Shining Darkness: Tales of Violence and Love

"The stories are shimmering, and the wisdom is real. A gift to the world." -Valarie Kaur

"Vivid and powerfully told...takes the reader on an arduous and courageous journey, from violence and addiction to spiritual awakening and love." -Elaine Pagels

Shining Darkness coheres around a central theme: knowing and transforming violence, from the intimately personal through the public and political. In this memoir in essays, Buddhist practitioner, teacher, and professor Linda Hess draws a long arc through trauma and addiction, literature and religion, social action and Buddhist practice, as well as life in northern California, New York City, and India.