June 1998 Audio/Books/Movies/TV/Video

A U D I O
The Classic Hundred Poems (Highbridge Audio) presents the top poems of all time as determined by a consensus of more than 1,000 compilers. Edited by William Harmon, here is a feast for all lovers of verse.

B O O K S
Living the Jesus Prayer (Continuum) by Irma Zaleski unfolds the different levels of meaning and tradition surrounding this devotional classic. She sees it as a hymn of joy, an ally in the face of death, a sign of inner stillness, an expression of gratitude and a way of caring for others.

Bearing Witness (Bell Tower) by Bernie Glassman is the most important work on peacemaking written in this decade. The author is co-founder of the Zen Peacemaker Order and the Interfaith Assembly of Peacemaker Villages, communities of social activists from around the world. He explains their work through profiles of three members: a Vietnam veteran who mediates disputes, a prisoner who runs hospice programs and a pioneer in the service of the dying.

M O V I E S
The Horse Whisperer (Buena Vista, PG-13 — adult situations) is Robert Redford's screen adaptation of the best-selling novel by Nicholas Evans. When a girl and her prized horse are badly injured in an accident, her mother seeks out the help of a rural man who has a gift for dealing with horses. The film explores the healing power of love and the deep ties between human beings and animals.

Les Miserables (Sony, PG-13 — violence, some adult sexual content), directed by Bille August, is an emotionally affecting version of Victor Hugo's classic novel. Through the stories of Jean ValJean (Liam Neeson), an ex-con turned devoted father, and Javert (Geoffrey Rush), the bitter police inspector pursuing him, it illustrates the redemptive power of forgiveness and the destructive consequences of self-hate.

T V
Angels in the Making: Nourishing Our Children's Spiritual Life (Odyssey,Wednesday, June 10, 9:30-10:30 p.m. EDT) suggests creative ways to build children's spiritual values. Included are the stories of a single mother of a son in the Bronx, an African American family, and a Jewish father and Christian-minister mother raising their sons in both faiths.

V I D E O S
John Grisham's The Rainmaker (Paramount, PG-13 — beating, domestic abuse) is about a crusading rookie Memphis lawyer who takes on an insurance company. The David-and-Goliath battle affirms this young man's zeal for justice.

Welcome to Sarajevo (Miramax, R — brutal war images, language) is set in the besieged Yugoslavian city in 1992 as Serbian forces are shelling it from afar and snipers are killing civilians in the streets. A journalist decides that his act of compassion can make all the difference in the life of a shell-shocked, terrified and lonely little girl. This was one of the best films of 1997.