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Religion in Fiction

	This Blinding Absence of Light by Tahar Ben Jellou	This IMPAC Dublin Literary Award winning book (2004) addresses the “supreme light” of the human spirit in the midst of oppressive circumstances. Salim, the protagonist, is condemned to a tiny underground cell for participating in a coup attempt against King Hassan II in Morocco. Through a painful story Salim exhibits dignity, resistance, and spirituality in the face of brutality and suffering.
	Bubbeh by Sabina Berman	Set in Mexico City in the 1960s, this novella finds the young Sabita struggling to define her relationships with her parents, grandparents, and Judaism. Humor, love, longing, and Sabita’s wise observations of adult behavior are woven into this story.
	The Garden by Geshe Michael Roach	Sacred Buddhist figures impart wisdom to a broken man in this didactic tale. Written by an ordained Buddhist monk, The Garden is an enchanting introduction to Buddhist teachings.
	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse	In this classic novel, an exceptionally intelligent Brahmin, who leads a seemingly well-ordered existence, feels spiritually hollow. With a friend, he seeks enlightenment from Gotama, the Buddha. He eventually realizes he needs to find his own way.


Islam in Fiction
The Book of Saladin	by Tariq Ali	This novel explores the role of Salah al-Din (Saladin), a Kurdish sultan, in uniting the 12th century Islamic world for the liberation of Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Themes of passion, life after death, the oppression of women and the nature of spiritual and romantic love are woven into the story.
Ali and Nino	by Kurban Said	Written in 1937 by an emigre Jew from Azerbaijan under a pseudonym, this novel tells the story of Ali Khan, a Muslim schoolboy from an aristocratic family who falls in love with Nino, a Christian girl with European sensibilities.
Women Without Men	by Shahrnush Parsipur	Five Iranian women, seeking refuge from restrictive social and religious mores, find peace in a serene garden and share tales of hope, oppression and spiritual transformation.

Judaism in Fiction
Radiance: Ten Stories	by John J. Clayton	Many of these short stories deal with Jewish themes of religion and family. Set in urban American life they examine the individual’s quest for spirituality in the midst of earthbound reality.
The Laws of Return	by Cameron Stracher	A product of cultural and religious assimilation, Colin Stone feels disconnected from those around him. After years of ignoring his cultural identity, he responds to the blatant anti-Semitism of his post-law school employer by embracing his Jewish heritage.
The Promised Land	by Ruhama Veltfort	Fleeing religious persecution in Poland, Yitzhak and his wife emigrate to America in search of a better life. Journeying further westward, Yitzhak finds himself leading a group of seekers and assumes the role of rabbi that he’d rejected in the land of his birth.
Buddhism in Fiction
Buddha Da	by Anne Donovan	Written in a Scottish dialect this novel explores the family conflicts created when Jimmy, the father, takes up meditation at the Buddhist Center in Glasgow. This humorous story is told alternately in the voices of each of the main characters.
Time & the Riddle: Thirty-One Zen Stories	by Howard Fast	Published in 1975 these short stories are a unique blend of fantasy, science fiction, philosophy, and humor. Fast takes the ethics and habits of mankind out of their comfortably familiar context and examines them from another dimension.
Hungry Ghost	by Keith Kachtick	Carter, at thirty-eight, is attempting to mend his womanizing, substance-abusing ways. At a Buddhist retreat in upstate New York he meets twenty-six year old Mia, a devout Catholic interested in other religions and determined to remain a virgin until married. Carter convinces her to join him for a five-day trip to Morocco that leads to karmic adventures that touch the heart.
Surfing the Himalayas and Snowboarding to Nirvana	by Frederick Lenz	In both of these novels Lenz’s protagonist explores the possibility of enlightenment through snowboarding with the help of his spiritual teacher Master Fwap.
Hermitage Among the Clouds	by Thich Nhat Hanh	This lovely collection contains a novel, a series of folk tales and a number of poems by a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk. Filled with mythical nuance and Zen meditations, the works contained in Hermitage Among the Clouds transcend Western chronological form.
The Secret of Shambhala: In Search of the Eleventh Insight	by James Redfield	A man on an imaginary quest to find Shangri-La (Shambhala) discovers the power of positive thought.
The Tale of the Incomparable Prince	by Tshe-rin-dban-rgyal	Buddhist themes of karma and reincarnation are explored in this 18th century novel about a Tibetan prince who renounces earthly pleasures to pursue enlightenment.
Hinduism in Fiction
A Singular Hostage	by Thalassa Ali	Mariana Givens, an outspoken and inquisitive 20 year old, is sent to India in 1838 to find a husband in the British Officer Corps. Instead, she becomes the savior of Saboor, an Indian child believed to have curative powers, and the wife of Hassan, Saboor’s father. Ali’s book is a potent blend of adventure, Sufi mysticism, and historical fact.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: a Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny	by Robin S. Sharma	A “successful” lawyer abandons everything he knows and owns and embarks on a journey through the Himalayas. He returns with seven principles for living a joyful life.

Are You Experienced?	by William Sutcliffe	An English youth on a backpacking trip through India struggles with hypocrisy while searching for spiritual truth. David wonders, is karma merely fashion to the other Westerners he meets?