Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith

Falconer Newhall, Barbara: - Prize-winning journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall was inspired to write "Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith" by the people she met on the religion beat at the "Contra Costa Times" in Walnut Creek, California.At the Times, she encountered seekers and believers of every stripe, all with passionate stories to tell -- Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, Buddhists. Deeply touched by the intimate stories she was hearing, Newhall decided to seek out a cross-section of American believers and put their disparate voices together in a book.Newhall interviewed a score of Americans for "Wrestling with God," recording their words and shaping their stories into carefully edited first-person narratives. Newhall's own -- rocky -- spiritual journey is the thread that weaves the diverse stories together.Newhall brings decades of experience to her work. Before her time on the religion beat, she was a staff writer and editor at "Good Housekeeping" magazine, Zodiac News Service, the "San Francisco Chronicle," and the "Oakland Tribune. "Born in Michigan and a graduate of the University of Michigan, Newhall lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She maintains an eponymous website, BarbaraFalconerNewhall.com, where, now widowed, she continues to ask the big questions with humor and grit.