About the Book From master storyteller and host of On Beings Poetry Unbound, Padraig O Tuama, comes an unforgettable memoir of identity, conflict, Celtic spirituality, belonging, and sexuality. It is in the shelter of each other that the people live. Drawing on this Irish saying, O 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. -- Book jacket. Book Synopsis From master storyteller and host of On Beings Poetry Unbound , Pdraig 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, 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 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. Review Quotes Pdraig Tuama is a kindred artist: his skills as a poet honed for the purpose of the common good. --The Edge, U2 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 In The Shelter is Pdraig Tuamas meditation on the power of breaking free from our false stories into a truer story, into arms that love us, one small conversion at a time. -- Marginalia, Los Angeles Review of Books So rich. --Brian D. McLaren, author of We Make the Road by Walking A treasure. . . . Putting to work poetry and gospel, side by side with story and Celtic spirituality, Tuama explores ideas of shelter along lifes journey, opening up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world. The reader cant help but be drawn in, slip-sliding into the harbor of the authors soulful words. --Chicago Tribune Compassionate. Resolute. Confronting. Challenging. Wonderful. Comforting. --Mary McAvoy, Irish Independent Pdraig 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. Pdraig 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 Trefl Hidden