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Becoming A Friend And Lover: Building A Quality Relationship That Lasts A Lifetime
by Dick PurnellAre you single? Do you have close friends who are part of your life? Or have you wondered why your friends seem to find love while you stay home with your cat on Friday night? Is there a way to find someone special without an extreme makeover involving plastic surgery? The answer to this last question is yes, and this book will show you how to do it. You really can have the loving friendships and romantic relationship you've always dreamed of. Even better than that is discovering that God has created a blueprint for relationships that can work no matter who you are. You don't need plastic surgery, to become an iron man, or flash a platinum Visa card. Instead, learn to become a true friend and lover. Through stories, questions, Scripture, and the author's description of his dating life, you can learn how to create caring relationships and deepen those you already have.
Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism
by Sarah Bunin BenorWhen non-Orthodox Jews become frum (religious), they encounter much more than dietary laws and Sabbath prohibitions. They find themselves in the midst of a whole new culture, involving matchmakers, homemade gefilte fish, and Yiddish-influenced grammar. Becoming Frum explains how these newcomers learn Orthodox language and culture through their interactions with community veterans and other newcomers. Some take on as much as they can as quickly as they can, going beyond the norms of those raised in the community. Others maintain aspects of their pre-Orthodox selves, yielding unique combinations, like Matisyahu's reggae music or Hebrew words and sing-song intonation used with American slang, as in "mamish (really) keepin' it real."Sarah Bunin Benor brings insight into the phenomenon of adopting a new identity based on ethnographic and sociolinguistic research among men and women in an American Orthodox community. Her analysis is applicable to other situations of adult language socialization, such as students learning medical jargon or Canadians moving to Australia. Becoming Frum offers a scholarly and accessible look at the linguistic and cultural process of "becoming."
Becoming Functional: Steps for Transforming Into a Functional Programmer
by Joshua BackfieldIf you have an imperative (and probably object-oriented) programming background, this hands-on book will guide you through the alien world of functional programming. Author Joshua Backfield begins slowly by showing you how to apply the most useful implementation concepts before taking you further into functional-style concepts and practices.In each chapter, you’ll learn a functional concept and then use it to refactor the fictional XXY company’s imperative-style legacy code, writing and testing the functional code yourself. As you progress through the book, you’ll migrate from Java 7 to Groovy and finally to Scala as the need for better functional language support gradually increases.Learn why today’s finely tuned applications work better with functional codeTransform imperative-style patterns into functional code, following basic stepsGet up to speed with Groovy and Scala through examplesUnderstand how first-class functions are passed and returned from other functionsConvert existing methods into pure functions, and loops into recursive methodsChange mutable variables into immutable variablesGet hands-on experience with statements and nonstrict evaluationsUse functional programming alongside object-oriented design
Becoming Gandhi: Living the Mahatma's 6 Moral Truths in Immoral Times
by Perry GarfinkelThe fascinating and timely quest of a longtime New York Times contributor to follow Mahatma Gandhi&’s code of ethics in today&’s world. In Becoming Gandhi, veteran journalist and author Perry Garfinkel sets out on a three-year quest to examine how Gandhi&’s ideals have held up in a world beset with troubling trends. In one chilling admission, one of Gandhi&’s own grandsons tells Garfinkel that humans will always retain a degree of violence. Where does this leave modern society? &“When I despair,&” the Mahatma had said, &“I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won.&” To many he was a beacon of hope, a true moral compass; to others, a divisive lightning rod for controversy. Garfinkel takes to heart one of Gandhi&’s most famous sayings―&“Be the change you want to see in the world&”―and attempts a personal transformation. Committing to practice the Mahatma&’s six main principles―truth, nonviolence, vegetarianism, simplicity, faith, and celibacy―he seeks to better himself, facing successes and failures that at times lead to self-effacing humour. Perry undertook a unique journey of self-discovery by tracing Gandhi&’s footsteps from India to England to South Africa and even American communities where Gandhi&’s spirit endures. Featuring inspiring interviews, provocative reflections, and remarkable encounters, Becoming Gandhi shares new perspectives on this pivotal figure and why his teachings are needed like never before.
Becoming Gay: The Journey to Self-acceptance
by Richard IsayWinner of a Books for a Better Life Literary Award in Psychology. The importance of living authentically-accepting one's homosexuality and embracing a positive gay identity-is at the heart of Dr. Richard Isay's powerful work on the psychological development of gay men. In the candid language of personal case histories, including his own, Isay shows how disguising one's sexual identity can induce anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. He looks at the dilemma of gay men who are closeting in heterosexual marriages as well as at the specific concerns of adolescents, older men, and those confronted with HIV or AIDS. Isay exposes the tenacity with which psychoanalysis has clung to outdated views of homosexuality. Becoming Gay offers great insight for students of psychology, gender studies, and sociology.
Becoming The Gentleman: British Literature and the Invention of Modern Masculinity, 1660–1815 (Global Masculinities)
by Jason D. SolingerBecoming the Gentleman explains why British citizens in the long eighteenth century were haunted by the question of what it meant to be a gentleman. Supplementing recent work on femininity, Solinger identifies a corpus of texts that address masculinity and challenges the notion of a masculine figure that has been regarded as unchanging.
Becoming Gentlemen: Women, Law School, and Institutional Change
by Lani Guinier Michelle Fine Jane BalinThe Socratic method of teaching is one factor contributing to the lack of success of women in law school, according to a study by Guinier with coauthors Michelle Fine and Jane Balin at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Guinier, the assistant attorney general for civil rights- designate in 1993, writes eloquently of law school as "a gendered academic experience" that makes "gentlemen" out of both male and female law students, and she uses self-reported accounts of students to suggest alternatives to the status quo in legal education.
Becoming George Orwell: Life and Letters, Legend and Legacy
by John RoddenThe remarkable transformation of Orwell from journeyman writer to towering iconIs George Orwell the most influential writer who ever lived? Yes, according to John Rodden’s provocative book about the transformation of a man into a myth. Rodden does not argue that Orwell was the most distinguished man of letters of the last century, nor even the leading novelist of his generation, let alone the greatest imaginative writer of English prose fiction. Yet his influence since his death at midcentury is incomparable. No other writer has aroused so much controversy or contributed so many incessantly quoted words and phrases to our cultural lexicon, from “Big Brother” and “doublethink” to “thoughtcrime” and “Newspeak.” Becoming George Orwell is a pathbreaking tour de force that charts the astonishing passage of a litterateur into a legend.Rodden presents the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four in a new light, exploring how the man and writer Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair, came to be overshadowed by the spectral figure associated with nightmare visions of our possible futures. Rodden opens with a discussion of the life and letters, chronicling Orwell’s eccentricities and emotional struggles, followed by an assessment of his chief literary achievements. The second half of the book examines the legend and legacy of Orwell, whom Rodden calls “England’s Prose Laureate,” looking at everything from cyberwarfare to “fake news.” The closing chapters address both Orwell’s enduring relevance to burning contemporary issues and the multiple ironies of his popular reputation, showing how he and his work have become confused with the very dreads and diseases that he fought against throughout his life.
Becoming George Sand: A Novel
by Rosalind BrackenburyMaria Jameson is having an affair--a passionate, lifechanging affair. She asks: Is it possible to love two men at once? Must this new romance mean an end to love with her husband?For answers, she reaches across the centuries to George Sand, the maverick French novelist who took many lovers. Immersing herself in the life of this revolutionary woman, Maria struggles with the choices women make and wonders if women in the nineteenth century might have been more free, in some ways, than their twenty-first-century counterparts. Here, Rosalind Brackenbury creates a beautiful portrait of the ways in which women are connected across history. Two narratives delicately intertwine--following George through her affair with Frederic Chopin, following Maria through her affair with an Irish professor--and bring us a novel that explores the personal and the historical, the demands of self and the mysteries of the heart. Sharply insightful, Becoming George Sand asks how we make our lives feel vibrant while still acknowledging the gifts of our pasts, and challenges our understanding of love in all its forms--sparkling and new, mature, rekindled, and renewed.
Becoming German: The 1709 Palatine Migration to New York
by Philip OtternessBecoming German tells the intriguing story of the largest and earliest mass movement of German-speaking immigrants to America. The so-called Palatine migration of 1709 began in the western part of the Holy Roman Empire, where perhaps as many as thirty thousand people left their homes, lured by rumors that Britain's Queen Anne would give them free passage overseas and land in America. They journeyed down the Rhine and eventually made their way to London, where they settled in refugee camps. The rumors of free passage and land proved false, but, in an attempt to clear the camps, the British government finally agreed to send about three thousand of the immigrants to New York in exchange for several years of labor. After their arrival, the Palatines refused to work as indentured servants and eventually settled in autonomous German communities near the Iroquois of central New York. Becoming German tracks the Palatines' travels from Germany to London to New York City and into the frontier areas of New York. Philip Otterness demonstrates that the Palatines cannot be viewed as a cohesive "German" group until after their arrival in America; indeed, they came from dozens of distinct principalities in the Holy Roman Empire. It was only in refusing to assimilate to British colonial culture--instead maintaining separate German-speaking communities and mixing on friendly terms with Native American neighbors--that the Palatines became German in America.
Becoming Ghost: Poetry
by Cathy Linh CheThe long-awaited sophomore poetry collection by award-winning writer Cathy Linh Che, on familial estrangement, the Vietnam War, and Francis Ford Coppola&’s Apocalypse Now.The follow-up to her acclaimed poetry debut Split, Becoming Ghost documents Cathy Linh Che&’s parents&’ experiences as refugees who escaped the Vietnam War and then were cast as extras in Francis Ford Coppola&’s film Apocalypse Now, placing them at the margins of their own story. The poetry collection uses persona, speculation, and the golden shovel form as a means of moving Vietnamese voices from the periphery to the center. The speaker&’s disownment raises questions about the challenges of using parents as poetic subjects, telling familial stories to a broader public, and the meaning of forgiveness.
Becoming Ginger Rogers: How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO
by Patrice TanakaWhat brings you joy? "To devote yourself to the creation and enjoyment of beauty, then, can be serious business—not always necessarily a means of escaping reality, but sometimes a means of holding on to the real when everything else is flaking away." ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love My femininity, creativity, and optimism had been flaking away, especially since 9/11. When I was dancing, I felt real and complete again. ~ Becoming Ginger Rogers, Chapter 4, "Samba Girl" If you've spent most of your life pursuing your career, raising your family, and/or caring for loved ones who may be ill or infirmed, your own needs may have been neglected in the process. Becoming Ginger Rogers is the story of one woman's inspiring and uplifting journey to reclaim her life during the dispiriting days of New York City in the aftermath of 9/11, the unraveling of a successful business she co-founded with a dozen colleagues, and the death of her beloved husband after a long illness. Patrice Tanaka shares her very personal story of how at age 50 she started ballroom dance lessons to satisfy a lifelong dream of dancing like Ginger Rogers and, in so doing, found her way to unimaginable joy. Becoming Ginger Rogers is, in part, a memoir of a young Japanese-American girl born and raised in Hawaii who fulfilled her dream of career success in Manhattan; it's a voyeuristic glimpse into the world of competitive ballroom dancing; and it's a business book about the lessons learned from ballroom dancing that made Patrice a better partner and a smarter CEO. In this book, you will learn: How to reclaim, re-energize and re-excite yourself about your own life How to "reschedule yourself" back into your own life as the first step toward reclaiming your life How lessons learned in ballroom dance such as the importance of being fully present—mind, body and spirit—have applications beyond the ballroom floor in helping you achieve greater success in your personal and professional life How learning to be a good follower can be a winning strategy for business How visualizing your dreams is the way to manifest them How living every moment of your life in a way that is fulfilling in and of itself, and not dependent on some future you may not have, is the best way to live and to be prepared to die even if you have little advance warning like the nearly 3,000 people who perished on 9/11 Becoming Ginger Rogers shows us how we can revitalize ourselves even after years of woeful neglect so that our most exciting and joy-filled days are ahead of us. Plus it pulls back the curtain on ballroom dancing in a fun, educational way. Be transported to the world of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Whirl of Manhattan Chapter 2: The Arabian Prince Chapter 3: "What Brings You Joy?" Intermezzo: Foxtrot Chapter 4: Samba Girl Intermezzo: Samba Chapter 5: The Ballroom World and the Real World Intermezzo: Tango Chapter 6: Practice Failing—in the Ballroom and in the Boardroom Intermezzo: Rumba Chapter 7: Partnering for Success—with or without Chocolate Intermezzo: Mambo Chapter 8: You Must Be Present to Win: Going with the Flow and Celebrating Successes along the Way Intermezzo: Viennese Waltz Chapter 9: whatcanbe: Leading with Your Heart Coda: Cha Cha
Becoming Girlilla: My Journey to Unleashing Good—in Real Life, Online, and in Others
by Jennie SmytheBecoming Girlilla is an unfiltered, inspiring memoir of Jennie Smythe&’s rise from unlikely beginnings to digital marketing powerhouse, showing readers how resilience, authenticity, and passion can make a real impact both online and off.&“Jennie&’s story is a master class in what it means to have your hard work pay off.&” —Kristin Chenoweth, Recording Artist, Performer, Actress, Author & Philanthropist What would you do with your life if you knew it was half over? It was the question that faced Jennie Smythe during a pivotal point in her early adult life. Becoming Girlilla answers that question and more, as this digital marketing trailblazer candidly shares her path to success, full of sometimes surprising and oftentimes laugh-out-loud moments. Jennie&’s career in music started with a job interview set up by a stripper in Los Angeles. Her experiences at Elektra, Disney&’s Hollywood Records, YAHOO! Music and beyond evolved into a high-powered role as CEO of her own Nashville-based firm, Girlilla Marketing. Along the way, she navigated an industry that often underestimated her, fought through personal and professional hurdles, and rose to the top of her field. Jennie&’s inspiring journey, full of raw grit and humor, unfolds through— Her battles with career uncertainty The loss of her estranged father Her courageous fight against breast cancer The challenges of entrepreneurship, including the lean, early days of Girlilla Marketing and the path from acquisition to regaining control of her company Lessons for young professionals, including how who you know can often be more important than what you know Practical insights for creating a digital presence with purpose and authenticity Discovering new ways to use social media for good Becoming Girlilla isn&’t just about one woman&’s resilience—it&’s a call to embrace change, unleash potential, and make a positive impact in your world.
Becoming Global Asia: Contemporary Genres of Postcolonial Capitalism in Singapore (Transpacific Studies #1)
by Cheryl Narumi NaruseA free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.Becoming Global Asia centers Singapore as a crucial site for comprehending the uneven effects of colonialism and capitalism. In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore initiated socioeconomic policies and branding campaigns to transform its reputation from a culturally sterile and punitive nation to "Global Asia"—an alluring location ideal for economic flourishing. Rather than evaluating the efficacy of state policy, Cheryl Narumi Naruse analyzes how Singapore gained cultural capital and soft power from its anglophonic legibility. By examining genres such as literary anthologies, demographic compilations, coming-of-career narratives, and princess fantasies, Naruse reveals how, as Global Asia, Singapore has emerged as simultaneously a site of imperial desire, a celebrated postcolonial model nation, and an alibi for the continued subjugation of the so-called Third World. Her readings of Global Asia as a formation of postcolonial capitalism offer new conceptual paradigms for understanding postcolonialism, neoliberalism, and empire.
Becoming Gods: Medical Training in Mexican Hospitals (Medical Anthropology)
by Vania Smith-OkaThrough rich ethnographic narrative, Becoming Gods examines how a cohort of doctors-in-training in the Mexican city of Puebla learn to become doctors. Smith-Oka draws from compelling fieldwork, ethnography, and interviews with interns, residents, and doctors that tell the story of how medical trainees learn to wield new tools, language, and technology and how their white coat, stethoscope, and newfound technical, linguistic, and sensory skills lend them an authority that they cultivate with each practice, transforming their sense of self. Becoming Gods illustrates the messy, complex, and nuanced nature of medical training, where trainees not only have to acquire a monumental number of skills but do so against a backdrop of strict hospital hierarchy and a crumbling national medical system that deeply shape who they are.
Becoming God's True Woman: ...While I Still Have a Curfew (True Woman)
by Mary A Kassian Susan HuntHave you ever wondered why God made both male and female? Have you thought about His purpose for you as a female? Have you considered the fact that God has intentionally planned everything about your life? Then join Bible teachers Susan Hunt and Mary A. Kassian in this 35-day devotional, digging deep into God's Word, hearing what He says about your womanhood, and learning how to live as a "true woman" day by day. Each day begins with a short devotion and then a 'Time For You' section—a time for you to read, think, and pray about living for God's glory. Interspersed throughout are personal stories and thoughts from girls like you:What you spend your time with and allow your mind to dwell on will be displayed in your life. Girls need to realize that they should only spend their time enjoying the words, sounds, and images they want to become. (Allison, age 17)The media encourages girls to be loud and bossy. In shows, the quiet girl is always picked on and ridiculed. (Connie Jean, age 13)Modesty to me is beauty. It outwardly symbolizes what Christ has done to our hearts—made them new, clean and worthy of coming into God's presence . . . that&’s what modesty is about. (RuthAnne, age 17)Becoming God's True Woman is A True Woman BookThe goal of the True Woman publishing line is to encourage women to:Discover, embrace, and delight in God's divine design and mission for their livesReflect the beauty and heart of Jesus Christ to their worldIntentionally pass the baton of Truth on to the next generationPray earnestly for an outpouring of God's Spirit in their families, churches, nation and world
Becoming God's True Woman: ...While I Still Have a Curfew (True Woman)
by Mary A Kassian Susan HuntHave you ever wondered why God made both male and female? Have you thought about His purpose for you as a female? Have you considered the fact that God has intentionally planned everything about your life? Then join Bible teachers Susan Hunt and Mary A. Kassian in this 35-day devotional, digging deep into God's Word, hearing what He says about your womanhood, and learning how to live as a "true woman" day by day. Each day begins with a short devotion and then a 'Time For You' section—a time for you to read, think, and pray about living for God's glory. Interspersed throughout are personal stories and thoughts from girls like you:What you spend your time with and allow your mind to dwell on will be displayed in your life. Girls need to realize that they should only spend their time enjoying the words, sounds, and images they want to become. (Allison, age 17)The media encourages girls to be loud and bossy. In shows, the quiet girl is always picked on and ridiculed. (Connie Jean, age 13)Modesty to me is beauty. It outwardly symbolizes what Christ has done to our hearts—made them new, clean and worthy of coming into God's presence . . . that&’s what modesty is about. (RuthAnne, age 17)Becoming God's True Woman is A True Woman BookThe goal of the True Woman publishing line is to encourage women to:Discover, embrace, and delight in God's divine design and mission for their livesReflect the beauty and heart of Jesus Christ to their worldIntentionally pass the baton of Truth on to the next generationPray earnestly for an outpouring of God's Spirit in their families, churches, nation and world
Becoming ‘Good Muslim’: The Tablighi Jamaat in the UK and Bangladesh
by Bulbul SiddiqiThe book uses an ethnographic approach to explore why the Tablighi Jamaat movement remains so successful in contemporary times. It shows that this success results from the positive image that it cultivates, and the systematic preaching activities of Tablighi Jamaat followers, and that the organisation's apolitical image, the public profile of the ijtema, the humbleness of Tablighi followers, and the attraction of belonging to the global Tablighi community all help to create a positive image of the Tablighi Jamaat among ordinary Muslims. The book also argues that the Tablighi Jamaat remains successful because of its ability to hold its followers within a Tablighi-guided life, which is perceived as protection against the Western lifestyle. Many elements of contemporary Western lifestyle are considered non-Islamic, and so by clearly defining what is Islamic and non-Islamic in modern society, the Tablighi Jamaat provides a way in which Muslims can live in the contemporary world, but remain good Muslims.
Becoming Good Women: Schooling, Aspirations and Imagining the Future Among Female Students in Sri Lanka (Lifeworlds: Knowledges, Politics, Histories #7)
by Laura BatatotaFor female Sinhalese students attending a national school in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, the school serves as a significant base for cultural production, particularly in reproducing ethno-religious hegemony under the guise of ‘good’ Buddhist girls. It illustrates that tuition space acts as an important site for placemaking, where students play out their cosmopolitan aspirations whilst acquiring educational capital. Drawing on theories of social reproduction, the book examines young people’s aspirations of ‘figuring out’ their identity and visions of the future against the backdrop of nation-building processes within the school.
Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting
by Lesley Stahl<P>From one of the country's most recognizable journalists: How becoming a grandmother transforms a woman's life. <P>After four decades as a reporter, Lesley Stahl's most vivid and transformative experience of her life was not covering the White House, interviewing heads of state, or researching stories at 60 Minutes. It was becoming a grandmother. She was hit with a jolt of joy so intense and unexpected, she wanted to "investigate" it--as though it were a news flash. <P>And so, using her 60 Minutes skills, she explored how grandmothering changes a woman's life, interviewing friends like Whoopi Goldberg, colleagues like Diane Sawyer (and grandfathers, including Tom Brokaw), as well as the proverbial woman next door. <P>Along with these personal accounts, Stahl speaks with scientists and doctors about physiological changes that occur in women when they have grandchildren; anthropologists about why there are grandmothers, in evolutionary terms; and psychiatrists about the therapeutic effects of grandchildren on both grandmothers and grandfathers. <P>Throughout Becoming Grandma, Stahl shares stories about her own life with granddaughters Jordan and Chloe, about how her relationship with her daughter, Taylor, has changed, and about how being a grandfather has affected her husband, Aaron. <P>In an era when baby boomers are becoming grandparents in droves and when young parents need all the help they can get raising their children, Stahl's book is a timely and affecting read that redefines a cherished relationship. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Becoming Great Universities: Small Steps for Sustained Excellence
by Richard J. Light Allison JeglaHow campus communities of every kind can transform themselves from good to greatBecoming Great Universities highlights ten core challenges that all colleges and universities face and offers practical steps that everyone on campus—from presidents to first-year undergraduates—can take to enhance student life and learning.This incisive book, written in a friendly and engaging style, draws on conversations with presidents, deans, and staff at hundreds of campuses across the country as well as scores of in-depth interviews with students and faculty. Providing suggestions that all members of a campus community can implement, Richard Light and Allison Jegla cover topics such as how to build a culture of innovation on campus, how to improve learning outcomes through experimentation, how to help students from under-resourced high schools succeed in college, and how to attract students from rural areas who may not be considering colleges far from their communities. They offer concrete ways to facilitate constructive interactions among students from different backgrounds, create opportunities for lifelong learning and engagement, and inspire students to think globally. And most of the ideas presented in this book can be implemented at little to no cost.Featuring a wealth of evidence-based examples, Becoming Great Universities offers actionable suggestions for everyone to have a positive impact on college life regardless of whether their campus is urban or rural, private or public, large or small, wealthy or not.
Becoming Green Gables: The Diary of Myrtle Webb and Her Famous Farmhouse
by Alan MacEachernIn 1909 Myrtle and Ernest Webb took possession of an ordinary farm in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Ordinary but for one thing: it was already becoming known as inspiration for Anne of Green Gables, the novel written by Myrtle’s cousin Lucy Maud Montgomery and published to international acclaim a year earlier. The Webbs welcomed visitors to “Green Gables” and soon took in summer boarders, making their home the heart of PEI’s tourist trade. In the 1930s the farm was made the centrepiece of a new national park – and still the family lived there for another decade, caretakers of their own home.During these years Myrtle kept a diary. When she first picked up the pencil in 1924, she was a forty-year-old homemaker running a household of eight. By the time she set the pencil down in 1954, she was a seventy-year-old widow, no longer resident in what was now the most famous house in Canada. Becoming Green Gables tells the story of Myrtle Webb and her family, and the making of Green Gables. Alan MacEachern reproduces a selection of the diary’s daily entries, using them as springboards to examine topics ranging from the adoption of modern conveniences to the home front hosting of soldiers in wartime and visits from “Aunt Maud” herself.While the foundation of Becoming Green Gables is the Webbs’ own story, it is also a history of their famous home, their community, the nation, and the world in which they lived.
Becoming Guanyin: Artistic Devotion of Buddhist Women in Late Imperial China (Premodern East Asia: New Horizons)
by Yuhang LiThe goddess Guanyin began in India as the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, originally a male deity. He gradually became indigenized as a female deity in China over the span of nearly a millennium. By the Ming (1358–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) periods, Guanyin had become the most popular female deity in China. In Becoming Guanyin, Yuhang Li examines how lay Buddhist women in late imperial China forged a connection with the subject of their devotion, arguing that women used their own bodies to echo that of Guanyin.Li focuses on the power of material things to enable women to access religious experience and transcendence. In particular, she examines how secular Buddhist women expressed mimetic devotion and pursued religious salvation through creative depictions of Guanyin in different media such as painting and embroidery and through bodily portrayals of the deity using jewelry and dance. These material displays expressed a worldview that differed from yet fit within the Confucian patriarchal system. Attending to the fabrication and use of “women’s things” by secular women, Li offers new insight into the relationships between worshipped and worshipper in Buddhist practice. Combining empirical research with theoretical insights from both art history and Buddhist studies, Becoming Guanyin is a field-changing analysis that reveals the interplay between material culture, religion, and their gendered transformations.
Becoming Half Hidden: Shamanism and Initiation Among the Inuit
by Daniel MerkurFirst Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Becoming Heart Sisters - Women's Bible Study Leader Guide: A Bible Study on Authentic Friendships (Becoming Heart Sisters)
by Natalie Chambers SnappFriendships with other women are as important to our mental, physical, and spiritual health as rest, exercise, and prayer. We don’t just want friends—we need friends. God created us for relationship. Yet despite being more connected than ever before, we struggle to feel connected. From the false intimacy of social media to busyness and relational conflict, there are many challenges to developing authentic relationships. If you’ve ever been hurt by a friend, struggled to balance friendship with everyday life, seen a friendship end too early, or longed for deeper and more authentic friendships, this Bible study is for you. As Natalie leads you in a deep exploration of timeless truths in the Old and New Testaments, you will learn how to develop and nurture the kind of enriching and satisfying friendships that build up the body of Christ and bring honor to God. Personal testimonies and stories of successes and failures add a level of authenticity that is refreshing and insightful. As you learn to cultivate God-honoring relationships, you will become more like Christ and demonstrate His love to a broken world. Study participants will find deep study of Scripture's principles for God-honoring friendships; help for navigating conflict, setting boundaries, and learning to forgive; in-depth study of Scripture with testimonies and stories that "ring true," the do's and don'ts of authentic friendships; and Bible-based guidance for building stronger and deeper relationships. The Leader Guide contains six session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more—plus leader helps for facilitating a group. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit. “Becoming Heart Sisters is a beautiful reminder of how powerful walking hand in hand with a loyal friend can be. After completing this study, you will be better equipped to be this kind of God-honoring friend. Thank you, Natalie, for the charge to sacrificially love and serve our friends.” —Lysa Terkeurst, New York Times best-selling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries