Girl Meets God: On the Path to a Spiritual Life

Algonquin Books, 2002. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Like most of us, Lauren Winner wants something to believe in. The child of a reform Jewish father and a lapsed Southern Baptist mother, she chose to b ecome an Orthodox Jew. But as she faithfully observes the Sabbath rituals a nd studies Jewish laws, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Christianit y. Taking a courageous step, she leaves behind what she loves and converts. Now the even harder part: How does one reinvent a religious self? How does one embrace the new without abandoning the old? How does a convert become spiritually whole. In GIRL MEETS GOD, this appealingly honest young woman t akes us through a year in her search for a religious identity. Despite her conversion, she finds that her world is still shaped by her Jewish experien ces. Even as she rejoices in the holy days of the Christian calendar, she m ourns the Jewish rituals she still holds dear. Attempting to reconcile the two sides of her religious self, Winner applies the lessons of Judaism to t he teachings of the New Testament, hosts a Christian seder, and struggles t o fit her Orthodox friends into her new religious life. Ultimately she lear ns that faith takes practice and belief is an ongoing challenge. Like Anne Lamott's, Winner's journey to Christendom is bumpy, but it is the rocky pat h itself that makes her a perfect guide to exploring spirituality in today' s complicated world. Her engaging approach to religion in the twenty-first century is illuminating, thought-provoking, and most certainly controversia l.