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In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World Paperback – March 23, 2021

by Pádraig Ó Tuama (Author), Krista Tippett (Foreword)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 541 ratings
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"

From master storyteller and host of On Being's Poetry Unbound, Pádraig Ó Tuama, comes an unforgettable memoir of peace and reconciliation, Celtic spirituality, belonging, and sexual identity.

""It is in the shelter of each other that the people live."" Drawing on this Irish saying, Ó Tuama relates ideas of shelter and welcome to our journeys of life, using poetry, story, biblical reflection, and prose to open up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world.

In the Shelter introduces Corrymeela, the Northern Ireland peace and reconciliation community Ó Tuama led for many years, and throughout the book he reveals the power of storytelling in communities of conflict. From the heart of a poet comes a profound look at the landscapes we all try to inhabit even as we always search for shelter, a place we can call home.

An instant spiritual classic in Ireland and Britain, now brought to a US readership.

"

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    262 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Broadleaf Books
  4. Publication date
    March 23, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    4.9 x 1 x 6.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1506470521
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1506470528
  8. See all details
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From the brand

From the Publisher

storytelling;poetry;literary;spirituality;Celtic;poet;LGBTQ;gay;Corrymeela;reconciliation;peace

storytelling;poetry;literary;spirituality;Celtic;poet;LGBTQ;gay;Corrymeela;reconciliation;peace
Pádraig Ó Tuama’s In The Shelter includes chapters such as:
  • Hello to the world
  • Hello to here
  • Hello to the beginning
  • Hello to the imagination
  • Hello to trouble
  • Hello to what we cannot know
  • Hello to the body
  • Hello to the shadow

An Inside Look at In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Hello to here

If you can find the courage to name “here”—especially in the place where you do not wish to be—it can help you be there. Instead of resenting another’s words of gladness or pain, it may be possible to hear it as simply another location. They are there and I am here. At another point, we will be in different locations, and everybody will pass by many locations in their life. The pain is only deepened when the location is resented or, even worse, unnamed.

storytelling;poetry;literary;spirituality;Celtic;poet;LGBTQ;gay;Corrymeela;reconciliation;peace

storytelling;poetry;literary;spirituality;Celtic;poet;LGBTQ;gay;Corrymeela;reconciliation;peace

storytelling;poetry;literary;spirituality;Celtic;poet;LGBTQ;gay;Corrymeela;reconciliation;peace

Editorial Reviews

Review

"To say that it is one of the most beautiful and quietly necessary books of our young century is a sweeping assertion, but I will make it. . . .An exquisite work of spiritual autobiography." --from the foreword by Krista Tippett, creator and host of On Being

"Pádraig Ó Tuama is a kindred artist: his skills as a poet honed for the purpose of the common good." --The Edge, U2

"So rich." --Brian D. McLaren, author of We Make the Road by Walking

"Pádraig Ó Tuama is a writer of intelligence and intellectual acumen who knows that deep conviction well-articulated can convey deep truths. Just to read In the Shelter is to do yourself good." --John L. Bell

"This is a beautifully crafted book. Pádraig Ó Tuama welcomes varied topics of reflection with open arms, and the realization of the importance of being 'here' in the present as 'a good place to begin something that might be called prayer.' It is a joy to read." --Sheelah Treflé Hidden

"A treasure. . . . Putting to work poetry and gospel, side by side with story and Celtic spirituality, Ó Tuama explores ideas of shelter along life's journey, opening up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world. The reader can't help but be drawn in, slip-sliding into the harbor of the author's soulful words." --Chicago Tribune

"Compassionate. Resolute. Confronting. Challenging. Wonderful. Comforting." --Mary McAvoy, Irish Independent

About the Author

Pádraig Ó Tuama is an Irish writer and poet. Host of On Being's Poetry Unbound podcast, he was recently named On Being's Theologian in Residence. From 2014-2019 he was the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland's oldest peace and reconciliation organization. His work has won acclaim in circles of conflict analysis, politics, religion, poetry and psychotherapy. His storytelling, poetry, and writing have been featured on The Moth, TEDx Talks, America, the BBC, and The Spirit of Things. A compelling speaker, he travels widely. Pádraig lives in Belfast, Ireland.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Broadleaf Books (March 23, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1506470521
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1506470528
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.9 x 1 x 6.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 541 ratings

About the author

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Padraig Ó Tuama

Padraig Ó Tuama

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Poet and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama’s work centres around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. Working fluently on the page and in public, Pádraig is a compelling poet and skilled speaker, teacher and group worker.

When BBC journalist William Crawley introduced Pádraig he said, "He's probably the best public speaker I know."

Ó Tuama’s published work incorporates poetry (Readings from the Book of Exile [longlisted for the Polari Prize 2013]; Sorry for your Troubles), prose (In The Shelter) and theology (Daily Prayer, The Place Between). Poems featured or forthcoming in the following publications or platforms: Poetry Ireland Review, Academy of American Poets, Post Road, Cream City Review, Holden Village Voice, Proximity Magazine, On Being, Gutter, America, and Seminary Ridge Review.

From 2014-2019 he was the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation community.

Ó Tuama has been a featured guest on On Being with Krista Tippett twice, and is a regular broadcaster on radio on topics such as Poetry, Religion in the public square, Loneliness, Conflict and Faith, LGBT inclusion, the dangers of so-called Reparative Therapy, and the value of the Arts in public life. He has broadcasted, recited and been interviewed countless times on RTÉ, BBC (Radio 4, Radios Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland) and Radio National (Australia). His work has been used in Medical Journals, quoted by Princes and used in Atlases and Liturgies.

For Ó Tuama, religion, conflict, power and poetry all circle around language, that original sacrament. In the context of public theology, he takes the received form of biblical texts and explores the civic and artistic dynamics of language, narrative and impact in these stories. He holds a BA Div validated by the Pontifical College of Maynooth, an MTh from Queen’s University Belfast and is currently engaged in a PhD in Theology through Creative Practice (Uni of Glasgow) exploring poetry, Irishness and religion. In addition to these qualifications, Ó Tuama has numerous professional accreditations in conflict, focusing particularly on dynamics of group conflicts.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
541 global ratings
So deeply personal and inspiring!
5 Stars
So deeply personal and inspiring!
Padraig bares his heart and soul on every page. His words are poetry in the most powerful sense. Deeply personal and yet so intimate in conversation with my own human experience. I am in awe, and changed in subtle and yet profound ways. He has reached out and touched me and expanded my compassion and awareness. I loved this book. I will come back to it soon and read it again as it provides such wisdom and a guide map for the vicissitudes of life. “In the shelter” is a treasure from the heart and lived experience of a great man, poet, human being.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kathy Blake
5.0 out of 5 stars So deeply personal and inspiring!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
Padraig bares his heart and soul on every page. His words are poetry in the most powerful sense. Deeply personal and yet so intimate in conversation with my own human experience. I am in awe, and changed in subtle and yet profound ways. He has reached out and touched me and expanded my compassion and awareness. I loved this book. I will come back to it soon and read it again as it provides such wisdom and a guide map for the vicissitudes of life. “In the shelter” is a treasure from the heart and lived experience of a great man, poet, human being.
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Kathy Blake
5.0 out of 5 stars So deeply personal and inspiring!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2023
Padraig bares his heart and soul on every page. His words are poetry in the most powerful sense. Deeply personal and yet so intimate in conversation with my own human experience. I am in awe, and changed in subtle and yet profound ways. He has reached out and touched me and expanded my compassion and awareness. I loved this book. I will come back to it soon and read it again as it provides such wisdom and a guide map for the vicissitudes of life. “In the shelter” is a treasure from the heart and lived experience of a great man, poet, human being.
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Billie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book I Read in 2017
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018
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Of course when we are talking about books ‘best’ is an inadequate descriptor. I think that what I mean by it here is that this book had a more profound effect on me than any other book I read this year. Put another way, if I had to choose to lose the experience of reading all but one of my 2017 books, this is the one I would save. Reading In the Shelter by Pádraig Ó Tuama is a book which breaks you apart only to put you together again far more whole than you were before. I tried to get at this a bit in my Goodreads review of the book:

"This is probably the most powerful book I have read all year. It is, to borrow C.S. Lewis’ summation of “Lord of the Rings”, good beyond hope. The author’s blending of poetry, theology, biography,and story is an artifact too rich to be summarized — it must be experienced. Reading this book will wound, heal, and grow your heart. The author approaches the painful, glorious fact of being one’s self in the world and the inscrutable love of god in a way that will have me coming back and back to this book."

The book itself is memoir so laden with philosophical and theological reflection that it could just as easily be classified as a piece of narrative theology or philosophy. Pádraig Ó Tuama has also included poems between chapters in a tacit acknowledgement of the final inability of prose to communicate all that needs to be said. If I were to find that he writes music as well I would pay much to hear him communicate through that medium as well. More than nearly any author I have read Pádraig Ó Tuama brings together a deep wisdom and the beauty of medium. This book is worth reading for so many reasons but here is one reason that would be enough all on it’s own. In In the Shelter the three transcendentals: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty dance together and are as one. After reading it, one does not, quite, feel that any discussion of the relation between those three will be adequately understood by those who have not read it.
34 people found this helpful
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Peri Zahnd
5.0 out of 5 stars Hello to waking up! I loved this book.....
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2016
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A beautiful and thoughtful book--an engaging mixture of story, memoir, theology, poetry, prayer, musing on the meaning of language and of life. The author shares his struggles as a man who has often not felt at home in much of the world, because he happens to be gay. But this is not a book about sexuality--this is a book about life and how to live it--for everyone regardless of sexual orientation. Even though I don't know him, his vulnerability in expressing what it felt like to be excluded and marginalized made me wish not just to be more "tolerant" of others, but to reach out and embrace and include. A few days after finishing the book, I find myself once again scanning its pages. I will definitely reread it again in its entirety--soon. I'm also ordering his others!
33 people found this helpful
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LARA O'BRADY
5.0 out of 5 stars I am loving this book
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2021
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I am in a progressive church. This book really resonates with me and the writing is beautiful.
2 people found this helpful
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Robert Hayes
4.0 out of 5 stars Provided much food for thought
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2019
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This was recommended to me by the lay assistant at my church. Although I don't share a key determinative factor with the author (or at least it seemed that way to him), I did find much to ponder as he told story after story, a way of locating oneself and making sense of life. There was also some very beautiful poetry which served as connective tissue. The overriding motif was of a single word, 'hello,' the most often repeated word in the book (aside from prepositions and the like). It was like a mantra, tailored to many situations yet all bound up in the idea that life is (or should be) total, and that we should be present in each moment. I did have some issues with how the idea of truth was approached, but overall I feel like this was very valuable to my ongoing faith journey. Perhaps it will be for others as well.
12 people found this helpful
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Denise Caruselle
5.0 out of 5 stars Delivered as promised
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
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Book in good condition and delivered as expected. Thank you!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2022
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I enjoyed this book, and enjoyed it and enjoyed it. I kept on enjoying it until I had to write a review on Amazon. Seriously, I felt the title was promising at a time when so many lack shelter. So I wandered into it but found it....
5 people found this helpful
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Joey
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to experience and reread.
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2021
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I loved reading this book so much! Early in the book, Ó Tuama talks about how he rereads certain books over and over again. In the Shelter may prove to be such a book for others. His stories and reflections range from linguistics to scripture to simple observations about living life.

If I had to recommend one book to someone from the last several years, this would be the book.
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Joey
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to experience and reread.
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2021
I loved reading this book so much! Early in the book, Ó Tuama talks about how he rereads certain books over and over again. In the Shelter may prove to be such a book for others. His stories and reflections range from linguistics to scripture to simple observations about living life.

If I had to recommend one book to someone from the last several years, this would be the book.
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8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

fluffyfi
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2021
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This book was like looking in a mirror. It describes perfectly how it feels to feel like an imposter in your own religion. It questions the self but also the prejudices of the world. It looks at words, poetry and thought and puts it altogether. I will read it again and again because it is a wonderful question and am excellent answer.
One person found this helpful
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RI in Canada
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book of the decade
Reviewed in Canada on January 3, 2020
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This is a brilliant, moving spiritual autobiography. It is absolutely worth reading. I'd give it two more stars if I could.
3 people found this helpful
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Jim KABLE
5.0 out of 5 stars No Longer a Christian, yet…
Reviewed in Australia on May 15, 2023
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What an absolutely inspiring, warm and joyous book. Irish theologian and writer, poet, Pádraig Ó Tuama tells stories to interpret life, to examine tales from the Bible - to permit new readings and interpretations to emerge. A pilgrimage blog received to-day included a beautiful photograph of the brilliant blue Chagall windows in Rheims Cathedral. It reminded me of a first visit to Ely Cathedral 27 years ago when the sunlight splashed through the blues of the stained glass windows of the building’s deepest point. I could almost become a Christian was my thought at that most transcendent moment. If I explain that nearly 30 years earlier - my faith in the teachings of a seriously fundamentalist Protestant sect had been dashed by the disfellowshipping of a pastor whose words just months earlier had touched in me a spiritual awakening - and the hypocrisy of those arguing that one should do what they themselves were clearly not doing. I knew my Bible well (KJV) but the disconnect became too great and I left that sect. I was at that most idealistic of ages - 19. I searched other faiths, read the Qur’an and then took a stand for independence of thinking. This book is a treasure. It does not convert me but it tells me that there are other ways to examine one’s life and to find positive meaning - in being alive, part of our human world - in listening to and telling stories. Oh, and how lovely to find a reference to Nuala O’Faolain. I wrote to her after reading her beautiful book: Are You Somebody? And she wrote back? Did she write to all her fans or was it because in those days I wrote to her from Japan where I was living for many years?
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Rod
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2021
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I can recommend it enough. Highly inspirational, provocative and full of beauty. You won’t be disappointed =) go for it
One person found this helpful
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Daniel Cranley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great mixture of autobiography
Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2016
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Incredible book... Great mixture of autobiography, poetry and storytelling... Loved I think.
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