book, especially in a world as polarized as ours is currently.

The 112-page paperback retails for $21.99 CDN. Stores and consumers may order from Novalis. Learn more about initiatives to bring hope and healing in our ever-changing world. Faith still has a role to play.

ISBN: 9782896888719

Ontario Author’s Hope for Hearts Which Have Become Hardened

Carol McMurray wants to offer hope to a generation who have seen their children and grandchildren indoctrinated by the world system.  As a grandparent to three grandsons and three granddaughters she believes that “God can replace stony hearts with hearts that are soft and pliable, forgiving, loving and kind.”

Her first book, Melting a Heart of Stone just released from Word Alive Press. Full disclosure: Carol has been a customer of my store for 24 years now, and my wife and I got to work with her on editing some of the earliest editions of the manuscript. I knew the book was coming, but was thrilled to see the finished product.

Here’s the publisher information:

If a reporter were tasked with analyzing the state of Christianity today by attending a typical Sunday service, they would probably conclude that all is well. The music is upbeat and joyful, the sermon clear and concise—with the aid of PowerPoint slides and a touch of humour—and visitors are met with plenty of friendly handshakes and greetings. But based on the conversation among Christians in social settings or on the internet, we see a different picture emerging; one of growing frustration and anxiety, and even some bitterness entering into our increasingly negative conversations.

With this in mind, consider the following questions:

1. Do our choices matter to God?
2. Can our attitude affect our destiny?
3. How do society’s attitudes compare with the days before the flood?
4. Is it possible to melt hearts that have hardened like stone?

Melting a Heart of Stone provides a biblical examination of the phenomena of anger, bitterness, and hardness of heart throughout history, delving into its root cause, negative effects, and the only possible solution. God is seeking those who through humility and repentance are willing to exchange their heart of stone for a heart of flesh.

I would add that one of the book’s strengths is its dependence on scripture references. Carol shared with me yesterday that 42 Biblical books fit into the book’s annotations.

At 96-pages with a smaller trim size and smartly-priced at only $11.99 CDN, this is a format that seems to work well for several Word Alive projects (such as this one we covered last year, also from an author in our area.)

I encourage store managers and owners reading this to support this Canadian author.

ISBN: 9781486618729