Huston Smith wrote the best seller “The World's Religions” (book 17). He also did a 5-part PBS special on religions with Bill Moyers. Smith is an internationally recognized expert, having spent his life learning Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the “Chinese Religious Complex.” (For his books I've read, click on his name.)

Parker J. Palmer is widely published (as of 1990, 10 poems, 80+ essays, 8 books) and he gives lectures and often leads workshops and retreats. He is a sociologist-philosopher, an activist, and a Quaker. (For his books I've read, click on his name.)

Jack Kornfield was trained as a Buddhist monk and taught meditation worldwide since 1974. He has a Ph.D, in clinical psychology. He is a founder of Insight Mediation Society and of Spirit Rock Center. He has written more than 8 books by 2002.

Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest with a Chair in Religion and Philosophy at Piedmont College in Demorest, GA. As a child she loved science, but was told it was “unfit for a girl.” So she became a priest and wrote many books. (For her books I've read, click on her name.)

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) was a poet, philosopher and artist from Lebanon. He was considered a genus of his age for his works in Arabic. They have been translated into more than 20 languages. He spent his last 20 years in the U.S.A., where he began to write in English. (For his books I've read, click on his name.)

This book goes into greater depth of Buddhist thinking than do books 4 and 5 by the Dalai Lama. In this book he discusses other religions and compares them to his Tibetan Buddhism. (For all my reviews of the author, click on his name.)

“Speaking of Sin” was highly recommended to our church by my pastor. I'm glad I took her advice and read it. See book 21, “The Luminous Web,” for info on Barbara Brown Taylor. (For all my reviews of the author, click on her name.)

Elie Wiesel survived the Holocaust as a child. He has written much about this tragic topic. In 2003, Amazon.com found 178 results for him, the most popular being “Night,” “The Night Trilogy,” and “Dawn.”