{"product_id":"9781538188361","title":"Spirit in the Sky The Power of Music In Our Search for Graceland","description":"\u003ch1\u003eSpirit in the Sky\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe Power of Music In Our Search for Graceland\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eJeff Crosby\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eShort bios of seventeen iconic musicians\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e–\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003efrom Dylan to Van Morrison to Tracy Chapman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e–\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eshowing how popular music  influences the search for spirituality and helps reveal the  transcendent.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on more than five decades of attentive listening, Jeff Crosby explores how popular music has functioned as a form of “general revelation”-a way listeners encounter questions of God, purpose, justice, suffering, and hope beyond formal religious institutions. Through these engaging artist portraits, he examines how  musicians across pop, rock, soul, folk, and R\u0026amp;B have articulated  spiritual longing, wrestled with faith and doubt, and offered listeners  imaginative resources for navigating their own interior lives. Equal parts memoir, popular music criticism, and spiritual inquiry, the  book invites readers to practice “deep listening” as a formative  discipline. Each chapter concludes with curated playlists and  recommended records that extend the conversation beyond the page. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The artists range from globally celebrated figures, including Paul Simon, George Harrison, Marvin Gaye, Pink Floyd, Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers, to influential but less widely recognized voices such as Judee Sill, Mickey Newbury, Laura Nyro, Brooks Williams, and Chris Rea. Each chapter blends cultural history, lyrical interpretation, and personal reflection, showing how these artists' work emerged from particular social, political, and religious contexts while continuing to speak powerfully to contemporary listeners. Crosby's deeply moving reflections suggest that soulful, attentive listening to music, whatever the genre, can open paths toward greater clarity, compassion, and grace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eJeff Crosby is president and CEO of ECPA, the trade association of  Christian publishing, and has spent four decades in the  world of words as a bookseller, publisher, and author. His writing has  appeared in numerous magazines and journals including \u003ci\u003eBooks \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBookstore Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of several books, including \u003ci\u003eWorld of Words: A Spirituality of Reading\u003c\/i\u003e (2025) and \u003ci\u003eThe Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts\u003c\/i\u003e (2023). He lives in Chicagoland, USA.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e01 October 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781538188361\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e272\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e17.6\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51198026154124,"sku":"9781538188361","price":28.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_10044c71-c1af-47bf-a69a-37b41308f357.jpg?v=1782962928","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9781538188361","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}