Hugh Morris

Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Vintage £9.99 (£8.99); 978-1-5299-2293-6)

WONDER. A word often crowded out in an over-busy world. But, in this slim book, justly Booker Prize-winning, it is both an evident emotion and sensation. Episodic in design, Orbital gives a window on to the lives of seven astronauts circling the earth in a life sped up to 16 times the day/night cycle of the rest of us left here on terra firma. They, in turn, gain a window on to the changing vistas below, and so “A desire takes hold . . . to protect this huge yet tiny earth” — Mother Earth, in fact, as it is described. A cause for wonder indeed.

Hugh Morris is the director of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM).

Duncan Dormor 

Native Nations: A millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal (Profile £14.99 (£13.49); 978-1-80522-603-1)

THIS is an immersive and richly textured history of the native nations of North America. With detailed chapters on seven nations, it witnesses to agency, adaptability, and creative resistance rather than rehearse a familiar tale of victimisation and decline. With a central focus on trade, diplomacy, and war (but casting a wider light on gender, economics, religion, etc.), it highlights societies marked by democratic, egalitarian, and inclusive practices. Despite extensive hostility, including genocidal actions, broken treaties, and boarding schools designed to eliminate language and culture, today the 500-plus native nations are experiencing something of a renaissance. DuVal explains how this could be.

The Revd Dr Duncan Dormor is the General Secretary of the USPG.

William Nye

God is an Englishman: Christianity and the creation of England by Bijan Omrani (Swift Press, £25 (£22.50); 978-1-80075-306-8)

Colonialism: A moral reckoning by Nigel Biggar (HarperCollins, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-0-00-851167-8)

TWO works of non-fiction have stood out this year. Bijan Omrani’s God is an Englishman has added to my knowledge of how Christianity shaped English culture and history. We all think we know how fundamental Christianity is to our history. But this book adds so much detail and insight, in areas including the law, and the history of charities, about which I knew too little.

Meanwhile, Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism: A moral reckoning (Books, 12 April 2024) is just what it says — and a powerful corrective to much over-simplified or ill-informed history of the British and other Empires.

William Nye is Secretary-General of the Archbishops’ Council and the General Synod of the Church of England.

Patrick Watt

A Beginner’s Guide to Dying by Simon Boas (Swift Press, £9.99 (£8.99); 978-1-80075-521-5)

SIMON BOAS spent most of his adult life as a humanitarian worker, surrounded by death and suffering. At the age of 46, he received a terminal cancer diagnosis that brought him face-to-face with his own mortality. This short collection of articles is less a meditation on dying, and more a reflection on what it means to live our brief lives well, in relationship with others, and for a bigger purpose than ourselves. A deeply moving, humorous, and inspiring read.

Patrick Watt is the CEO of Christian Aid.

Kathleen Snow

Striking Out: Poems and stories from the Camino by Stephen Cottrell (Canterbury £9.99 (£8.99); 978-1-78622-116-2)

THE Archbishop of York’s Striking Out is a moving meditation on pilgrimage — both the outward journey along the Camino, and the inner journey of faith. His reflections on the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges of walking in solitude are honest and deeply relatable. The accompanying poems, best read aloud, reveal new layers of stillness, struggle, and grace with each reading. As Cottrell writes, “To learn how to trust in the things of the moment, that is the reason I’m walking today.” A beautifully written and inspiring companion for all who walk in faith.

Kathleen Snow is the Worldwide President of the Mothers’ Union.

Mark Russell

James by Percival Everett (Pan Macmillan, £9.99 (£8.99); 978-1-0350-3126-9)

I GREW up with a version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on television, and this extraordinary book revisits the story, but through Jim’s eyes. This shift of lens corrects the story; so we see the raw and truly shocking racist underbelly of the Deep South. The novel has joy and hope, pain and brutality, tragedy and triumph. I took this book on holiday, and I could not put it down. If the mark of a good novel is that it changes your perspective, and the characters stay in your heart for a long time, then this book knocks it out of the park.

Mark Russell is the CEO of the Children’s Society.