A Level 4 Biography: Edith Stein

Edith Stein: Woman of Prayer

by Joanne Mosley

As my daughter entered eighth grade, Level 4, I wanted to offer her some female twentieth century saints. First Son read about Pope St. John Paul II, Servant of God Emil Kapaun, and Bl. Stanley Rother. All of these are excellent options, but this is what we do, right, always looking for the next best thing. I found a wonderful option for St. Teresa of Kolkata, but I also wanted an option for St. Edith Stein because I think First Daughter would appreciate her intelligence. Many of the books on St. Edith Stein, though, examine her philosophy in a way that's inaccessible to a young teenager. This is one that is on the list on the Mater Amabilis Level 4 page so I bought a used copy and read it myself. 

It certainly includes a brief look at the philosophy of St. Edith Stein, and some of that might go over my daughter's head, but overall this is a lovely little introduction to a saint who offered herself up for her people. Part I (Ideals in Edith's Life) describes her biographical details from early life to her death. Part II (Ideal Figures in Edith's Prayer) explores St. Edith Stein's relationships to Jesus, Mary, Queen Esther, and the saints of Carmel.

Early in the book I found an anecdote that reminded me of First Daughter. Canon Schwind helped guide Edith early in her faith. She would visit him every Sunday to question him and learn.

His housekeeper and niece describes how, after one such meeting, he fell into a chair in the kitchen, writing his hands and declaring: 'Oh, this philosopher! She can ask more questions than ten learned theologians could answer.'

The book shares much of Edith's thoughts through her writing. For example, when talking about Love of the Cross:

In this essay, the words, 'joy' and 'joyous', occur almost as often as 'Cross'. How can this be? It was so because, as Edith knew, 'love of the Cross' was not love of a torture, love of a piece of wood, but love of the Person who was on the Cross. Suffering was the very place, therefore, where Edith could always find him, come closest to him, and help him to save the world.

The focus of Level 4 history on the twentieth century is a delicate balance: the horrific tragedies of the century are studied, but with enough grace and light to avoid depressing a young mind and soul. St. Edith Stein offers great insight into her time and ours. She counseled a young student in Echt.

One day, Anthony told Edith he was so concerned about world events that he could hardly concentrate on his work. Edith was adamant: he should get on with his thesis and be grateful he had the chance....it seems she was telling him something else, a message embedded in Carmelite values: to do God's will at the present moment, to carry out our daily tasks as well as we possibly can -- to walk the 'Little Way', instead of musing on 'great' actions to which we have not been called. 

Part II focuses more on Edith Stein's writings and spirituality. I loved these chapters that shared her understanding of the saints of Carmel, but I have decided to tell my daughter they are optional. They may be more meaningful for a more mature reader.

I don't know much about St. Edith Stein, so I can't comment much on whether the author has correctly represented the saint, her thoughts, and her philosophy, but the book seems to be well researched. There are quotes from letters and interviews, many in German, that give a sense of intimate friendship with the saint.

There's a similar book by the same author (Edith Stein: Modern Saint and Martyr) that might actually be a slightly updated or annotated version of this one. The description and number of pages are basically the same.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this book used. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links.

Fuel for the Mind

I will be sitting in my van or a waiting room and, glancing at my book, realize those few moments of waiting are now precious time to dive back into a world away from my own. How odd it seemed to me that this Kansan stay-at-home mom was so enthralled with the world of biogeography and the intricate arguments for various methods of the dispersal of species on the land masses of the world. This is not a topic necessary for my homeschooling preparations, for my daily tasks, or for my spiritual growth. What I think about the author's arguments will have no impact on my career (or his), yet it's certainly one of the books I've enjoyed most this year.

As I was reading through my friend's rich and thoughtful blog, Abandon Hopefully Homeschooling, on Charlotte Mason's Twenty Principles, I was reminded of how well Mason articulates the reason for this expansion of my spirit when I pick up my current book. On Principle 8: On Education as Life, my friend writes:

The mind wants to think, and it wants to think a LOT, but it has to have things to think about.

The same need for things to think about is present in every mind, including my own. While most of the books I read focus on education, or spiritual growth, or reading something ahead of the kids, there is great value in reading something fascinating and challenging just because it is fascinating and challenging.

An Earth Science Tour of the United States: The Earth in Turmoil

The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and their Impact on Humankind

by Kerry Sieh and Simon LeVay

The Earth in Turmoil covers plate tectonics and its ramifications for earthquakes and volcanoes in a readable but thorough way. The events and locations explored are all in the United States, mainly the West coast, Basin and Range, and Hawai'i, but also chapters dedicated to Yellowstone, the New Madrid Fault, and the Northeast. They always remind readers of other places in the world with similar physical conditions and phenomena.

Through the course of the book, the authors explore the history of geology and earth science, describing theories proposed, experiments conducted, and papers from a variety of scientists around the world. They provide excellent diagrams, maps, and drawings to illustrate geological principles like the recycling of the lithosphere and how volcanoes are produced by a subducting slab, to name a few from the first two chapters.

This solemn, silent, sailless sea--this lonely tenant of the loneliest spot on Earth--is little graced with the picturesque. [Mark Twain in Roughing It, describing Mono Lake, quoted in The Earth in Turmoil]

All these descriptions and explanations are woven into the chapters through stories from people who experienced earthquakes or survived volcanic eruptions, stories which make the events come alive for the reader in a way the scientific descriptions alone never could. The authors also show how first person accounts and other primary source documents can allow the dedicated scientist to develop a more comprehensive picture of earthquakes or other events, even when modern scientific instruments were not around to measure anything at the time. 

This book was published in 1998 and takes into account new research and events right up until their print deadline. A lot of time has passed since then in human terms, so there are some chapters for which I'd recommend searching recent events online to see if there's new information.

The book is out of print, but seems reasonably easy to find used. I'm probably going to assign it as our earth studies reading at some point in high school. I've been looking for one to cover plate tectonics and this one seems to be the best mix of stories of real people and essential geological information without being an actual (expensive and dense) college textbook.

One thing to note, if you have a sensitive student, the purpose of the book is to develop the relationship between knowledge of the earth's forces that results in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and how humans use the land and spaces affected by those forces. Someone anxious about the chances of massive eruptions or earthquakes may find some of the risks outlined upsetting. In fact, the authors often comment on the psychological ramifications of experiencing extended times of frequent earthquake activity.

On the other hand, the authors sometimes explore how those risks translate into public policy, laws, and insurance coverage, which can be useful and fascinating information for anyone interested in politics, environmental law, or urban development. Given the current conditions as I write this in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the discussions of the balance between scientific forecasts of risks and impacts of those forecasts on businesses and daily lives (especially in the chapter on Mammoth Lakes and Long Valley) were fascinating and relevant.

Sam Walker, who owns a brewery and a restaurant and has been chairman of the chamber of commerce, told us that relations between the townspeople and the USGS scientists had improved greatly in recent years. A lot of the misunderstanding, he told us, was caused by inaccurate reporting of what the USGS people had said. If the USGS said that an eruption was a possibility, some TV station or other would announce that lava was flowing down the street. 

The last chapter explores these ideas of risk assessment and policy in the most detail. 

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. All links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Pondering the Marvels of Creation: Great Catholic Scientists

Great Catholic Scientists: Discoveries and Lives of Faith

Dr. Guy Consolmagno, SJ and Dr. Michelle Francl-Donnay

This is a wonderful little audiobook, almost like a collection of podcasts. Dr. Consolmagno and Dr. Francl-Donnay chat together about science and religion through the stories of Catholic scientists from all over the world and throughout history. They are collected in twelve chapters of 20-25 minutes each, focused on areas like medicine or mathematics, but freely wandering in the discussions.

Some of the featured scientists are saints. Some are famous. All of them are examples of real people doing science - showing up at work and persevering through mundane day-to-day activities.

Dr. Consolmango and Dr. Francl-Donnay talk often of the characteristics that make a good Catholic scientist (spoiler alert - they are the same ones that make a good scientist), but they also talk about some of the characteristics of a Catholic that provide a foundation of education, learning, and curiosity which allows a scientist to explore God's creation with joy. There are instances where their faith allowed a scientist to ask questions and be comfortable in areas of uncertainty.

I have assigned these lectures to my daughter, currently in eighth grade, at the beginning of her year, as a kind of introduction to science and how to think like a scientist. It's a lovely sweep through the history of science that touches on a wide variety of areas. So many secular books on science begin with an assumption that a person of faith cannot also be a person of science, an erroneous but pervasive assumption. This audiobook provides one more layer of protection for a student who can then more easily discard mistaken ideas like that as he or she is reading.

My daughter is listening to them straight through, but I think any individual lecture could be enjoyed without listening to all of them, and there's no real reason they must be in this particular order. Though I think the authors tried to follow a chronological order, there is a lot of overlap on the lectures. I've made a little list below in case someone wants to choose just one or two or wants to schedule them within a particular study.

Chapter 1 (4 min intro) and Chapter 2: What Makes a Scientist Catholic?
(Hildegard of Bingen, Georges Lemaître)
This is probably the lecture that most directly addresses the apparent disconnect between faith and reason. Instead, it suggests our faith leads directly to exploring the world and the universe, God's creation. Science as a discipline only makes sense if the universe is not random. Dr. Consolmango and Dr. Francl-Donnay find great joy and delight in their scientific studies.

Chapter 3: Overthrowing Aristotle
(Hildegard of Bingen, Albert the Great, José de Acosta, Athanasius Kircher)
In this chapter, they explain how changes in the world (stability, improvements in communications, large enough populations so some people can study just for the sake of knowledge, etc.) led to the sudden growth of "science." Catholic monasteries and universities were an integral part of this culture.

Chapter 4: Into the Depths of the Atom
(Henri Becquerel, George de Hevesy, Roger Boscovich, Amedeo Avogadro)
As Catholics, we already believe in the unseen and do not fear the mysterious. We also have faith that our experiences tell us something meaningful about the world. This chapter talks about mysteries, and how the most interesting answers and discoveries are the ones that lead to more questions.

Chapter 5: What Is Life?
(René Haüy, Louis Pasteur, Gregor Mendel, Marthe Gautier and Jérôme Lejeune)
This chapter begins with a discussion about a philosophical (and scientific) definition of life. It touches on the humanness of scientists. They have the same trials, controversies, and need to make a living as anyone else.

Chapter 6: Materia Medica
(Hildegard of Bingen, Georg Joseph Kamel, Pierre Joseph Pelletier, John Clark Sheehan, René Laennec, Ethelbert Blatter)
In this chapter, they discuss how a fallen world leads to illness but that God's creation and his gift to us of reason allow us to discover and develop methods of healing. Over the centuries, the Jesuits in particular have had the opportunities to explore the world, learning from other cultures, and regular communications with others to share that knowledge.

Chapter 7: Merciful Science
(Laudato Si', Mary Poonen Lukose, Bernardo Alberto Houssay, Carl Ferdinand Cori and Gerty Theresa Cori)
Pope St. John Paul II said that science and theology work together, like two wings that lift us to the contemplation of truth. We have obligations beyond just doing the science, always asking ourselves "What are the implications for the most vulnerable?"

Chapter 8: God’s Language
(Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Baron Augustin-Louis Cauchy, Pope Sylvester II)
This chapter focuses on mathematics and the question "how do you describe the world using mathematical equations?" For some, math is a kind of prayer, a focus on truth as the greatest earthly joy. “Mathematics forces you to confront the infinite.”

Chapter 9: Explorers of a New Space
(Sisters of the Holy Child Mary: Sisters Emilia Ponzoni, Regina Colombo, Concetta Finardi and Luigia Panceri; Mary Kenneth Keller, Mary Celine Fasenmyer, Francesco Faà di Bruno, Roberto Busa)
This chapter describes how an ambitious project to create a catalog of every known star begun in 1887 required the creation of new strategies and ways of thinking that, over time, evolved into digital humanities. Religious life and the support of the Church allow space and freedom for work to be done that doesn't fall into a three year grant cycle.

Chapter 10: Taking the Temperature of the World
(Jean Leurechon, Nicolas Steno, André-Marie Ampère, Alessandro Volta)
Communicating about science and what you've learned about the world depends on a system of measurement that is consistent from place to place and person to person. This chapter shares about some Catholics who devised reliable methods of quantification, thereby making more scientific discoveries possible.

Chapter 11: Not Where but What
(Angelo Secchi, James Macelwane, Eduard Heis, Agnes Mary Clerke)
This chapter looks at scientists who look beyond the earth's atmosphere or deep into the earth, beyond what we can measure directly. Many scientists never become famous, working in hidden lives at building a foundation of slow painstaking work for greater understanding. “Wherever your niche is, there’s something for you to do.”

Chapter 12: Our Place in the Universe
(Maximilian Hell, Johann Georg Hagen, Georges Lemaître)
This chapter shares the stories of three notable priest astronomers that gave us a sense of where we are in the universe: the scale of the solar system, the position of stars, the motions beneath our feet, and the origin of the universe itself.

Chapter 13: There is always more to know
(Marie Lavoisier, Blaise Pascal, René Descartes)
This final chapter summarizes many of the themes regarding faith and science that surface, submerge, and resurface in earlier chapters. Faith and science are not big books of facts that might agree or disagree with each other. Faith and science both allow us to "grapple with mysteries, the mysteries of how and why we came to be." It includes a litany of all the men and women of God (and science) included in the audiobook.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this audiobook from Audible. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

July and August 2020 Book Reports

Heavenly Hosts: Eucharistic Miracles for Kids by Kathryn Griffin Swegart - link to my post (purchased copy)

How to Be a Hero: Train with the Saints by Julia Harrell - link to my post (purchased copy)

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare - I hadn't read this book since I was a little girl. I wanted to pick just one book in the time period for Second Daughter so decided to read it again to see if was as good as I remember. It was! So it's on her list. (library copy)

The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare (No Fear Shakespeare edition) - First Son (eleventh grade) and First Daughter (eighth grade) will both be reading this play this year. I imagine First Daughter will be mighty displeased by much of the play, especially Katherine's speech in Act V at the end of the play, but I hope she will learn a little about enjoying what we can from a work of literature, even if it doesn't conform to our ideas of equality. First Son will find it hilarious from beginning to end. I have to admit, though, I'm still a little confused about why we need Christopher Sly. (purchased copy)

Discernment Do's and Don'ts: A Practical Guide to Vocational Discernment by Fr. George Elliott - link to my post (purchased copy)

Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation by Fr. Josh Johnson - link to my post (purchased copy)

Of Bells and Cells: The World of Monks, Friars, Sisters and Nuns by M. Cristina Borges - link to my post (purchased copy)

The American Cause by Russell Kirk - link to my post (purchased copy)

A Socratic Introduction to Plato's Republic by Peter Kreeft - link to my post (purchased copy)

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose - link to my post (copy from PaperBackSwap)

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji Li Jiang - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to PaperBackSwap, Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

A Girl in 1960s China: Red Scarf Girl

 

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

by Ji-Li Jiang

This was one of the history books for independent reading for Mater Amabilis™ Level 4 history, in the China unit. I haven't scheduled a unit on China in the past. (You can see some of my Level 4 history plans here and here on the blog.) First Daughter's a big reader, though, so I thought I'd add this to her list as an optional book. I wanted to pre-read, though, as so much of twentieth century history is overwhelmingly depressing.

The Cultural Revolution began in China when Jiang was twelve years old. Everything she expected, all her hopes and dreams, are shattered as the Revolution disrupts her school, her friends, and her family. Jiang's memoir provides an excellent portrait of China during the Cultural Revolution through the eyes of a young girl. 

There are some difficult events: a suicide, beatings, hangings. Most of these happen to others, but Jiang experiences a near-continuous level of anxiety, rising and falling as events unfold.

The book includes a short note to help orient readers in the beginning as well as a brief pronunciation guide. 

I am definitely including this on First Daughter's list. It's on the list for Asia in our third term. Though her lessons will focus on India, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, this book will provide some exposure to China.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I checked this book out from our library. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.