Review_NONFICTION
60 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ MARCH 2, 2020
Review_NONFICTION
Good Work: How Blue Collar
Business Can Change Lives,
Communities, and the World
Dave Hataj. Moody, $15.99 trade paper
(240p) ISBN 978-0-8024-1957-6
Hataj, owner of Wisconsin gear manu-
facturer Edgerton Gear, argues in his
impactful debut that finding one’s purpose
in the kingdom of God can be wrapped
up neatly into what one does for a living.
The desire to do well in business and
serve God need not be mutually exclusive,
he contends, and businesses where owners
and workers figure out how to combine
the two can make for a God-serving
community. He gleans insight from culture
and biblical stories, and shares personal
stories about deciding to take over his
family gear shop. For Hataj, once profit
isn’t seen as the end-all for motivation, a
job becomes a tool for fulfilling personal
purpose while serving customers and
employees. Work relationships must
survive through both boom and bust
times, Hataj points out, and how one
reacts to adversity can help spread
Christianity within one’s workplace and
communities. One memory about his
father’s overcoming prejudice to treat
customers well is particularly affecting.
He also lauds the “three-legged stool” of
business—quality, value, and service—
and gives tips on leadership and customer
service that can benefit all workers.
Christians who struggle with wondering
how to serve God will find Hataj’s
impassioned testament quite persuasive.
(May)★ Theological Territories:
A David Bentley Hart Digest
David Bentley Hart. Univ. of Notre Dame, $29
(420p) ISBN 978-0-268-10718-5
In this scintillating compilation of
essays based on lectures—most published
here for the first time—Eastern Orthodox
scholar and cultural commentator Hart
(That All Shall Be Saved) examines the
intersection of theology with other aca-
demic fields, including ethics, science, lit-
erature, and biblical hermeneutics.
Whether conversing with theologian
Rowan Williams on the healing purpose
of tragedy, or meditating on “the Problem
of Evil” as laid out by Dostoyevsky,
Hart’s witty, erudite writing proves
unsettling and invigorating. EssaysFallingstar’s
“silly, simple
and profound,
and all true”
tales will appeal
to practitioners
of wicca, who
will likely
recognize the
rituals and
tools referred
to, though
Fallingstar’s anecdotes are tailored for a
general audience. She relates her early
aptitude for energy reception, psychic
abilities, and past-life memories, as well
as stories of creating magic circles in the
woods and other spellwork. The section
covering the psychedelic visions she’s had
while on sinsemilla honey is particularly
trippy. Fallingstar’s husband and children
also play crucial roles in the stories,
including many family camping trips
where she had spiritual awakenings.
Readers into witchcraft will find much to
enjoy in this touching and humorous
memoir. (May)Diary of a Pastor’s Soul: The Holy
Moments in a Life of Ministry
M. Craig Barnes. Brazos, $18.99 trade paper
(240p) ISBN 978-1-58743-444-0
Barnes (Searching for Home), president of
Princeton Theological Seminary, shares
his experiences of ministry work in this
reflective and partially fictionalized diary.
Barnes writes that his decision to mix
fact and fiction was due to pastoral confi-
dentiality and because he wanted “to
rewrite some of my own stories that I might
have lived differently if I had known then
what I know now.” The entries address a
wide array of topics, among them what to
think about the desire to have a relaxing
morning at home instead of attending, the
experience of guiding kids and parents
through the college application process,
and how to approach the firing of a long-
term employee. Throughout, he questions
his effectiveness—as when he failed to
fully empathize and relate to a sick child
while keeping his own cancer a secret.
This thoughtful though opaque work will
propel readers to reflect on their own
vocation. Agent: Kathryn Helmers, Creative
Trust. (May)toddling set,” with embroidered mouse,
raccoon, bear, and elephant faces. Ishida
provides templates for users to cut out or
trace and, in the closing resource section,
shares info on fabric sources, reference
titles, and online sewing help. These
sweet DIY projects will appeal to parents
who are also avid or aspiring sewers, not
to mention to their kids. (May)Religion/Spirituality
Broken Roads:
Returning to My Amish Father
Ira Wagler. FaithWords, $16.99 trade paper
(272p) ISBN 978-1-5460-1206-1
Wagler follows his memoir Growing Up
Amish with this soul-searching but mud-
dled recollection of what happened after
he left the Amish faith at age 26. He
shares his experience eagerly gaining
formal education, first at a community
college in the late 1980s, and then his
adoring memories of his time at Bob Jones
University. He then speeds through
recounting his time at Dickinson School
of Law and the collapse of his marriage of
seven years in 2007. Some of the frus-
trating lack of specifics are partially
explained later when Wagler describes
starting a discussion and sermon-listening
men’s group with the man his wife had an
affair with (a fact which is awkwardly
added with little unpacking or explana-
tion). He also writes of how his divorce
led him to drink too much and helped
inspire a career shift from lawyer to writer.
Wagler’s reflections are most engaging
when he explores tensions and compro-
mises in visits back to his parents, but,
disappointingly, the individual narrative
threads do not coalesce into obvious
themes and leave a somewhat disjointed
feel. This memoir of post-Amish life
stumbles, but will help readers see the
long-term emotional costs of the decision
to leave. (May)Broth from the Cauldron: A Wisdom
Journey Through Everyday Magic
Cerridwen Fallingstar. She Writes, $16.95
trade paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-63152-699-2
Shamanic witch Fallingstar (The Heart
of Fire) explores her life of spiritual
seeking and magical experiences in this
intriguing collection of reflections.