I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion [Hardcover]

Marilyn Singer (Author), Gregory Maguire (Author), Naomi Shihab Nye (Author), Jacqueline Woodson (Author), Virginia Euwer Wolff (Author), Margaret Peterson Haddix (Author), Jennifer Armstrong (Author), Joyce Carol Thomas (Author), Nancy Springer (Author), Kyoko Mori (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

Sometimes funny, sometimes startling - and featuring a variety of settings, cultures, and beliefs - these twelve original stories evoke dilemmas of faith and identity that are familiar to us all. The anthology brings together a powerful mix of award-winning contributors: Jennifer Armstrong, Margaret Peterson Haddix, M. E. Kerr, Gregory Maguire, Kyoko Mori, Jess Mowry, Naomi Shihab Nye, Marilyn Singer, Nancy Springer, Joyce Carol Thomas, Virginia Euwer Wolff, and Jacqueline Woodson.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In these "twelve brushes with religion" written by leading young-adult authors, teens from a wide range of beliefs search for answers to the hard questions of faith at crucial points in their lives. Braving the long-held taboo in teen fiction against spiritual inquiry, I Believe in Water approaches God from surprising angles. Virginia Euwer Wolff shows us three different girls confronting unwanted pregnancies, praying in the contexts of Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. Jacqueline Woodson shares a glimpse of her own childhood as a Jehovah's Witness, while Joyce Carol Thomas takes us into the shivery practice of religious snake handling. Gregory Maguire contributes an affecting story about a boy's return to Catholicism, while Jennifer Armstrong plays sainthood for laughs. Marilyn Singer finds answers on the edges of Judaism. In Kyoko Mori's fine story, a young Japanese woman surrenders her life to fate, and, in what is perhaps the most exotic piece in the book, Jess Mowry weaves a tale about a chubby voodoo child-deity. Other very different stories by M.E. Kerr, Naomi Shihab Nye, Nancy Springer, and Margaret Peterson Haddix make this an audacious, unforgettable collection that will reach out to teens pondering spiritual realities in their own lives. For another excellent selection of short stories that address teens and religion, don't miss Sandy Asher's With All My Heart, with All My Mind: Thirteen Stories About Growing Up Jewish. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-An enigmatic cover illustration summons readers to consider imponderables such as the nature of faith, prayer, and God from the perspectives of a lively mix of teen protagonists. Virginia Euwer Wolff's "Religion: From the Greek Re Legios, to Re-Link" describes the concerns of three pregnant teens trying to reconcile their physical condition with their spiritual beliefs. Jacqueline Woodson's "On Earth" evokes Carlene's tender memories of her Jehovah Witness upbringing as tempered by her awareness of hypocrisy. "Forty-Nine Days" by Kyoko Mori culminates with Shinobu's understanding of mercy after working through issues sparked by her father's recent death in Japan. Set in modern-day Haiti, Jess Mowry's "Esu's Island" encompasses themes about the nature of belief, rites of initiation, and the history of slavery in the islands. In Naomi Shihab Nye's "What Is the Dickens?," 15-year-old Leslie ponders her father's disappearance a decade before; witnesses her Lebanese grandfather's decline and death over a period of several months; and voices her misgivings about organized religion, especially fundamentalist religions, which seem so sure about everything. Other authors include Nancy Springer, Gregory Maguire, Marilyn Singer, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Jennifer Armstrong, Joyce Carol Thomas, and M. E. Kerr. Questioning teens should find the "water" in this collection significantly more palatable than the chicken broth books. Others may be provoked to a deeper understanding and appreciation of their beliefs.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060283971
• ISBN-13: 978-0060283971
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD but not great!, May 1, 2003

By 

"small-bean" (Seattle, wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion (Library Binding)

I thought this book wa rather depressing, although i highly recommend you read this. Not only because it makes you think but also because it is fun and insightful.The authors and stories in this book were portrayed just right.