Seven Spiritual Books That Won’t Annoy You

The works I return to time and again

Ben White on Unsplash

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of spiritual books, both for research and enlightenment. The experience, alas, has not always been uplifting. Spiritual books tend to be — how to put this diplomatically? — annoying. They are meant to inspire, I know, but I struggle to get past the relentless earnestness. I’m glad you touched the face of God or found your guru high atop the Himalayas, really I am, but I have not, so please stop. Just stop.

Many spiritual books annoy, but not all. The good ones are rendered with humility and grace — levity even. Levity comes from the Latin levitatem, or “lighten.” A dash of humor lightens heavy topics such as spirituality, thus narrowing the distance between author and reader, between the fully enlightened and the…not-yet-enlightened.

Here are seven spiritual books that pass the annoyance test. These are the works that have stayed with me the longest, and that I keep returning to in good times and bad. Especially bad.

Waiting for God by Simone Weil

photo by Goodreads