Forgiveness 4 You

Ann Bauer’s Forgiveness 4 You is a compassionate story that shows a different perspective on the universal desire to be loved and accepted. In this sharply satirical novel, advertising executive Madeline Murray sees a big moneymaking opportunity in the form of Gabriel McKenna, a former priest who still receives confession—despite having left the church and settling into a new life working at a bookstore.

Once Madeline convinces the reluctant Gabriel to be the face of Forgiveness 4 You, a secular forgiveness-for-hire company, the two explore the well-meaning but corruptible world of commercializing religion. They form a close bond as each acts as both confessor and forgiver. What they learn, ultimately, is the cost of redemption and what price people are willing to pay for it. Ann Bauer 
delivers a poignant but not sentimental, satirical but not mean-spirited, and ultimately honest look at religion and redemption.           

In addition to writing fiction, Ann is a frequent essayist and contributor to websites including most recently DAME, Huffington Post, Salon, and Slate. Her essays address issues that she has dealt with in her daily life, focusing on a wide array of topics ranging from parenting to careers. 

Click below to read some of her recent essays:

Featured in DAME, “Are the Virtues of Higher Education a Lesson in False Advertising?”

Features in Huffington Post, "Finding Forgiveness in a Church-Free World"

Featured in Salon, "'Sponsered' by my husband: Why it's a problem that writers never talk about where their money comes from"

Featured in Slate, “My Life with Anti-Vaxxers”

Forgiveness 4 You is available now.

Out Today in Paperback: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s THE MODERN GUIDE TO JUDAISM

What does it mean that we are spiritual beings? Can humans bring harmony to their dual spiritual and material nature and achieve success?

In The Modern Guide to Judaism, out today in paperback from Overlook, internationally renowned rabbi Shmuley Boteach tackles these important issues, arguing that Judaism possesses a core of wisdom that appeals to Jews and non-Jews alike. Boteach is one of the world’s leading spiritual authorities and the author of more than twenty books published in seventeen languages. The winner of the prestigious London Times Preacher of the Year award, he writes a syndicated column that is read by a global audience of millions. Today he now lives in Englewood, New Jersey, where he is currently running for a seat in the US House of Representatives in the 2012 elections.  The Modern Guide to Judaism is an indispensable and informative introduction to Judaism by one of the world’s leading relationship experts and spiritual authorities.

“There are many books written on Judaism, but this one differs in that it seeks to present the ideas behind the Jewish faith in today’s context, rather than serve only as a how-to-guide to Jewish ritual. Whereas other books present Jewish ideas as having evolved historically, I am seeking to promote the idea that the Jewish religion is a holistic set of inextricably linked values which together comprise a state of the art system for human potential. That Judaism is not seen in this light, but often as a rather arcane and obsolete ritual, accounts for its sad and unjust decline. This book seeks to set the record straight.” – Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Praise for the work of Shmuley Boteach

“Boteach has his scholarly finger on the pulse of a nation.” – Salon.com

“The most famous rabbi in America … A cultural phenomenon.” – Newsweek

“with verve, wit and deep conviction, Rabbi Boteach sets out a very personal vision of what is wrong with today’s Judaism and how much Jewish values have to offer the world. It is a passionate and profoundly humane manifesto.” – Rabbi Professor Nicholas de Lange, University of Cambridge