Synopses & Reviews
Taking California as a window into the diversity of religion in America, Golden States of Grace documents marginalized communities at prayer in their own faith traditions. The collection is thoroughly interfaith, introducing us to the nation's only halfway house for addicts self-identified as Jewish, a transsexual gospel choir, a Buddhist community in San Quentin, a Mormon congregation organized by the deaf for the deaf, Latina sex workers worshipping the female folk deity Santísima Muerte, and more. Depictions of conventional middle-class religion are widely visible in the media, but the American public rarely sees the sacred worlds of society's marginalized: the outcasts, the fallen, those that have been labeled "other"--ironically, those whom religion aims to serve. The poignant stories Nahmias has gathered here cross numerous boundaries and ask difficult questions few outsiders have been willing to pose.
Synopsis
Using California as window into the diversity of religion in America, Nahmias looks at marginalized communities at prayer in their own faith traditions. A photojournalistic work, Nahmias envisions this project as a prayer book that will enable readers to see, hear, and learn about several different groups, including San Quentin Buddhists, a transsexual gospel choir, a Mormon congregation for the deaf, and Jewish recovering addicts. The text includes essays from theologians, plus oral histories, and photos.
About the Author
Rick Nahmias is a documentary photographer, writer, and filmmaker whose work has been shown across the United States, Europe, and Asia. His photographs are part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian and reside in several private and public collections across the country.