Welcome to the One Great Story!

Welcome to the One Great Story!

Author: George B. Thompson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2020-09-02

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 172527731X

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The Bible is not easy to figure out! Churches are filled with adults who are too embarrassed to admit their sketchy knowledge, and jumbled impressions, of biblical material. Even seminary-trained pastors struggle to get a handle on the flow of the Scriptures from beginning to end. No wonder so many people give up on the Bible—and even the church. This book claims that what gives the Bible its overarching integrity and lasting value is a narrative, a storyline. Readers who approach the Bible with narrative in mind will discover from Genesis to Revelation a story that begins at a certain point, establishes a theme; develops, continues, and adapts that theme; and reaches a resolution (of sorts!). Rather than a book-by-book treatment of the Bible, this book identifies and traces a Story that stretches across the corpus of the canon, a Story in which divine promise and human response constantly define each episode. Text boxes, reflection questions, chapter questions, and activities encourage the reader to engage with content at more than one level all along the way. Engaging with the Bible can become exhilarating and gratifying!


Book Synopsis Welcome to the One Great Story! by : George B. Thompson

Download or read book Welcome to the One Great Story! written by George B. Thompson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-09-02 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible is not easy to figure out! Churches are filled with adults who are too embarrassed to admit their sketchy knowledge, and jumbled impressions, of biblical material. Even seminary-trained pastors struggle to get a handle on the flow of the Scriptures from beginning to end. No wonder so many people give up on the Bible—and even the church. This book claims that what gives the Bible its overarching integrity and lasting value is a narrative, a storyline. Readers who approach the Bible with narrative in mind will discover from Genesis to Revelation a story that begins at a certain point, establishes a theme; develops, continues, and adapts that theme; and reaches a resolution (of sorts!). Rather than a book-by-book treatment of the Bible, this book identifies and traces a Story that stretches across the corpus of the canon, a Story in which divine promise and human response constantly define each episode. Text boxes, reflection questions, chapter questions, and activities encourage the reader to engage with content at more than one level all along the way. Engaging with the Bible can become exhilarating and gratifying!

Welcome to the Story

Welcome to the Story

Author: Stephen J. Nichols

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2011-07-07

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 143352242X

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Stephen Nichols wants to help readers experience the Bible more fully. He writes: "We have been given a book that is unlike any other book in human history, a book that transcends all human wisdom, insight, and expertise. We have been given the Word of God, the words of eternal life. And we, all of us, are invited to take up and read these words." Welcome to the Story teaches believers not only how to read the Bible, but how to read it in such a way that it permeates their lives—reading, loving, and living God's Word. Discussion includes an explanation of the four "chapters" of the biblical narrative—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—guidelines on how to interpret Scripture, why we're to love God's Word, and how we're to live and proclaim the story in word, deed, and mission. This practical guide to reading the Bible is a great resource for young and new believers and those wanting to get more out of God's Word.


Book Synopsis Welcome to the Story by : Stephen J. Nichols

Download or read book Welcome to the Story written by Stephen J. Nichols and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2011-07-07 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stephen Nichols wants to help readers experience the Bible more fully. He writes: "We have been given a book that is unlike any other book in human history, a book that transcends all human wisdom, insight, and expertise. We have been given the Word of God, the words of eternal life. And we, all of us, are invited to take up and read these words." Welcome to the Story teaches believers not only how to read the Bible, but how to read it in such a way that it permeates their lives—reading, loving, and living God's Word. Discussion includes an explanation of the four "chapters" of the biblical narrative—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—guidelines on how to interpret Scripture, why we're to love God's Word, and how we're to live and proclaim the story in word, deed, and mission. This practical guide to reading the Bible is a great resource for young and new believers and those wanting to get more out of God's Word.

If I Were an Astronaut

If I Were an Astronaut

Author: Eric Braun

Publisher: Capstone

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 14

ISBN-13: 1404855343

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Discusses activities astronauts do while they're in space.


Book Synopsis If I Were an Astronaut by : Eric Braun

Download or read book If I Were an Astronaut written by Eric Braun and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2010 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses activities astronauts do while they're in space.

Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book)

Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book)

Author: Julie Falatko

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-02-02

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 0698154940

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Snappsy the alligator is having a normal day when a pesky narrator steps in to spice up the story. Is Snappsy reading a book ... or is he making CRAFTY plans? Is Snappsy on his way to the grocery store ... or is he PROWLING the forest for defenseless birds and fuzzy bunnies? Is Snappsy innocently shopping for a party ... or is he OBSESSED with snack foods that start with the letter P? What's the truth? Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) is an irreverent look at storytelling, friendship, and creative differences, perfect for fans of Mo Willems.


Book Synopsis Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by : Julie Falatko

Download or read book Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) written by Julie Falatko and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-02-02 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Snappsy the alligator is having a normal day when a pesky narrator steps in to spice up the story. Is Snappsy reading a book ... or is he making CRAFTY plans? Is Snappsy on his way to the grocery store ... or is he PROWLING the forest for defenseless birds and fuzzy bunnies? Is Snappsy innocently shopping for a party ... or is he OBSESSED with snack foods that start with the letter P? What's the truth? Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) is an irreverent look at storytelling, friendship, and creative differences, perfect for fans of Mo Willems.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas

Author: David Mitchell

Publisher: Vintage Canada

Published: 2010-07-16

Total Pages: 596

ISBN-13: 0307373576

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By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks | Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize A postmodern visionary and one of the leading voices in twenty-first-century fiction, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending, philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction as profound as it is playful. In this groundbreaking novel, an influential favorite among a new generation of writers, Mitchell explores with daring artistry fundamental questions of reality and identity. Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . . Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history. But the story doesn’t end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky. As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.


Book Synopsis Cloud Atlas by : David Mitchell

Download or read book Cloud Atlas written by David Mitchell and published by Vintage Canada. This book was released on 2010-07-16 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks | Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize A postmodern visionary and one of the leading voices in twenty-first-century fiction, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending, philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction as profound as it is playful. In this groundbreaking novel, an influential favorite among a new generation of writers, Mitchell explores with daring artistry fundamental questions of reality and identity. Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . . Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history. But the story doesn’t end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky. As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.

I am Neil Armstrong

I am Neil Armstrong

Author: Brad Meltzer

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2018-09-11

Total Pages: 46

ISBN-13: 0735228728

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Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon is the focus of the 15th picture book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about heroes, for ages 5 to 8. (Cover may vary) This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume tells the story of Neil Armstrong from his childhood on a farm to a career as an engineer and pilot and how he became the first person on the moon. All of the small steps he took in life—even his failures—led up to his steps on the moon. This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are: • A timeline of key events in the hero’s history • Photos that bring the story more fully to life • Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable • Childhood moments that influenced the hero • Facts that make great conversation-starters • A virtue this person embodies: Neil Armstrong's teamwork will help kids see the value in working together You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!


Book Synopsis I am Neil Armstrong by : Brad Meltzer

Download or read book I am Neil Armstrong written by Brad Meltzer and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-09-11 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon is the focus of the 15th picture book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about heroes, for ages 5 to 8. (Cover may vary) This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume tells the story of Neil Armstrong from his childhood on a farm to a career as an engineer and pilot and how he became the first person on the moon. All of the small steps he took in life—even his failures—led up to his steps on the moon. This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are: • A timeline of key events in the hero’s history • Photos that bring the story more fully to life • Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable • Childhood moments that influenced the hero • Facts that make great conversation-starters • A virtue this person embodies: Neil Armstrong's teamwork will help kids see the value in working together You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!

Welcome to the Party

Welcome to the Party

Author: Gabrielle Union

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 37

ISBN-13: 0062999184

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Praised by fan favorites including Hoda Kotb, Kim & Khloe Kardashian, and Jimmy Fallon! Inspired by the eagerly awaited birth of her daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning actress Gabrielle Union pens a festive and universal love letter from parents to little ones, perfect for welcoming a baby to the party of life! Reminiscent of favorites such as The Wonderful Things You’ll Be by Emily Winfield Martin, I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb, and Take Heart, My Child by Ainsley Earhardt, Welcome to the Party is an upbeat celebration of new life that you’ll want to enjoy with your tiny guest of honor over and over again. A great gift for all occasions, especially Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, baby showers, and birthdays.


Book Synopsis Welcome to the Party by : Gabrielle Union

Download or read book Welcome to the Party written by Gabrielle Union and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praised by fan favorites including Hoda Kotb, Kim & Khloe Kardashian, and Jimmy Fallon! Inspired by the eagerly awaited birth of her daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning actress Gabrielle Union pens a festive and universal love letter from parents to little ones, perfect for welcoming a baby to the party of life! Reminiscent of favorites such as The Wonderful Things You’ll Be by Emily Winfield Martin, I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb, and Take Heart, My Child by Ainsley Earhardt, Welcome to the Party is an upbeat celebration of new life that you’ll want to enjoy with your tiny guest of honor over and over again. A great gift for all occasions, especially Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, baby showers, and birthdays.

Wishes for Little One

Wishes for Little One

Author: Sandra Magsamen

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Published: 2020-04-07

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 1728229987

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Share messages of love with this heartfelt picturebook from the author of Welcome Little One. Wishes for Little One is perfect for baby showers and functions as a guest book and makes a high-quality keepsake of an unforgettable day. Our dreams and wishes did come true On the very day we welcomed you! Friends and family came to shower you with love, my dear. And we made a book filled with wishes for you to hear...


Book Synopsis Wishes for Little One by : Sandra Magsamen

Download or read book Wishes for Little One written by Sandra Magsamen and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Share messages of love with this heartfelt picturebook from the author of Welcome Little One. Wishes for Little One is perfect for baby showers and functions as a guest book and makes a high-quality keepsake of an unforgettable day. Our dreams and wishes did come true On the very day we welcomed you! Friends and family came to shower you with love, my dear. And we made a book filled with wishes for you to hear...

Adult Bible Studies Winter 2020-2021 Student

Adult Bible Studies Winter 2020-2021 Student

Author: Taylor W. Mills

Publisher: Cokesbury

Published: 2020-10-20

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 1501895222

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Winter Theme: Hope This winter, our lessons develop the theme of “Hope.” The writers of the student book lessons are Taylor Mills and Bruce Batchelor-Glader; the teacher book writer is Stan Purdum. The Good News These lessons continue a unit that began with the last Sunday in the fall quarter, encompassing the Sundays of Advent and the first Sunday after Christmas. They call us to consider the Incarnation and what it means that God sent Jesus into the world in human form, as one of us. Thus, the lessons invite us to think about the relationship God wants to have with us and how God’s sending Jesus makes that relationship possible. The Hypocrites and the Holy The lessons in this unit challenge us to examine ourselves in light of the examples we see in the individuals in Scripture. Where do we find instances of hypocrisy or holiness? And how do these tendencies contribute to or diminish our hope? Lesson 5 focuses on John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus, the hope of the world. Lesson 6 tells of Jesus commenting on John’s ministry and announcing the good news. Lessons 7 and 8 help us think about how the hope Jesus brought functions in our lives. And Lesson 9 looks toward the ultimate fulfillment of that hope, with the full coming of the kingdom of God. Holy Living This unit embraces all the Sundays of February and March; and, as such, it continues into the next quarter. The eight lessons of the unit invite us to think about what it means to be the people of God and to pursue holy living. The four lessons in this quarter help us look at how we deal with one another; how faith is expressed action; the sort of “fasting” God wants from us (whether or not we abstain from certain foods); and how, in fact, Christians are the temple of God. During this unit, Lent begins, which is an especially appropriate time to think about holiness. Hundreds of thousands of people each week have transformative encounters with God through Adult Bible Studies—Bible-based, Christ-focused Sunday school lessons and midweek Bible studies endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of the The United Methodist Church. In fall 2019, based on feedback from hundreds of readers, we made exciting changes designed to benefit Bible study groups. For 2020, in response to additional feedback, we are reintroducing printed focal Bible passages in both the Student and Teacher books. Lessons follow the church seasons, including Advent and Lent, and include suggestions for developing spiritual practices to help nurture your faith. Published quarterly, each week's Student Book lesson lists background Scripture, features key verses, provides reliable and relevant biblical explanation and application, and more, in a readable font size that is accessible to everyone. Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the FREE weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!


Book Synopsis Adult Bible Studies Winter 2020-2021 Student by : Taylor W. Mills

Download or read book Adult Bible Studies Winter 2020-2021 Student written by Taylor W. Mills and published by Cokesbury. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winter Theme: Hope This winter, our lessons develop the theme of “Hope.” The writers of the student book lessons are Taylor Mills and Bruce Batchelor-Glader; the teacher book writer is Stan Purdum. The Good News These lessons continue a unit that began with the last Sunday in the fall quarter, encompassing the Sundays of Advent and the first Sunday after Christmas. They call us to consider the Incarnation and what it means that God sent Jesus into the world in human form, as one of us. Thus, the lessons invite us to think about the relationship God wants to have with us and how God’s sending Jesus makes that relationship possible. The Hypocrites and the Holy The lessons in this unit challenge us to examine ourselves in light of the examples we see in the individuals in Scripture. Where do we find instances of hypocrisy or holiness? And how do these tendencies contribute to or diminish our hope? Lesson 5 focuses on John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus, the hope of the world. Lesson 6 tells of Jesus commenting on John’s ministry and announcing the good news. Lessons 7 and 8 help us think about how the hope Jesus brought functions in our lives. And Lesson 9 looks toward the ultimate fulfillment of that hope, with the full coming of the kingdom of God. Holy Living This unit embraces all the Sundays of February and March; and, as such, it continues into the next quarter. The eight lessons of the unit invite us to think about what it means to be the people of God and to pursue holy living. The four lessons in this quarter help us look at how we deal with one another; how faith is expressed action; the sort of “fasting” God wants from us (whether or not we abstain from certain foods); and how, in fact, Christians are the temple of God. During this unit, Lent begins, which is an especially appropriate time to think about holiness. Hundreds of thousands of people each week have transformative encounters with God through Adult Bible Studies—Bible-based, Christ-focused Sunday school lessons and midweek Bible studies endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of the The United Methodist Church. In fall 2019, based on feedback from hundreds of readers, we made exciting changes designed to benefit Bible study groups. For 2020, in response to additional feedback, we are reintroducing printed focal Bible passages in both the Student and Teacher books. Lessons follow the church seasons, including Advent and Lent, and include suggestions for developing spiritual practices to help nurture your faith. Published quarterly, each week's Student Book lesson lists background Scripture, features key verses, provides reliable and relevant biblical explanation and application, and more, in a readable font size that is accessible to everyone. Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the FREE weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

Author: George Saunders

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2021-01-12

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1984856049

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Tenth of December comes a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today. LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, Time, San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Town & Country, The Rumpus, Electric Lit, Thrillist, BookPage • “[A] worship song to writers and readers.”—Oprah Daily For the last twenty years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times. In his introduction, Saunders writes, “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely, to ask the big questions, questions like, How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it?” He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. The process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is a technical craft, but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.


Book Synopsis A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by : George Saunders

Download or read book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain written by George Saunders and published by Random House. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Tenth of December comes a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today. LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, Time, San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Town & Country, The Rumpus, Electric Lit, Thrillist, BookPage • “[A] worship song to writers and readers.”—Oprah Daily For the last twenty years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times. In his introduction, Saunders writes, “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely, to ask the big questions, questions like, How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it?” He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. The process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is a technical craft, but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.