{"product_id":"the-plain-language-of-love-beth-taylor-9780826218452","title":"The Plain Language of Love and Loss: A Quaker Memoir Volume 1","description":"On November 16, 1965, Beth Taylor's idyllic childhood was shattered at age twelve by the suicide of her older brother Geoff. Raised in an \"intentional community\" north of Philadelphia--a mix of farm village, hippie commune, and suburb--she and her siblings were instilled with nonconformist values and respect for the Quaker tradition. With the loss of her beloved brother, Taylor began her complicated journey to understand family, loss, and faith. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWritten after years of contemplation, \u003ci\u003eThe Plain Language of Love and Loss \u003c\/i\u003ereflects on the meaning of death and loss for three generations of Taylor's family and their friends. Her compelling portrait of Geoff reveals a boy whose understanding of who he was came under increasing attack. He was harassed by schoolmates for being a \"commie pinko coward\" and he tried to appease fellow Boy Scouts after he abstained from a support-the-troops rally. Touching on the timely issues of bullying, child rearing, and nonconformity, Taylor offers a rare look at growing up Quaker in the tumultuous 1960s.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTaylor tells how each stage of her life exposed clues to the subtle damage wrought by tragedy, even while it revealed varieties of solace found in friendships, marriage, and parenting. As she struggles to understand the complexities of religious heritage, patriotism, and pacifism, she weaves the story of her own family together with the larger history of Quakers in the Northeast, showing the importance of family values and the impact of religious education.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Beth Taylor says that she learned many things from her childhood, in particular that history is alive--and shapes how we judge ourselves and choose to live our lives. She comes to see that grief can be a mask, a lover, and a teacher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Beth Taylor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0826218458\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780826218452\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Missouri Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/08\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.46lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 5.98w x 0.43d","brand":"Beth Taylor","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44069409489151,"sku":"9780826218452","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c2c0d685-a0dc-4361-bddc-f3fa67bcfd4f.jpg?v=1685424554","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-plain-language-of-love-beth-taylor-9780826218452","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}