Customer Reviews

Planet of Grace: Images and Words from Biosphere One

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Planet of Grace author Bernadette McCarver Snyder is a former columnist for Our Sunday Visitor and the author of thirty-two books. The book's photos are taken from the work of James Stephen Behrens, OCSO. Author of four books and a frequent contributor to National Catholic Reporter, Behrens served as a diocesan priest for 25 years before joining the Trappists in 2005. The Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia, is the setting for the photos in Planet of Grace.

Behrens describes "Planet" as a primer on how to "look about and see, find and do...the many ordinary ways you can heal our wounded Earth." Snyder, who says she used to be a lazy steward of the earth, learned in writing the book that one person can make a difference. "That's the way every invention, discovery, exploration and redemption has begun--with one person, seeing and reaching out."

The book includes more than 80 color photos and reflections, each ending with a prayer, and numerous short quotations from Benedict XVI, Emily Dickenson, Martin Luther King Jr., and Hildegard of Bingen and many others. It is a wonderful resource for personal use or for small groups hoping to increase their awareness and action on behalf of the environment.

A reflection on our "penny-pinching foremothers" is accompanied by a photo showing the corner of a porch containing a rustic bucket, some blown leaves, and a patchwork quilt draped over a wooden rocking chair. Snyder explains "cheapskating," as an old-fashioned way of getting through hard times. Earlier generations, she writes, sewed together scraps of fabric to make bed coverings. Today we face water shortages, non-biodegradable trash, and other environmental threats. Snyder is hopeful that our increasing awareness will lead to new, even cheap solutions. She closes with a prayer thanking God for "inventing people wiser than I will ever be who find ways to solve problems that may even save planets."

The Earth has beauty that is truly magnificent. "A Planet of Grace: Images and Words from Biosphere One" looks into the status of Biosphere One, better known as Earth. Looking at the natural, cultural, and other beauties of the world through Christian eyes, and with plenty of reflections, Bernadette McCarcer Snyder gives readers a thought provoking and visual treat that is truly unique and sure to please. "A Planet of Grace" is a solid and very highly recommended read.