“Take a trip through early 20th-century New York and meet the small community of early Baha’is as they experience the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, learn about the social, political, and religious concerns of those days and meet these iconoclastic individuals such as Khalil Gibran. See how 'Abdu'l-Baha patiently guided these individuals to a deeper spiritual understanding of the new Revelations. This book has been translated into three languages"
“Experience first-hand the upheavals that rocked the small rural town of Nayriz in Southern Iran when a new religion by a famous cleric, Vahid, who had become a follower of the Bab, the forerunner of the Baha’i Faith. This eruption blew apart this tightly knit conservative society, and disrupted ancient family ties and social relationships and from the chaos, a new religious community—the Baha’i community—emerged. Be moved by the courageous stories of these early believers—men, women, and children—and read the intricately woven history of their several families based on primary sources which are re-told in the context of the changes throughout Iran and the growth of the Baha’i Faith beyond the country’s borders. This book has been translated into seven languages.”
"...beautifully written and lucid manuscript..."
Michael L. Penn, PhD., Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College
“Be inspired by the true story of reverends from Harlem, the Harlem community, nuns from the Order of the Sacred Heart, and Baha’is, who converted an old supermarket into a ‘little school that could’, Harlem Prep, which helped hundreds of young people get to college. Learn about the ordinary lives of the students and teachers who achieved something extraordinary. Relive through personal stories, news articles, and writers of the time, the era of civil rights, school revolts, the Panthers and the Underground, Woodstock, Jimi, Sly, James, black and proud, the fight against poverty, and “The times they are a changin’.” Be inspired by what we can do to help others when we work together."
"...an excellent and important example for anyone hoping in the course of his or her life to contribute...to making this world a better place..."
Francis X. Shea, Executive Vice President, World Fuel Services Corporation
“Be inspired by the lives of extraordinary women who were driven by an inner calling to change their worlds Meet the Persian mystic, Tahirih of Qazvin, who steps out of the shroud of 19th century Persia in this detailed account of her spiritual awakening and courageous teaching in the face of a tradition-bound conservative male-dominated society. Hear her powerful voice in the brilliant translations of her poems by Prof. Amin Banani and Prof. Jascha Kessler. Along with Tahirih, meet the American women of the great Awakening who brought women into the public sphere for the first time through their religious teaching and social activism—women such as Mary Baker Eddy, the only female founder of a major Christian denomination; Sojourner Truth, who escaped enslavement to become one of the country’s great orators for freedom; Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who drove broad political and social change in the nation; as well as the forgotten ‘preaching women’ who dared to make their voices heard from slave cabins to open fields, town squares and even churches, as well as the practitioners of spiritualism through which, for the first time, American women were heard by the thousands in public venues. Be invigorated by the spiritual vitality with which these women pursued their calling and in so doing confronted their own societies head on, opening up new horizons to both women and men."
"If you think women’s rights are important...read The Calling. You will not be disappointed."
Dr. Dorothy Marcic, Author, Playwright (Sistas), Prof. Columbia University
“Follow Hussein Ahdieh, a young Iranian Baha’i boy as he travels from the rough streets of the small town of Nayriz where he grew up among the persecuted Baha’i minority to the streets of Harlem where he worked at the Harlem Prep school which guided hundreds of young people away from the streets and into college. In a series of stories told with honesty and humor, we feel Hussein’s struggles with the harsh society of rural Iran and then later life on the margins of American society as an immigrant, misunderstanding the cultural norms of his new home while trying to maintain his Baha’i and Iranian identities until he finally settles down into the American middle class in Queens. Learn about the struggle and emigration out of Iran of thousands of other Iranian Baha’is. Foreigner is a vivid re-telling of one foreigner’s experience—a Baha’i in a Shi’a Muslim country, an immigrant in a foreign land, a poor person in New York City, a middle Easterner in the West—full of humorous moments and personalities from all walks of life."
"...a book that will move you to tears, then to laughter..."
Hon. Judge Dorothy Nelson
"Few twentieth-century lives have been so closely associated with the major events of the formative age of the Bahá'í Faith as the life of Leroy Ioas. From meeting 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the age of sixteen - the seminal spiritual experience of his life - through the entire ministry of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, Leroy Ioas dedicated his talent and energy, his drive and pioneering spirit, to the needs of the Faith. He became one of the spiritually eminent American Bahá'ís, a brilliant administrator and gifted teacher. Appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951, he served the Guardian in Haifa until 1957 as Secretary-General of the International Bahá'í Council, and afterwards as one of the Custodians of the Bahá'í Faith.
This book is more than a biography. It illuminates Bahá'í history in the first fifty years of the formative age, when Bahá'í institutions were painstakingly built up, Bahá'í laws and principles given application and the great teaching missions begun. Anita Ioas Chapman's inspiring account will be of value to the many Bahá'ís who did not personally experience those times and who wish to enhance their understanding." (George Ronald Publisher)
"...this biography...provides insight into the systematic plans of Shoghi Effendi...There is much to celebrate in this life and Ioas' daughter has fashioned an inspiring and readable account."
Robert Weinberg, BBC Radio Sussex
