If I were to recommend one new book as essential reading this summer, it would be Sobonfu Some's Falling Out Of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom (North Bay Books, El Sobrante, CA, 2003). On nearly every page I found pithy, profound passages so startlingly applicable that I needed to share them immediately with friends--words that often pertained exactly to a discussion I'd just had with someone, or to a situation we'd been pondering.
A member of the Dagara tribe in Burkina Faso, Sobonfu first emerged from traditional life in her tiny West African village very reluctantly, at the urging of her elders, who recognized her gifts and destiny. She remains deeply connected to the life of her village and to her elders, sharing the profound wisdom of her own ancient traditions while learning to navigate the perilous, promising, inevitable interface with "modernity." Her thought-provoking insights and observations have proven popular around the globe. Her first book, Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient Teachings in the Way of Relationships has been translated into five languages. Alice Walker recently cited Some's second work, Welcoming Spirit Home: Ancient African Teachings to Celebrate Children and Community, as her favorite book. I myself devoured that one in about 48 hours, and found my world forever widened.
