{"product_id":"9781936236923","title":"The Place of Knowing","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn intriguing spiritual memoir from an unusual woman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCentered on Thayne’s near-death experience following a car accident when she was in her 60s, this autobiography\u003cbr\u003econtains thematic chapters that explore her changing beliefs about mortality through meditations on family, language and\u003cbr\u003eother daily concepts. As a Mormon grandmother, parts of Thayne’s life—her long marriage, religious devotion and large\u003cbr\u003efamily—are seemingly typical for someone of her generation. However, Thayne is also a poet and writer, weaving many\u003cbr\u003eof her poems and other writings into the body of this work. Often, Thayne describes the two roles of homemaker and\u003cbr\u003eauthor as being at odds with one another, at least within her own mind. In addition to her active, fulfilling involvement in\u003cbr\u003ethe Mormon Church, she characterizes her writing life as almost a personal struggle. In a major theme of the book,\u003cbr\u003eThayne seeks to resolve the internal conflict she feels when torn between her vocation and her concerns about meeting\u003cbr\u003eoutside expectations. Interestingly, she addresses this internal conflict by looking both into her Mormon heritage and out\u003cbr\u003etoward other spiritual traditions and lifestyles. Discussing her parents and grandparents, Thayne reveals their warmth and\u003cbr\u003ethe absence of doctrinaire beliefs in her childhood home. Her description of “everyday Mormonism” could be compared\u003cbr\u003eto the “women’s Islam” for Muslim writers like Fatima Mernissi and Leila Ahmed. However, in her search for\u003cbr\u003eenlightenment, Thayne isn’t content merely focusing on previous generations of her own family. Instead, she visits\u003cbr\u003ehealers, helps bring to light the work of artists with AIDS and recognizes many influences from outside her own\u003cbr\u003ecommunity. As a result, she’s a complex, evolving narrator, grappling slowly with her own expectations and the\u003cbr\u003echallenges of life. Her meditative, fluid narrative might not satisfy readers looking for an eventful, action-oriented story,\u003cbr\u003ebut readers interested in the optimistic pursuit of spiritual development shouldn’t miss this one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGentle, inclusive ruminations sure to strike a chord.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"iUniverse, Incorporated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47137564328176,"sku":"9781936236923","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781936236923_p0.jpg?v=1763657720","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781936236923","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}