The Force of Spirit [Paperback]

Scott Russell Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

Scott Russell Sanders reveals how the pressure of the sacred breaks through the surfaces of ordinary life-a life devoted to grown-up children and aging parents, the craft of writing, and the natural world. Whether writing to his daughter and his son as each prepares to get married, or describing an encounter with a red-tailed hawk in whose form he glimpses his dead father, or praising the disciplines of writing and carpentry and teaching, Sanders registers, in finely tuned prose, the force of spirit.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sanders's voice is honest and witty and rich with the joy of storytelling; he confronts gently, but with determination, many of the dilemmas of our time and the enigmatic nature of our worlds. The Force of Spirit urges the reader to sit back, to enjoy the pleasure of reading, then to consider and reconsider carefully. -Pattiann Rogers, author of Eating Bread and Honey

"In the tradition of Montaigne, Thoreau, Wendell Berry, and Annie Dillard, Sanders has established himself as one of the few masters of the personal essay." -Tom Montgomery-Fate, The Boston Globe

"Sanders is the writer I turn to when I feel the need to slow down, pay attention, ponder the blessings of life and acknowledge them with due respect, apprehension, joy. His newest gathering of essays . . . only enhances my admiration for his values, vision, and eloquence." -Jim Mustick, A Common Reader

"One of America's finest essayists. Sanders writes with a rare grace and sensitivity, befriending the reader by being so human himself." —Phillip Lopate

"Sanders's voice is honest and witty and rich with the joy of storytelling; he confronts gently, but with determination, many of the dilemmas of our time and the enigmatic nature of our worlds. The Force of Spirit urges the reader to sit back, to enjoy the pleasure of reading, then to consider and reconsider carefully." —Pattiann Rogers, author of Eating Bread and Honey

"In the tradition of Montaigne, Thoreau, Wendell Berry, and Annie Dillard, Sanders has established himself as one of the few masters of the personal essay." —Tom Montgomery-Fate, The Boston Globe

"Sanders is the writer I turn to when I feel the need to slow down, pay attention, ponder the blessings of life and acknowledge them with due respect, apprehension, joy. His newest gathering of essays . . . only enhances my admiration for his values, vision, and eloquence." —Jim Mustick, A Common Reader

About the Author

For his personal nonfiction, Scott Russell Sanders has won the Lannan Literary Award and the Great Lakes Book Award. His books include "The Paradise of Bombs," "Secrets of the Universe," and "Staying Put." He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807062979
• ISBN-13: 978-0807062975
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Common Thread, July 8, 2006

By 

Cynthia (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Force of Spirit (Paperback)

Scott Russell Sanders speaks to and through all of us with his poignant collection of universal experiences. His voice contains an authentic and quiet dignity that is increasingly difficult to hear in the cacophony of modern life.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essays on Life's Center, September 11, 2008

By 

Cal Emery (Rockford, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Force of Spirit (Paperback)

"Sanders is the writer I turn to when I feel the need to slow down, pay attention, ponder the blessings of life..." I've lifted that from the dust jacket because I can't say it any better.

The Force of Spirit is a collection of essays on the existence of, and belief in, a spiritual center to life. Through personal anecdotes and musings Sanders approaches the topic from a dozen directions, gradually making a case for his own belief but never dictating yours.

I'm far from a fan of precious memoirs (see my review of Marley and Me), and I don't share Sanders' belief in any sort of true universal spirit. But there are iconic experiences, and maybe primordial instincts, that can guide us away from life's frantic effemera toward a sense of calm, perhaps even centeredness, which seems to be its own reward. Sanders gently walks a path around and through some of the places and experiences in his life that have brought him a kind of peace and perhaps understanding, and I find that his observations quietly encourage me to value similar essentials in my own life.

You don't have to believe in God to understand that a solitary meander beside a woodland stream can do you a world of good. This book is a subtle and eloquent reminder "to slow down, pay attention, ponder the blessings of life."