Friday, December 30, 2011

Book Review: A Quaker Cupboard by David Madden

Welcome to my final review of 2011. It's been a year filled with many wonderful books. It is going to be difficult to choose the Top 10.

A Quaker Cupboard by David Madden is a book filled with Bible verses, quotes, friendly voices, and Quaker testimonies of SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship). The book opens with an introduction that explains about the Quaker concept "The Inner Light." It goes on to explain the Quaker testimonies of SPICES. A Quaker Cupboard is then broken down into six sections, each one dedicated to a particular testimony. A brief explanation of a testimony is followed up with Scripture, yearly meeting queries on the testimony, and then friendly voices on that testimony. A poem and a quote that encompasses the essence of a testimony rounds out each section.

When one thinks of Quakers, one might think of 17th Century Englanders who broke away from the Church of England. Quakers, also known as the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church, still exist today. I can't say I know a great deal about them, but I am always eager to explore new cultures and learn about people's faith.

Earlier this year, I reviewed Sprung from the Soil by David Madden. The author kindly also sent me a copy of A Quaker Cupboard to review. This short collection definitely provides insight into the Quaker faith of long ago, but also shares what is on the mind of modern-day members and their concerns as they try to abide by the SPICES testimonies. A quick read that includes several black and white drawings, I am glad to have this book among the other treasures on the shelf in my office.

All proceeds after printing costs will be used to fun community outreach by the Westerly Monthly Meeting, and, if requested, other monthly meetings as well.

Title:  A Quaker Cupboard
Author:  David Madden
Publisher: Garden Patch Books
ISBN:  978-0-9843119-1-0
SRP:  $15.95

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

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