"For those of us who call ourselves 'spiritual but not religious'...Christopher has done a marvelous job in helping us reclaim the word 'Holy.'" -- John Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of "Diet for a New America"
SANTA ROSA, CA (PRWEB) December 17, 2014
"The Holy Universe" – a new story of creation for the heart, soul, and spirit – is the winner of a 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award and a USA Best Books Award. Judges at Writer’s Digest magazine also gave the book their highest marks of “outstanding” for writing style as well as structure, organization, and pacing.
Written by Northern California author David Christopher, The Holy Universe earned its Silver Nautilus Award in the category of “Religion/Spirituality – Other,” a fitting tribute for a book offering a new narrative that transforms cold, scientific facts about the origin of life into a soulful story of creation that moves beyond religious dogma. Previous Nautilus award winners include Deepak Chopra, Barbara Kingsolver, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Marianne Williamson. The 2014 USA Best Book Awards also honored The Holy Universe as the winner in its “Spirituality: General” category.
“These awards and positive reviews are a wonderful affirmation of this work – not only because it’s an honor receive them, but also because they recognize that readers have a deep hunger for a new story about our relationship to the web of life,” Christopher said.
“I wrote The Holy Universe for people who consider themselves ‘spiritual but not religious,’” Christopher added. “This book is for those of us who are unsatisfied with religious interpretations about how life began, but also find that the ‘Big Dumb Rock’ story put out there by the modern mechanistic worldview leaves us lost in a meaningless universe and longing for a creation story that speaks to our spirits as well as our intellects.”
The Holy Universe unfolds in poetic stanzas as a dialogue between a Seeker and his Sage, who discuss everything from social justice and spiritual poverty to reverent technology and climate change. Because these issues particularly resonate with the concerns of “new thought” churches, the book has found a receptive audience among participants in Unitarian Universalist, Centers for Spiritual Living, and Unity Center groups as well as United Church of Christ and liberal Catholic congregations.
Evaluating the book for the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, judges gave The Holy Universe the highest rank of 5 out of 5 for several writing rubrics. As one judge observed, “Throughout this grand work, Christopher succeeds in showing many truths rather than telling them.” And, another concluded: “The author has done our planet a favor and contributed to its well being by writing this story.”
In addition to receiving book awards, The Holy Universe has also been praised by a number of New York Times bestselling authors including Vicki Robin and John Perkins, as well as John Robbins (Diet for a New America), who said: “For those of us who have respect for the scientific method but who also seek a spirituality unburdened by the chains of dogma, who seek a deep connection with Creation that is based in awe and reverence for nature and the cosmos – David Christopher has done a marvelous job in helping us reclaim the word ‘Holy.’”
For further information or to subscribe to The Holy Universe newsletter, please go to: http://theholyuniverse.com/
Download sample chapters and other material: http://theholyuniverse.com/downloads-available/
For information on awards for The Holy Universe, go to:
Nautilus Book Awards: http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/2014_SILVER_Winners.html
USA Best Book Awards: http://www.usabooknews.com/spiritualitybooks.html
Writer’s Digest competition: WritersDigestSelfPublishingCompetition(at)fwmedia(dot)com
Title: The Holy Universe: A New Story of Creation for the Heart, Soul, and Spirit
Trade paper: 384 pages
Publisher: New Story Press
ISBN: 9780985933906
Genre: Spirituality/Fiction/Ecospirituality
Retail: US $17.95 • CAN $19.95
Distribution: Available to the trade through Ingram and Baker & Taylor
Distributor: Small Press United (from Independent Publishers Group)
Review copies are available immediately for journalists and book reviewers, both online and in print.