Product Description Love. Of all the virtues that have been passed on to us through the ages, from the great poets to the saints and scholars, throughout history and literature, love is the one virtue that we as a society cannot live without.The ability to love well and to love wisely is the most important trait that parents can pass on to their children. As children grow, the longing to share this love as well as receive it will remain strong throughout their lives. Bestselling author Andrew M. Greeley and his sister, Dr. Mary G. Durkin have complied a beautiful and inspiring anthology that will help us comprehend this the most important of virtues and also help us express and understand what it means to love, and how to love wisely. The Book of Love is a perfect gift for a parent to give to a child, for relatives or friends to share, or for those who are coming to know this virtue in all its glory. People of all nations, creeds, colors, and denominations will appreciate this treasury of essays, poems, stories, and songs reflecting the one human need that has remained constant: Love.It has been written about in the Bible, and it was passed down orally in myth and legend. It was discussed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and in the Koran, and it inspired great works of literature and the pages of popular fiction. The Book of Love is a testament to the enduring nature of our own good, a good expressed through the human bond. In the tradition of William J. Bennett's The Book of Virtue, The Book of Love is a collection to be treasured, and shared, but most of all, it will guide us to express and to pass on the greatest of life's virtues: Love. From Publishers Weekly Priest, sociologist and mystery novelist Greeley and his sister Durkin bring out the many facets of love with this uneven but often rewarding anthology of poetry, stories, scripture and folk tales from many cultures. Following St. Paul, the editors deem love not just an emotion, but a "virtue" that mediates many kinds of relationships. While romantic verse takes pride of place, Greeley and Durkin also offer selections from Huckleberry Finn to illustrate friendship, Oscar Wilde on love of family, Keats's Ode to a Nightingale on love of nature, the 23rd Psalm on love of God, and Shelley on the primal urge of dualities to unite that animates the universe. Some of the selections, like the trite love letters from Mozart and Tsar Nicholas II to their wives, are ill chosen, and the much too generous helpings of the editors' (and their relatives') own writings do not come off well in the company of Chaucer and Shakespeare, but most readers will find something here to enchant and move them. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This compendium draws from a wide array of universal religious texts, including the Bible and the Koran, as well as notable works by Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Kahlil Gibran, John Keats, and a host of others, to explore the essence of love. Scripture, folklore, sayings, songs, children's stories, classic tales, poetry, and more are gathered under 12 broad themes that address love in its varied manifestations, e.g., "Friendship," "Family Love," "Generic Love," and "A Place To Belong." The result is a sumptuous anthology of seminal reflections on a topic important to us all. Greeley is both a priest and the celebrated author of many novels; Durkin has published numerous books on women, marriage, and the family. Intended for a popular readership, this treasury will find an audience in all public libraries, especially those serving patrons with a religious predilection.Richard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, Pa. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review "Father Andrew M. Greeley has been for more than a generation one of America's most recognizable Catholic voices. . . . Insightful and witty."-Los Angeles Times"Nobody has ever left the church because
