Greenwood Press.

Greenwood Press

PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007

www.greenwood.com

Greenwood's college-level religious studies references are highly recommended picks for any college-level institution: each offers solid research, source material references, and social insights. Anthony B. Pinn's THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, 0313325855, $55.00) provides snapshots of 11 religious traditions close to the Afro-American experience in the US, from Buddhism to Voodoo. Each chapter opens with a historical introduction, moving to discussions of the Afro-American religious experience, a timeline of notable events, and details on different religious practices. Sidebars of information and source material bibliographies make for fine reference. Joseph A. Varacalli's THE CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA (0313325839, $55.00) considers the many facets of life as a Catholic in modern America. From different faces of Catholicism within the American church to issues of race and gender, chapters provide historical and social background, THE CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA provides thorough coverage of events which have affected the church and its religious foundations. For a comprehensive overview which reaches into general-interest and public library collections, INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD'S MAJOR RELIGIONS (0313336342, $325.00/3 volumes) is a 'must': it packs in six volumes by different authors: each of which provides an introduction, timeline of events, history and religious foundation analysis, and provides details on branches, major tenets, and rituals. Emily Taitz's JUDAISM, Randall Nadeau's CONFUCIANISM AND TAOISM, John M. Thompson's BUDDHISM, Lee W. Bailey's CHRISTIANITY, Zayn R. Kassam's ISLAM and Steven J. Rosen's HINDUISM are references any library holding should consider central to a strong collection, even one which is only providing an overview. The books cover all major events, issues, and religious practices under each heading and pack in source material references suitable for further, in-depth research; yet retain an accessibility which lends to general reading browsing. As a set, it competes well with other multivolume coverages, blending scholarly with general-interest approaches.