Spirituality, drama and women...Read on (IANS Books This Week)

New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) The bookshelf this week talks of the spiritual journey into the dilemmas of existentialism and life's realities. Here's a peek.

1. Book: 'Anthony deMello SJ, The Happy Wanderer -- A Tribute To My Brother', Written by Bill deMello; Published by Gujarat Satya Prakash (Anand); Priced at Rs.240

This is the biography of Anthony (Tony) deMello SJ, the Christian guru with Eastern leanings who taught people the path to enlightenment. His books and audio-video recordings continue to inspire his followers. However, there was no comprehensive biography of the man who passed away in New York 25 years ago. The gap has now been filled by his brother, Bill deMello, who has collected mountains of information, memories, opinions and facts and arranged them into a sensible and sensitive narrative of the life and times of a man who was brilliant, unassuming and a firm taskmaster. It presents little-known details about Tony's childhood and his spiritual evolution.

2. Book: 'Rendezvous With God'; Written by Abhilasha Aggarwal and Shreeja Mohta Jhawar; Published by Wisdom Village Publications Limited; Priced at Rs.150

The book is a collection of real life stories shared by famous people from various walks of life who have witnessed divine miracles at some point of time in their lives. Each rendezvous in the book reassures that we are a part of the divine. People who have shared their lives' divine moments in the book include singer and musician Shankar Mahadevan, politician Abhishek Manu Singhvi, music composer Salim Merchant, fashion designer Prasad Bidapa, dance teacher Sandip Soparkar and actress Rupa Ganguly.

3. Book: 'Two Pronouns And A Verb'; Written by Kiran Khalap; Published by Amaryllis; Priced at Rs.295

Teenagers Arjun, Dhruv, and Eva make up the cast of this novel inspired from Eastern and Western mythologies. Arjun, the hero from 'Mahabharata', is plagued by self-doubt, kills his cousins, shares his first wife, gets consigned to hell instead of heaven because of his arrogance over his marksmanship. Dhruv is settled like the North Star and is unshakeable in the lap of Lord Vishnu, one of three deities of 330-million Hindu gods and goddesses. Eva is the giver of life and the harbinger of good news. She is also the first love of Arjun's and Dhruv's lives.

4. Book: 'Signs of Life'; Written by Anna Raverat; Published by Picador, Priced at Rs.1,090

It started quietly and without her looking for it, but the aftershock was profound. Ten years ago, Rachel had an affair. It spiralled out of control and left her in pieces. Now, writing by her window, she tries to put those pieces back together. She has her memories, recollections of dreams, and her old yellow notebook. More than anything, she wants to be honest. She knows that her memory is patchy and her notebook incomplete. But there is something else. Something terrible happened to her lover. Her account is hypnotic, delicate, disquieting and bold. But is she telling us the truth?

5. Book: 'In Conflict and Custody'; Written by Rani Dhavan Shankardass; Published by Sage Publications; Priced at Rs.425

Women in conflict and custody often feel overwhelmed by legal processes and a criminal justice system they believe to be ridden with biases. Personal crises -- whether in their captive lives or in correctional institutions -- leave them facing dead ends and crossroads that cause lasting damage to the body and mind. They need help that is professional without being intimidating. The book recommends fine-tuned agenda-free counselling as the most constructive method of addressing mental health issues of women in two problematic contexts in Indian society -- conflict and custody.