Mark Libin

Reading the Margins

Arts & Literature

“Michael J. Gilmour's Reading the Margins: Encounters with the Bible in Literature is an engaging and intriguing exploration of how reading literature can constitute a "spiritual discipline." Gilmour shares with us his delightfully wide and eclectic library--ranging from Charles Dickens, Hugh Lofting (creator of Doctor Dolittle), Woody Guthrie, and Bob Dylan, to Salman Rushdie--and demonstrates how literature dialogues with the Bible not just through allusions and parallels, but by compelling us to feel empathetically for those on the margins. As a result, Reading the Margins offers us a thoughtful and erudite study in compassion and ethical thinking.”