Pilgrim Souls: A Collection of Spiritual Autobiography

This anthology is broken down into the four basic categories of spiritual journeys, according to the editors. 1) Wanderers and seekers--those who pursue "all available experiences under the sun." 2) Pilgrims and missionaries--"individuals whose life goal has been the unwavering pursuit of God." 3) Mystics and visionaries--"who focus on supernatural experiences and epiphanies." 4) Philosophers and scholars--those who "demonstrate a lifelong commitment to the discernment of the truth through the exercise of the intellect."

By organizing spiritual quests into these themes, the authors create an effect that is more liberating than confining, offering a clear context for the sometimes ethereal and wrenching stories of real-life saints, rabbis, writers, and pilgrims from all walks of life. Literary heroes add their impassioned and tender stories of spiritual transformation, whether it be Leo Tolstoy's excerpt from The Confession, Madeleine L'Engle's self-revealing story of forgiveness and the sensuality of the human body, or Annie Dillard's tug of war with a loving God who allows terrible things to happen to good people. Spiritual seekers will no doubt find their own stories in this stimulating and expansive dedication to the soul's eternal pilgrimage. --Gail Hudson