LITERARY SPIRIT | Religion in the media

"The Church in the Barrio" Roberto R. Trevino (The University of North Carolina Press, 328 pages, paperback, $22.50) Beginning at the turn of the 20th century and focusing on immigrant neighborhoods of Houston, this history traces the culturally rich and multifaceted life of the Mexican-American Catholic community. The author's account of the Mexican faithful, their joys and sorrows and efforts to preserve their identity in the midst of cultural struggles, make this an interesting book. Roberto Trevino, an associate professor of history at the University of Texas at Arlington, argues that Catholicism has played a vital role throughout Mexican-American history. From the Chicano movement to processions honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe, he writes, the religion has contributed to the development of an "ethno-Catholicism" among Mexican-Americans. Each generation of immigrants finds in these traditions both a refuge and a well to draw strength.
"The Journey" by Billy Graham (W Publishing Group, 304 pages, $24.99) Publicity material for "The Journey" describes it as Graham's magnum opus, and in many ways it is exactly that. The book sums up his teachings over more than 60 years in the same folksy style he employed at his phenomenally successful crusades -- simple, heartfelt, filled with anecdotes from the life of the former farm boy from North Carolina. But rather than a tool to help people find Christian salvation, "The Journey" is a guide to living the Christian life.
"A Code of Jewish Ethics Volume I)" Rabbi Joseph Telushkin (Bell Tower Publishing, 559 pages, $30) Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has filled a bookshelf with volumes covering Jewish values, pain created by gossip, character development and Jewish humor. He follows a Jewish tradition of breaking big topics into bits of sacred text, scholarly analysis and stories. Here he brings these skills to a truly gargantuan task. The cover blurb touts this as the "first major code of Jewish ethics to be written in the English language." Other authors might dispute the assertion, but there's no quibbling with the scope of his ambition. He plans for this doorstop-size tome to be the first of a three-volume set. He mixes significant Talmudic scholarship, a nod to contemporary thinkers and even the acknowledgment of non-Jewish sages.
"Living Through Pain" Kristin M. Swenson (Baylor University Press, 273 pages, $19.95) Kristin M. Swenson teaches religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. Her study of the Psalms has shown her that many of them deal with the human condition, most notably the pain of affliction and loss. She uses various Psalms to show how the pain we feel is part of living; indeed, only the dead feel no pain. She demonstrates that even if one cannot overcome pain, one can -- as the title suggests -- live through it. For example, she uses Psalm 69 to discuss chronic pain, the kind that seems never to cease. The Psalm is one of despair, one that begins, "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck," and it accurately describes the nature of chronic pain. Using other Psalms, Swenson shows the various natures of pain, and that it was the same for all generations, from at least the time of David. The message is that unfortunately pain occurs sometime in everyone's life, but fortunately it can be dealt with, if one has understanding, patience and will. The book is recommended for patients, their caregivers and loved ones, and for health-care professionals of all types.
Knight Ridder Newspapers