Adults

Murder in the Cathedral

Book cover: 'Murder in the Cathedral'
Author(s): 
T.S. Eliot
This classic play, written in the fashion of a Greek tragedy (but with Catholic content) is suitable for high school students and adults. Handling the topic of St. Thomas Becket' martyrdom, it focuses on the spiritual and emotional struggles and temptations the Archbishop is faced with immediately before his martyrdom. Full of many truths and fodder for great discussion, this is a highly recommended piece for literature, religion and history.

The Journal of Ben Uchida

Book cover: 'The Journal of Ben Uchida'
Author(s): 
Barry Denenberg
This is a fictitious diary of a 12 year old boy in a Japanese internment camp in California during World War II. (The diary covers the bombing of Pearl Harbor - Dec. 7 1941 thru parts of 1943). The diary is based on letters from Internment camp survivors and other actual events from the time period.

The story helps the reader to understand certain truths about the camps and the consequences of having such camps;

The Last Crusader: Isabella of Spain

Book cover: The Last Crusader: Isabella of Spain
Author(s): 
William Thomas Walsh

Queen Isabella (the Catholic) of Spain is one of the most influential and controversial women in history. She and her husband were responsible for supporting Columbus' voyages to the New World, the re-conquering of all of Spain from the Moors, the expulsion of the Jews, and the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition. Her daughter, Catherine of Aragon, was the unfortunate first wife of King Henry VIII of England (who founded the Anglican church because he didn't accept the Pope's refusal to grant him an annulment of his marriage to Catherine).

How the Reformation Happened

Book cover: How the Reformation Happened
Author(s): 
Hilaire Belloc

This book is a surprisingly readable and interesting account of "How the Reformation Happened". Although it is written from a Catholic perspective, Mr. Belloc is very fair in dishing out the blame to the appropriate people on both sides. The years covered are 1517 (when Martin Luther affixed his protest against the Indulgences to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany) to 1648, but also includes commentary of the implications of the "Reformation" on our own times.

A Tale of Two Cities

Book cover: 'A Tale of Two Cities'
Author(s): 
Charles Dickens
Historical Fiction set in the French Revolution. For the uninitiated - the two cities are Paris and London. The story also involves two men - one a French aristrocrat, hated by the lower classes involved in the bloody revolution for crimes committed by his family - the other a wealthy British bachelor. Both fall in love with Lucie, the beautiful daughter of a man who was freed from the Bastille after being wrongfully imprisoned. It is a beautiful story of love and sacrifice amidst the horror and evil of the Reign of Terror.

Saint Catherine of Siena

Book cover: 'Saint Catherine of Siena'
Author(s): 
F.A. Forbes
Catherine was born in the year 1347 of a wealthy family in Siena, Italy. These were troubled times in her native country. The pope was living in Avignon, France, and rival Italian cities and families were constantly at war with one another. The author gives presents a rather interesting story of a rather remarkable little girl who had heavenly visions and was a light of comfort and cheer to all those who came in contact with her. As Catherine grew older she live a very pious and austere life, offering great penances to Our Lord and working to help the poor and convert sinners.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Book cover: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Author(s): 
Stephen R. Covey
Sean Covey

Having a healthy skepticism of "self-help" books caused me to be lacking in enthusiasm when this book was recommended to me by my older brother. He had been studying it with some friends at work and had high praise for its content. I think I would never have picked it up except that I happened to be at my brother's house while he and my mom read a chapter aloud. Wow. It wasn't anything like what I had expected and turned out to be quite good.

The Spear

Author(s): 
Louis de Wohl
A fast-paced fictionalized account of the centurion who thrust the spear into the side of Christ. The book was clearly written for adults, but might be suitable for older teens. There is a great deal of violence (as might be expected), an attempted suicide, and other content appropriate for those with some degree of maturity. The story is very Catholic and the author weaves many Catholic ideas and thought into the conversations of the characters as well as showing how much people of that time (particularly the Romans) were in need of the message of Christ.

By What Authority

Book cover: 'By What Authority'
Author(s): 
Robert Hugh Benson

It is early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Religion and politics are curiously mixed and confused. How will the people of England survive this tumultuous time and emerge as one of the great powers on the earth. This is the setting for By What Authority by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson. It is the story of how two families, one Catholic and one Protestant, sort through the confusion and endure the suffering of finding and maintaining a religious identity.

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