DeCaro, Louis A. Malcolm and the Cross: The Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, and Christianity. New York and London: New York UP, 1998. Print.

In my search, I wanted to focus on finding a book that related to Malcolm X’s development in the civil rights movement and his expansion of the Islamic movement in America. With that being said, my terms were pretty straightforward considering the search consisted of “Islam,” and “Malcolm X.” I focused on both of these because the Islamic movement for blacks in America caught my eye easily, especially after we began to focus on the shift in the movement brought on by Malcolm X.

The book really focuses on the identity of X as a religious revolutionist, and moves away from putting more of an importance on his discussions in the context of Christianity. While DeCaro avoids talking too much about Malcolm X’s affiliation with Christianity, he does feel the necessity to discuss the comparison of Islam to Christianity because Malcolm X shaped his opinions for a second Nation of Islam through his criticisms of Christianity.

What really caught my eye was how DeCaro breaks the development down by Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam, then Malcolm X’s criticism of Muhammad’s system, and finally Malcolm’s application of Islam to blacks in a Christian world. I feel as if the section titled, “This Bitter Earth: Black Muslims in a Christian World,” is most relevant to the ideas portrayed by Malcolm X as it denounces Christianity as the right fit for blacks to practice and promotes X’s central ideas. A majority of the information provided in this book seems like it will really guide me in writing my paper about the connection between the civil rights movement and the rise of the second Nation of Islam.

Shankman, Richard. The Experience of Samādhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation. Boston: Shambhala, 2008. Print.

While on One Search, I decided to look up the terms “Buddhism” and “meditation” because I found the focus on Buddhist meditation to be extremely interesting. This search led me to find this book that is centered around the importance of meditation. While we may have not covered a lot of Buddhism so far, I felt the desire to explore its practice in a little more depth, and this book delves deep into a main practice of the faith.

After flipping through the book for a little, I found that one specific section on the three levels of concentration and its three signs to be most interesting. This section provides insight on the two different paths one can go on while meditation so that they may achieve a true sense of rationality. To achieve nirvana, one must dedicate their life to exploring their true self through meditation, and Shankman’s book is extremely helpful to my understanding of this specific practice.

Besides the step by step analysis of Buddhist meditation and its importance, Shankman also includes multiple interviews with Buddhist teachers. By doing so, the reader is able to understand zazen on a more personal and relatable level. Overall, reviewing “The Experience of Samādhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation,” will really guide me in understanding the importance of meditation while writing my essay.