The Nile in Context: River of the Gods

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile 
by Candace Millard

I loved Millard's River of Doubt, so when I saw she was doing an event at our big city's main library for her new book (this would have been in May 2022), I knew I had to go. First Daughter went with me. We had a fabulous evening and bought a book each, both of which the author graciously signed for us.

River of the Gods fills in all the Nile River gaps a Mater Amabilis mother or student would have after reading A Book of Discovery. It's full of intrigue, disease, adventure, and death. The personalities and tragedies of the European explorers come to life, but Millard also supplies contextual information on the people of Africa who accompanied (or attacked) the adventurers. Millard's research seems excellent (to a non-historian such as myself) with extensive endnotes and bibliography.

I loved it. I'm becoming a bit of a geography and travel book addict, though. I think it would be a great book if you have a high schooler who was particularly fascinated by the search for the source of the Nile or the exploration of Africa by Europeans. It might be a tad slow-going for a casual reader.

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

More than Beowulf: The Anglo-Saxon World

The Anglo-Saxon World

(part of The Modern Scholar series) 

by Michael D. C. Drout 

This collection of audio lectures is scheduled in the Mater Amabilis high school plans for honors history students in Level 5 Year 1, freshman year. It complements the study of early British history, which is a combination of Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples (the one-volume abridgement) and primary sources. It's simply marvelous. 

Professor Drout begins by describing who the Anglo-Saxon people are. He tells how they arrived in England and what they did when they got there. His fourteen lectures cover history, culture, language, literature, and how Anglo-Saxon influences continued into the modern world. 

His lectures overflow with his enthusiasm and love for the people and the language, and especially for Beowulf. (Mater Amabilis also schedules Beowulf in Level 5 Year 1, as part of the English course, so we were able to appreciate his enjoyment even more.) The lectures are informative, but also entertaining. Professor Drout loves his subject, but he doesn't take himself too seriously.

I have said for many years my favorite lecture course from the Great Courses is The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, but I think this one would be a tie if I were to have to choose a favorite lecture course without qualifying the Great Courses. I spoke so highly of the course, Kansas Dad listened to it as well. He also listened to another lecture series from the same professor called Tolkien and the West, which is now on my to-listen list. 

A PDF is included with the purchase of the audio course. It includes, for each lecture, suggested readings for the lecture, notes on the lecture, questions for discussion, suggested readings, and other books of interest. I didn't look at the PDF until after First Daughter and I had both finished listening to the lectures, but it would be a good resource. I think we were able to follow the lectures without doing the readings, and First Daughter was able to narrate them well. If I have another honors student, I will print it out because there are some useful diagrams as well.

This course is listed for honors students only because it is scheduled in addition to the readings in world history, English history, church history, and from primary sources. It is not more difficult, and an interested student would enjoy it even if you didn't want to require it for honors credit. (There are a few references to some mature topics, but nothing graphic.)

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

Martyrs in England: God's Secret Agents

God's Secret Agents: Queen Elizabeth's Forbidden Priests and the Hatching of the Gunpowder Plot 
by Alice Hogge

This book was recommended multiple times by a friend of mine (Sally Thomas) so I was thrilled when I was offered a copy on PaperBackSwap.com (not an affiliate link). 

How could you tell apart the man who behaved like a secret agent and was a secret agent, from the man who behaved like a secret agent, but was a man of God (even if you, yourself, had forced that mode of behaviour upon him by your laws)? (p. 296)

The answer, according to God's Secret Agents, is not very well. 

This book thoroughly explores the context and conditions of the Catholic priests of the English Reformation. The extensive research reveals thoughts and declared intentions of Catholics in England, government officials, Queen Elizabeth, and the priests caught between them all. It's an invaluable book for anyone interested in the Catholic Reformation, and an excellent background for books like Edmund Campion by Evelyn Waugh. The Gunpowder Plot is actually only a small part of the book, though as an American Catholic, I found those chapters as enlightening as the rest.

One of the interesting things I have noticed about English history and literature is how often being Catholic is just unacceptable to proper Englishmen. For example, Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples seems to frown worriedly at any Catholic he mentions. According to Ms. Hogge, it began centuries ago, as a Catholic invasion from Spain was thwarted on their very shores.

What remained unclear, though, was how many of their countrymen would still be prepared to welcome them in, now that Catholicism had been linked so strongly with un-Englishness in the public consciousness. For if to be Catholic was to be an unnatural Englishman, then to draw attention to that unnaturalness in the weeks and months following the Spanish Armada was tantamount to signing your own death warrant. (p. 98)

Late in the book, she argues such bias continues today. She recounts how newspapers published a flurry of worrying articles when the Prime Minister was spotted in a Catholic cathedral in 1998.

It was as though the voices of long dead Tudor, Stuart and Hanoverian MPs, churchmen, and pamphleteers had suddenly crackled into life again and centuries on were venting their old bias. (p. 391) 

The author did a magnificent job presenting all sides of the issues arising in the course of the book. The martyrs are heroic in their service to their countrymen, the politicians are often simply trying to make peace and smooth things over, and the pope doesn't always ease the situation.

Pope Pius V, responsible for excommunicating Elizabeth in 1570, and releasing her subjects from their allegiance to her. This act, more than any other single event, defined the English Catholic dilemma of divided loyalty. (second photo insert)

It was a time when men and women of much and little learning were working out their salvation amidst uncertainty, mortal and immortal, with wise and trusted individuals often disagreeing about not just the proper response to questions, but the relative importance of the questions themselves. It is a reminder not just of the danger of easily vilifying (or idealizing) people of the past, but of the present as well.

St. Nicholas Owen was one of the most fascinating people in the book. A brilliant carpenter and devoted Catholic, he designed and crafted priest holes all over England. Eventually, he was captured and martyred under torture, apparently without divulging any of his secrets.

In life he had saved them, in death he would too: not a single name escaped him. (p. 365)

I love his example of humble craftsmanship in service to God, and he's now one of my new favorite saints. (Coincidentally, an artist recently recommended in the Mater Amabilis Facebook group, offers a lovely icon of him with St. Joseph.)

There are graphic depictions of torture and gruesome deaths, not for the faith of heart, though many of these public executions led to conversions of heart also described in the book.

I do wish there had been some sort of a list of people in the back of the book to reference. Many men appear and reappear in the pages, sometimes with different names (those English have a distressing habit of becoming Lords or something and getting a new name). If I had known how very many there were, I would have made my own list as I read.

I wouldn't assign this book to a high school student, but only because it's rather long. You would have to dedicate a substantial amount of time to the English Reformation to justify it. I will definitely include it on a list of recommended reading for an interested student.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I received this book from PaperBackSwap.com (not an affiliate link). Links to 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.

American History through Picture Books Over the Years

Like many homeschooling families, we love picture books. So while the requirements for history at the kindergarten level are limited (as in, you really don't need to do anything at all), we have always read picture books either on their own, or in combination with other readings.

For First Son, I put together all of American History in picture books over the course of a single year. For First Daughter, we focused more selectively on the same decades her big brother was studying. Each year, the list changes slightly, adapting to the kids and my goals for the year.

This post is going to pull together the American History through Picture Books posts I've made in the past. If I ever have time to write posts for the others years, I'll come back and add to this list. My guess is that your local library is going to have plenty of these books on hand as well as many wonderful news ones you might find as you search for these.

As a reminder, I am an affiliate with both Bookshop and Amazon. Links to those sites may generate income for me at no additional cost to you.

2009-2010 (First Son in Kindergarten)

Overall Plan

North America before 1600

Colonial America through the Revolutionary War

Exploration, Expansion, and the Civil War

Reconstruction, Urbanization, and Industrialization (1865-1889)

The Progressive Era (1890-1913)

World War I and the Jazz Age (1914-1928) 

The Great Depression

Everything after the Great Depression

2012-2013 (First Daughter in Kindergarten)

Slavery and the Civil War

Progressive Era and Immigration

World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s

The Great Depression and World War II

Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration

Additional Books

The Mayflower (1620)

Follow Me Down to Nicodemus Town (1870s)

The Hundred-Year Barn (1919-2019)

Home in the Woods (1930s / Great Depression)

December 2019 Book Reports

The Confessions by Saint Augustine, translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B. - link to my review (Kansas Dad's copy)

Wild Coast: Travels on South American's Untamed Edge by John Gilmette - link to my review (library copy)

Children of Summer: Henri Fabre's Insects by Margaret J. Anderson - link to my review (library copy)

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah - link to my review (library copy)

The History of Science: 1700-1900 (The Great Courses) by Frederick Gregory - This series of lectures was not as good as The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, but I'm a biologist by training who has always enjoyed the history of science. I appreciated the even-handedness of the professor when discussing the relationship between faith and science. He included frequent reminders that most of the scientists in this time were devout (or lukewarm) Christians and that the apparent separation of faith and reason as understood in modern times really didn't develop at all until later. In fact, he specifically refers to the Scopes trial in the American South. (purchased copy in an Audible sale)

A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati - link to my review (parish library copy)

The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon by Todd Zwillich - This short audiobook is like an extended NPR segment. It follows the story of one man who championed the use of a lunar module for the Apollo moon landing, in the course of which it explores the history of science, the sometimes contentious relationships of scientists, and the most interesting question of whether we'd be farther along in space travel if President Kennedy had not made a moon landing a political deadline. (one of the free Audible offerings for members in an earlier month)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - This book is presented as a series of letters, which I found a bit annoying at first. I find it difficult to keep track of who is writing when the narrator bounces around so much. After a while, though, I was able to enjoy it. The people of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between France and England, remain hopeful amid the harsh conditions of the German occupation during World War II. (library copy)

The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini - link to my post (purchased used)

Antarctica's Lost Aviator: The Epic Adventure to Explore the Last Frontier on Earth by Jeff Maynard - This book focuses on Lincoln Ellsworth who was one of a two-man team to first fly across Antarctica and who must surely rank among the most incompetent successful explorers. It seems to be exceptionally well-researched. In addition, the description of the flight was exciting. Overall, though, I just didn't find Ellsworth inspiring and will look for another option for our high school geography course on Antarctica. (library copy)

Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing for this post. All opinions are honest and my own. Links to Amazon or PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Context for All the Books: The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (The Great Courses)

by Patrick N. Allitt

We've been immersed in Mater Amabilis™ for over ten years now. Repeatedly in that time, there have been issues raised with recommended books and Charlotte Mason herself regarding attitudes toward non-Western people and the history of England. This course has helped me put vast amounts of those readings in context. Professor Allitt came of age as the British Empire disintegrated and therefore is able to provide a personal story alongside the historical context. He touches on all aspects of the Empire, including the American colonies, the spread of cricket, and two lectures on some of the relationships between British literature and the Empire. (He pointed out some details in Jane Austen's novels I would never have connected with the Empire. Guess I'll have to read them again!) Many of the lectures touch on important milestones and attitudes that continue to impact world relations today. Quotes from primary sources intersperse all the lectures.

I think you could substitute this lecture series for Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples in Level 5 (the abridged one). You would lose the early British history and Churchill's sardonic wit, but it would probably be easier than reading Churchill. You might also read Churchill to the end of his book, then pick up this lecture series to follow just the decline of the Empire. If you wanted an honors level course, I think Churchill and this series would fit marvelously together.

The PDF included in an Audible purchase includes recommended reading for each lecture and questions to consider, some of which would make excellent exam or essay questions.

Another option might be to use a subset of the lectures either in history or geography courses.

America / The New World

Lecture Two: The Challenge to Spain in the New World
Lecture Three: African Slavery and the West Indies
Lecture Six: Wolfe and the Conquest of Canada
Lecture Seven: The Loss of the American Colonies
Lecture Eighteen: How Canada Became a Nation
Lecture Thirty-Three: The White Dominions

Africa

Lecture Three: African Slavery and the West Indies
Lecture Eleven: Abolition of the Slave Trade and Slavery
Lecture Twelve: Early African Colonies
Lecture Nineteen: The Exploration and Settlement of Africa
Lecture Twenty: Gold, Greed, and Geopolitics in Africa
Lecture Thirty-One: Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal
Lecture Thirty-Two: The Decolonization of Africa

Asia

Lecture Four: Imperial Beginnings in India
Lecture Five: Clive and the Conquest of India
Lecture Thirteen: China and the Opium Wars
Lecture Sixteen: India and the "Great Game"
Lecture Seventeen: Rebellion and Mutiny in India
Lecture Twenty-Seven: British India between the World Wars
Lecture Thirty: Twilight of the Raj
Lecture Thirty-One: Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal

Australia / New Zealand

Lecture Eight: Exploring the Planet
Lecture Ten: The Other Side of the World
Lecture Thirty-Three: The White Dominions

This is one of my favorite courses from The Great Courses. I enjoyed it immensely and would happily listen to it all over again.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. I purchased this course during one of Audible's recent two-for-one sales. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Egypt in Stories: The History of Ancient Egypt

The History of Ancient Egypt

by Bob Brier

This is a fantastic series of 48 lectures, each one around thirty minutes long. Professor Brier starts with the earliest records of humans in the Nile delta and follows the Egyptian civilization up to the Roman conquest and the death of Cleopatra, focusing mainly on the elite and pharaohs.

The professor is not a Christian, but he has two fascinating lectures on the two most famous Hebrews of Egypt: Joseph and Moses. His treatment is refreshingly positive, showing how the people and civilization described in the Biblical narrative is, if nothing else, accurate as far as we can tell from archaeological evidence.

I do think he mistakenly attributes the "idea" of a single omnipotent God to Akhenaten. While Akhenaten did turn away from the hundreds of Egyptian deities, his devotion to One God was hidden by the priests of Egypt and did not contribute to the growth of the Hebrew religion following the time of Abraham.

I listened to this course because the three younger children will study ancient Egypt at the beginning of the school year (Connecting with History volume 1) while the oldest will study Africa in his geography course. I always enjoy expanding my own background knowledge even though it's not really necessary. After listening to a few lectures, I started to consider sharing the whole course with the kids. After a few more, I convinced myself it was just too much and would take us years to get through the whole thing. But by the end, I was swayed. It's really too excellent not to share, especially when Second Daughter is completely fascinated by ancient Egypt. So I think we will listen to them together while riding in the van. We may take breaks for other books if we're overwhelmed and it will certainly take more than the few weeks of the ancient Egypt unit, but it's worth it.

For those who are considering sharing it as well, you can use just some lectures. While they build on each other, each one can stand on its own. Please be aware the lectures are meant for adult or mature listeners so there are some off-hand comments that may be surprising for younger listeners, though mostly they'd probably be ignored or not understood.

There are two lectures that deserve special attention and probably a pre-listen. Lecture 17 (Queen Hatshepsut) refers to her intimate relationship with a man who was not her husband, including descriptions of graffiti depicting them together in...disreputable circumstances. Lecture 33 (The Decline of Dynasty XIX) describes Merneptah’s unusual method of counting the Libyans killed in a battle. Often they would cut off one of the hands, but in this case they might have wanted to prove they were fighting men. It's more than just a brief mention of the episode.

I purchased this audiobook, probably during one of the 2-for-1 sales that often include the Great Courses. I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review, but the link to Amazon above is an affiliate link.

Lead Us Out: The World Beyond Your Head

The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction

by Matthew B. Crawford

Dr. Crawford is the author of Shop Class as Soulcraft, a book well worth your time. Kansas Dad picked The World Beyond Your Head for one of his classes last year. He encouraged me to read it, knowing I would find in it an essential argument for the kind of life we are trying to provide for our children.

This book will require a higher level of concentration than many popular philosophical books. The author claims it was written at a level understandable by anyone with a high school education, which while probably true, would require that person be quite interested and willing to focus. My husband assigned this to one of his recent honors classes and, as far as he could tell, none of the college students made it through the book. That's a shame because it's worth the effort.

Dr. Crawford begins with attention and the myriad ways our society and culture purposefully and insidiously weaken our ability to focus and think.

As atomized individuals called to create meaning for ourselves, we find ourselves the recipients of all manner of solicitude and guidance. We are offered forms of unfreedom that come slyly wrapped in autonomy talk: NO LIMITS!, as the credit card offer says. YOU'RE IN CHARGE. [...]

The image of human excellence I would like to offer as a counterweight to freedom thus understood is that of a powerful independent mind working at full song. Such independence is won through disciplined attention, in the kind of action that joins us to the world. And--this is important--it is precisely those constraining circumstances that provide the discipline. 

His critiques of modern culture are brutal and startling.

Few institutions or sites of moral authority were left untouched by the left's critiques. Parents, teachers, priests, elected officials--there was little that seemed defensible. Looking around in stunned silence, left and right eventually discovered common ground: a neoliberal consensus in which we have agreed to let the market quietly work its solvent action on all impediments to the natural chooser within.

Essentially, corporations and marketers shape everything in our culture. The government is not permitted to write laws "limiting" the choices of consumers. We are led to believe we have complete freedom, but in reality, the corporate world employs every psychological and legal tactic to shape our every decision, creating the perception of wants only they can fulfill.

The creeping saturation of life by hyperpalatable stimuli remains beneath the threshold of concern if we repeat often enough the mantra that "government interference" is bad for "the economy."

His writing on gambling, especially the manipulations of slot machines, is even more distressing than the story in The Power of Habit.

If we have no robust and demanding picture of what a good life would look like, then we are unable to articulate any detailed criticism of the particular sort of falling away from a good life that something like machine gambling represents.

The games marketed to children on various devices employ the same tactics as slot gaming. Providing a "picture of what a good life would look like" is an indispensable aspect of our homeschool.

Like many others, Dr. Crawford tries to seek the benefits of a life of faith without actual faith in God. We can hope this sort of questioning might lead some to truly encounter Christ.

In the epilogue, he writes:

The problem we began with a few hundred pages ago was that of distraction, which is usually discussed as a problem of technology. I suggested we view the problem as more fundamentally one of political economy: in a culture saturated with technologies for appropriating our attention, our interior mental lives are laid bare as a resource to be harvested by others. Viewing it this way shifts our gaze from the technology itself to the intention that guides its design and its dissemination into every area of life.

By the end of the book, he's exploring ways to counter this cultural tendency, not just by turning off a phone but by interacting directly and meaningfully with the physical world and the people who live in it. As we develop skills manipulating the physical world, we enrich our lives and our relationships.

I would love to assign this book to my high school students, but it would probably not interest them enough to draw our the required focus. I recommend it highly to just about everyone.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post, which is entirely my own opinion. Kansas Dad bought this book for his class. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Adventure and Archaeology: Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time 

by Mark Adams

After spending half a career editing travel and adventure articles, Adams quits his job and spends months hiking around Peru guided by an Australian remarkably like Crocodile Dundee. Those of us more confined to the States can travel along with this marvelous memoir. Archaeology, history, culture, nature...all humorously intertwined. If I were looking for a book on Incas and Peru for South American geography for a high school aged-son (as I will in a few years), this is perfect. It's on our list.

Peru's borders contain some of the world's most varied topography and climate. Measured in square miles, the country is not especially large. on a globe it looks like a swollen California. Within that space, though, are twenty-thousand-foot peaks, the world's deepest canyon (twice as deep as the Grand Canyon), unmapped Amazon jungle and the driest desert on earth....Scientists have calculated that there are thirty-four types of climatic zones on the face of the earth. Peru has twenty of them.

One of my goals for our high school geography course is to present my students with books and articles that challenge a Eurocentric viewpoint (which we cultivate in our history studies), reveal current life in non-Western countries, and explore the relationship between the past and the present in a way that allows them to appreciate God's presence in lives around the world and throughout time. While probably impossible to do perfectly, the attempt is worthwhile. Adams's book captures much of the attitude I am seeking. While respectful of Incan heritage, Adams presents a balanced view.

Today, perhaps because Machu Picchu is so popular among the spiritually inclined, the Incas are sometimes portrayed as a peaceful race who graciously invited neighboring tribes to join their thriving territorial conglomerate. In reality, they could be as brutal as the conquistadors.

Because Adams shapes his journeys around those of Hiram Bingham III, the relationship between Incas and those who came after (whether from Europe or America) is woven throughout the book. Adams respects the skills of the Incas, both those of the architects and those of the builders.

Up to now I had been thinking of these places as Bingham had when first starting out, as self-contained lost cities and holy sites, akin to abandoned medieval villages and churches. Trails were just lines on a map connecting the dots. But if John was right, the Incas had seen things very differently. These sites and trails were more like organs and vessels, the circulatory system in a living body.

Later:

The stonework at Machu Picchu is just the most conspicuous aspects of its brilliance. The citadel is also, in the words of the hydrologist Kenneth Wright, "a civil engineering marvel." Someone had to have made the climb up to the ridge around 1450 A.D. -- historians' best guess -- and decided that this remote saddle between two jagged peaks, with dizzying drops on two sides, could be cleared, leveled and made suitable for habitation and agriculture.

Be aware there are mentions of coca use, overindulgence in alcohol, and some swearing.

Adams appears to be a fallen-away Catholic, not denouncing the faith, but seemingly disregarding it. There are a few shocking revelations that may surprise young Catholics.

(Colonial fun fact: after Columbus returned home to report his discovery, Pope Alexander VI briefly set aside fathering children with his various mistresses to issue a papal bull dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal--which is one reason that most South Americans speak Spanish, but Brazilians speak Portuguese.)

This sort of flippancy is not false, but would need to be placed within the context of a study of church history (something Mater Amabilis™ does well). There are similar comments about the missionary family which raised Hiram Bingham III.

There's little flowery language here. When Adams wants to describe a natural scene of tremendous beauty, he uses a superlative adjective and moves on.

In Kant's epistemology, it means something limitless, an aesthetically pleasing entity so huge that it made the perceiver's head hurt. Machu Picchu isn't just beautiful, it's sublime.

What he lacks in poetics, he balances in sensible assessments of history, his own humility, and respect for the relationships between people and the environment. His experiences also encourage us to take time to really explore our world.

I have received nothing for this post; all opinions are my own. I checked this book out from the library. Amazon links above are affiliate links.

A Different Mythology: Tales of Ancient Egypt

Tales of Ancient Egypt

by Roger Lancelyn Green

It's been a few years since we studied ancient history with RC History's Connecting with History volume 1, but we'll be returned to it again this year. Each time around, I find myself tempted to buy just a few more books at the higher levels; they're all so good! This year, I bought Tales of Ancient Egypt. I love Green's version of Robin Hood, so I really didn't seriously consider not buying this book.

The book is divided into three sections: Tales of the Gods, Tales of Magic, and Tales of Adventure. There is a short introduction at the beginning and a map of Egypt, both of which are useful for the student.

The tales themselves are wonderfully told with interesting language and excitement. There are written as if a comfortable grandfather were telling tales in front of a fireplace. (I don't really know what Green was like in real life, but that's always how I imagine him.)

I particularly enjoyed the Story of the Greek Princess, which tells a version of the abduction of Helen in which she is secreted safely away in Egypt through the entire Trojan War. (I searched online and there are indeed ancient sources for such a tale.) I also enjoyed the last tale which tells an Egyptian version of what we would call a Cinderella story, though it has some marked differences from more common ones today.

I expect all of my children will enjoy the stories in this book. My sixth grader will be assigned it. I will recommend it to my fourth grader. I even included it as optional independent reading for my ninth grader (along with the myths and tales he is reading for narrations). It's appropriate for all ages, though younger ones would appreciate someone reading it aloud.

The Puffin Classics edition is a nice little paperback, well-printed.

This post is my honest opinion. I have linked above, with affiliate links, to RC History, because that is the program through which I learned of this book. I purchase our books through a variety of sources and ended up buying this one on Amazon (also an affiliate link). 

November and December 2018 Book Reports

Lots of reading, not lots of time at the computer when I can write about what I've read. Here's a quick look at November and December, not including all the school pre-reading I'm trying to juggle in between getting kids to their activities and appointments.

Ship's Boy with Magellan by Milton Lomask - link to my post (purchased copy)

On Blue's Waters, In Green's Jungles, and Return to the Whorl by Gene Wolfe - These three books make up the Short Sun trilogy, which follow the Book of the Long Sun (mentioned in the last book report). Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy more. If I had more time, I'd write an entire post about some of my thoughts on the series. Wolfe's story is enjoyable, but also dabbles in ideas of what it means to be human, how to worship that which is superior, and how to be good and loving when so much of existence is not. Ultimately, I think he fails to describe the complete answer, but I suppose he might point in the right direction. (As much as books "say" what an author "wants" them to say, that is.) (two books from our local library, one from inter-library loan)

History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach (from The Great Courses) by Gregory S. Aldrete - I listened to this course with the children in the van (ages 14, 12, 10, and 8). There were a few references to adult themes, but mostly this went over the younger one's heads and were few in number. There is, of course, a great deal of death, much of it unnecessary and therefore more tragic. The professor had an annoying habit of over-emphasizing every third of fourth word for no explicable reason. My children never complained about that, but I found it distracting. I was surprised at how interested the kids were, even the younger ones, and at how much they picked up. After one lecture, my 8 year old asked me to get out an atlas and show him the former boundaries of Prussia as the Russian army would have encountered them in the battle described. My 12 year old enjoyed them so much, she has listened to the entire series again.  As with many of The Great Courses, there is a PDF with lecture notes. It has some illustrations, but I wish it included some maps. (purchased with an Audible credit)

One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler - I bought this Kindle book during a sale and then let it sit on my Kindle until I suggested it to my book club. At first I wasn't sure how this book reflected my own life, but after contemplating it for a while, I came to a new understanding about my life as a homeschooling mom: I love planning and organizing our homeschool lessons. It is unfortunate I cannot monetize it as Fulwiler has her writing (or, perhaps I could, but I'm not willing to take those steps). I also haven't managed to balance my desire to plan our lessons with the way those lessons play out in real life, but at least I have an idea of how I might be able to prioritize my focus to be more balanced in the future. I figure I'll hit that stride right about the time Second Son, my youngest, graduates from high school. Ha! (purchased Kindle copy at a sale price)

Nature's Everyday Mysteries by Sy Montgomery - link to my post (purchased copy)

How to Read and Understand Shakespeare (from The Great Courses) by Professor Marc C. Conner - link to my post (purchased with an Audible credit)

Hi Bob! by Bob Newhart and friends - This is a kind of series of podcasts by Bob Newhart during which he interviews a bunch of famous comedians. It was one of the free books offered to Audible members in recent months and I picked it thinking I might be able to share it with First Son, who appreciates humor more than any other medium. I'm not sure how much he'd enjoy it, given the number of references to older movies and shows, without more context. There were many references I didn't quite catch myself. It was an entertaining book, though, and I often laughed to myself while listening (and folding laundry or washing dishes). (one of the free monthly selections with Audible membership)

Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith - I purchased this during an Audible sale for a deep discount because I thought the kids would enjoy it. They did! It was a middle-grade kind of fan fiction novel full of inconsistencies. Sometimes I couldn't stop myself from pausing the playback to tell them about how school would really work (being homeschooled they wouldn't have known) and I was gratified to hear them counseling T'Challa to tell his father all or talk to another responsible adult. Even with all its problems, they all enjoyed it and would probably gladly listen again. (Audible, purchased during a sale)

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). Links to RC History and PaperBackSwap.com are affiliate links. Any other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

July and August 2018 Book Reports

The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise by Robert Cardinal Sarah with Nicolas Diat - link to my post. (library copy)

In the Steps of the Master by H. V. Morton - link to my post. (purchased used)

Calde of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe - I'm reading this series again and enjoying it more the second time around I think. Sometime in the past few years, the library copy of the last book was damaged or lost so here's hoping they buy another one for me. (library copy)

Echoes by John Ciardi - I picked this book out of the library catalog when I was searching for poetry books for the children. (How to Tell the Top of the Hill is delightful.) This book is beautifully printed on lovely paper. Many of the poems seemed melancholy or dispirited to me, but a few near the end of the book appealed to me. I liked Ten Minutes my Captive in which he describes a turtle he allows to escape "into the green flecked edge of water and home." (library copy)

Joan of Arc by Hilaire Belloc - link to my post. (purchased Kindle version)

Ember Rising by S.D. Smith - We started listening to this audiobook with Kansas Dad, but he asked us to finish it without him because he found it upsetting that the main characters seemed to suffer worse and worse fates as the book progressed. I'm going to have to go against the current on this series and admit I often find the writing almost painful. There's far too much alliteration and minute descriptions; I'm always thinking there should have been more editing. The story is reasonably good, though, and the children enjoy it. I bought it thinking it would be the last of the trilogy, but it's not. I suppose I'll buy the rest of the books for the children to read but I think I'll pass on the audiobook. (Audiobook received from our contribution to the funding page.)

Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe by Robert Matzen - This incredibly researched book tells Jimmy Stewart's wartime story based on extensive interviews and governmental reports. It gives detailed accounts and descriptions of life for bombers living in England and flying missions over Europe. Stewart's life in Hollywood (with all his exploits) is described just as openly as the often graphic scenes of carnage and struggle in war, so this is a book for mature readers, but it could be a fascinating read for anyone interested in World War II. (borrowed from my dad)

The Blood-Red Crescent by Henry Garnett - link to my post. (purchased used on Cathswap)

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw - One of the historical fiction books recommended by RC History for Connecting with History volume 1, this is an exciting story of an inadvertent double spy in the time of Queen Hatshepsut. There's a Novel Inquiries guide for the novel which I own, but I haven't decided if we'll use it. First Daughter (sixth grade) is going to read this for independent reading and I might not ask her to do anything in particular other than reading it. It's a good choice for a middle schooler or older student as there is some violence and romance. It's exciting and I enjoyed the story, but I was a little upset at some of the scenes where she flirts with a guard (to get him to let her out of the gate) or her love interest because they reaffirm stereotypes, but First Daughter hears me talk about those things enough for me not to be concerned about her reading them here and there. (purchased used)

Baptism of Fire by Andrezej Sapkowski - This is the third book in the Witcher series. After I read the second book, I wrote that I wouldn't recommend them due to the use of the rape myth in the plot line. Of course, I kept reading them myself and discovered this book has a surprising pro-life message. Entertaining fantasy and moral questions for a mature audience. (library copy)

Crosstalk by Connie Willis - This is a light-hearted science fiction book set in the near future when the instant messaging and texting creates a constant bombardment. I read this book in the twenty-four hours before and during my daughter's surgery. It was nothing major, just pins in a broken finger, but I was worried and this book was the perfect companion as I tried to relax and waited for the results. (library copy)

The Burgess Seashore Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess - link to my post. (purchased used)

Much Ado about Nothing by Shakespeare - First Son is reading this as his first Shakespeare play of high school so I read it to help myself be prepared. I read the No Fear Shakespeare version (linked) and the one he will read. It helps a lot to have the modern translation and some editorial helps to understand the references. It doesn't include any essays on the meaning, but I found a Cliff's Notes with a bit of information for him to read after he reads the play. (I just requested whatever was available on PaperBackSwap.com.) Reading even those short notes gave me some added dimensions for understanding the play, the characters, and the themes. I am absurdly excited to be reading Shakespeare with First Son and First Daughter this year. (They'll be reading different plays.) I've scheduled three plays for each of them this year, but even if we only make it through two of them, I'll be thrilled. Realizing I didn't encounter Shakespeare at all in college, I've decided this must be a priority for us in middle school and high school. It might be their only experience with the Bard. (purchased book for the play, requested book for the supplementary reading from
PaperBackSwap.com)

The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson - link to my post. (purchased used)

Usually here I list all the books I'm reading, but that would take too long because I'm reading everything First Son is reading for high school. Yikes! It's a lot.

Legacy of Nonviolence: Mahatma Gandhi (Level 4 Twentieth Century History)

World Peacemakers: Mahatma Gandhi

by Michael Nicholson

I wrote last August about our plans for the last unit of twentieth century history on Asia, drawing from the Mater Amabilis™ lesson plans for History.

I chose this biography of Gandhi for our study of India from our library's selections. I have not read any other biographies. I simply checked out every book from our library catalog that looked like it might work and then skimmed parts of them looking for something that could be read in two or three sessions over the course of a week by an eighth grader. This one seemed about right.

I only read the biography as I prepared for this week's lessons, but I found it to be insightful and well-written.

Gandhi was born into a land of contrasts: of desert plains, vast rivers, dense jungles, and the highest mountains on Earth. The climate of India is hot in the plains and cool in the highlands, but the vastness of the country creates great variety. India's peoples were separated from each other not only by the sheer difficulty of travel from one region to another, but also by different habits, religions, and more than three hundred languages.

It covers the time Gandhi spent as a student in England and as a lawyer in South Africa in addition to his devotion to his home country of India. It is illustrated with photographs from Gandhi's lifetime and stills from the movie Gandhi. Many of the pages also contain quotes in the margins of those who knew and encountered Gandhi during his lifetime.

Mohandas Gandhi was the light of reason and the voice of love, tolerance, and peace in a century of violence. The little man in the loincloth left behind far more than his modest possessions. He left a legacy of nonviolent protest that has influenced thousands since his death.

We see in the daily news continuous evidence of conflict between those of different faiths and unrelenting poverty remaining in many places in the world. We see leaders who do not live out their faith or philosophy, who seek their own gain without regard for the powerless. Gandhi is a courageous example of a man who lived exactly as he preached, who devoted his entire life to the service of his people. He is the kind of man I want to put before my children and therefore, this brief glimpse of India is an excellent part of our twentieth century history study.

I opted to combine the readings into two days rather than three because we will need to finish school a week or two earlier than planned to accommodate unanticipated June activities. Even so, I think it might be interesting to combine the readings this way to allow a third lesson that looks at India and Pakistan since independence. I have a few years to find something before my daughter is in Level 4.

Updated plans (original plans here):

Lesson 1
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 366-367 and p 421
Mahatma Gandhi pp 5-29. Narrate.

Lesson 2
Mahatma Gandhi pp 30-60.
MapTrek Modern World Map 37: Independent for India
Read an eyewitness account of the assassination of Gandhi in1948 at Eyewitness to History
Listen to Jawaharlal Nehru’s extempore broadcast on All India Radio announcing the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948 and read the text of the speech he gave three days later, found in your Google Doc.
Notebook – Write a brief biography of Gandhi.
Add an event to your Book of Centuries.

Lesson 3 (omitted this year)
-something on India and Pakistan in the years since independence

Our library has the movie, Gandhi, which we may try to watch. It's hard to fit in videos that I don't want the little ones to see since they don't actually sleep before First Son is in bed and I'm not sure I want to juggle our lives around trying to fit this video in, though I imagine it would be a powerful complement to the biography.

I checked this book out of the library. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. The opinions in this post are my own.

Serious Piety: The Face in the Flames

The Face in the Flames: A Story of Saint Bridget of Sweden

by Brother Roberto, C.S.C.

In the Footsteps of the Saints series, Level 2 (reading level)

I wrote back in January about Hide the Children, a book from the same series as this one and recommended by our history program, volume 3 of Connecting with History, but that we would not be reading. It seemed appropriate to write a little post about this one, which I pre-read and decided to assign to First Daughter (fifth grade, grammar level in the Connecting with History lesson plans).

Like others in the series, this book reveals some of the odd piety of books written in the 1950s. For example, there was quiet awe when St. Bridget seemed to know of her daughter's husband's death when the women were visiting each other in Italy, but not really any sorrow from either of them despite the fact that this second husband was described as a good man earlier in the book. (Her first husband was not a good man and they seemed relieved and grateful when he died young.)

There was one really extreme example. Late in the book, Bridget is traveling to the Holy Land with her daughter and her son (both grown) when her son falls in love with a princess, although both are married.

When Bridget heard of their desire to marry, she was overcome with anxiety and turned at once to Our Lady and her Son in prayer.

Her prayers were quickly answered. Karl became violently ill while in Naples and after a sickness of two weeks quietly died in his mother's arms. Thus, death ended the evil love affair.

So there you have it. She was apparently better pleased by her son's death than by such a mortal sin. I will probably never be a saint, because I'd rather my son sinned and repented but still lived or (better yet) repented before sinning and lived.

First Daughter will still read this book. I doubt she'll be concerned with this part much.

According to the RC History website, the Level 2 books in the In the Footsteps of the Saints books are written at about a fourth grade reading level. Because of their format (large print and generous white space on the pages), they are not intimidating for younger readers who might be confident enough to read them. I think my third grader could read this book easily, though she has a July birthday and is therefore older than most third graders. But I'm happy to leave it as assigned just for the more advanced level.

I purchased this book new from Sacred Heart Books and Gifts (not an affiliate link) and received nothing for writing this post of my own opinions. The links above are affiliate links to the RC History website.

Lenin and Mary: 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle

1917: Red Banners, White Mantle

by Warren H. Carroll

This book appears on the list of supplemental history reading for the study on Russia and the Fall of Communism Level 4 history program at Mater Amabilis™. It is recommended to choose one of these supplemental books, many of which are historical fiction, to read over the six week study. I flipped through four or five of the options listed for the Russian study (ones our library had or that I purchased inexpensively) and, without reading any in full, choose 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle because it included information on Fatima, which otherwise we only touched on, and because the writing seemed particularly eloquent. As I read it, in fact, I found the writing so rich I created a list of words for First Son to look up each week before his reading. (He probably could have figured them out well enough to get by, but I wanted him to appreciate them.)

The Mater Amabilis™ page states this book is a "Catholic perspective on the events of 1917." That's clear from the very beginning of the book.

In the short November afternoon, Francis Joseph felt a great weakness coming upon him. He understood what it meant. He knew he faced death, and he knew death faced his empire, hard beset by the enormous, incalculable perils of a world disintegrating under the stresses of a conflict far more protracted and cosmically destructive than anyone had imagined possible. And he knew the quality of the radiant young couple who had visited with him that morning: their goodness, their hope, their relative innocence, their inexperience, their crystal simplicity of purpose and conviction, but with scarcely a trace of the touch of the ruthless which is very close to being necessary in a temporal ruler in the fallen world.

The book covers, in chronological and detailed order, the events on the World War I battlefields, in the fields of Fatima, and in Russia from December 1916 (after a few preliminary chapters) through December 1917, with a chapter to briefly describe pertinent events through the death of Lenin.

Carroll does not shy away from descriptions of the horrific war or the madness of its beginning and repeated refusals of diplomats to come to peaceable solutions.

These gigantic losses were not suffered in a struggle for some overriding moral or religious principle or right that might not be sacrificed at any cost. Except for one small country, Belgium, the war did not involve any nation's essential freedom or existence. It was a war of fronts in border regions, a war of trenches and attrition, a war that pitted the deadly machine gun against unprotected human flesh. 

His description of Lenin:

Lenin was not a monster. He had a happy childhood, his parents taught him Christian morality (though he rejected it), he loved music and the countryside; he could even care genuinely for people when they did not get in his way. But over and through and above all else throbbed the pounding power of his relentless will, fixed immovably on the revolution, to be achieved by any means, at any cost.

While the author's descriptions of the people and events of the book are riveting, it's sometimes difficult to discern how much those descriptions are shaped by the author's opinions rather than facts. For example, a significant part of his description of the actions of Emperor Charles and Empress Zita upon hearing of Germany's return to unrestricted submarine warfare is based on Zita's remembrances many years later. That doesn't make it untrue, of course, merely weakly supported by the evidence he quotes if one were disinclined to believe Empress Zita. Later, he describes President Woodrow Wilson's re-election.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the former professor who had first been elected President of the United States when two opponents split the vote against him and was then re-elected by an eyelash because his opponent forgot to shake the hand of the Governor of California, is one of the most improbable figures in Americn [sic] political history.

That seemed surprising to me, so I researched a little, trying to wade through websites online. It seems Hughes (running against Wilson) did neglect to shake the California governor's hand, but it might have been more deliberate than it seems from this statement. Also, while the election was close, it seems unlikely that was the only reason Wilson won and rather flippant of the author to suggest it was.

The book presents a rather confusing series of diplomatic negotiations, with many different people involved. I found an article at 1914-1918 Online that helped me understand exactly what was happening. I added it to a page of notes for First Son as well. The article views Charles's attempts at negotiations more as a result of the ravages of war suffered by his country than his professed desire for peace for all Christendom, which is the view presented by Carroll. It seems likely to me it was both and historians choose to emphasize one or the other as they lean themselves.

The author only touches briefly on the horrors experienced outside Petrograd as the peasants were provoked into violent action by Communist agitators.

The full story of the ensuing horror has never been, and probably never will be told. It is composed of ten thousand local tragedies of burning and looting and smashing and killing, of old scores settles [sic] and envy slaked, of just and imaginary grievances all jumbled together and avenged in blood and ashes, each one a bit in a mosaic which it has never served anyone's interest to assemble, and for which most of the needed records either never existed, or vanished in the cataclysm.

Even as I neared the end of the book, I found it difficult to discern the relationship Carroll was attempting to draw between the apparitions at Fatima and the events as they occurred in Russia. He would make these kinds of grand sweeping statements:

The war that came upon the world from 1914 to 1918 was not only a war of men and nations, generals and armies, monarchs and revolutionaries. The legions and the powers of Heaven and of Hell were engaged as well, as well-attested events from December 1916 to October 1917 clearly show to those with eyes to see, and ears to hear.

The author seemed to believe they were clear, but other than the chronology and the reflections written some twenty years later by someone who was a sometimes frightened and impressionable child, I don't think he made his case very well. I am not saying the apparitions at Fatima did not occur or that the documentation of them made later were inaccurate, just that this book did not seem to explain exactly what effect the prayers of the children and believers at Fatima had on the events in Russia.

It remained to be seen how many, even yet, would hear and heed her words and help her by their prayers, and by lives more pleasing to God, to change the course of history--to convert the Russia which was about to fall into Lenin's grasp.

But...what was the effect? Is he arguing it would have been worse? Or that the people did not sacrifice and pray enough? Or that we should be continuing to sacrifice and pray for the people suffering under Communism in the USSR (in 1981, when the book was published)? I couldn't tell!

Only in one place, late in the book, does he refer to one possibility. Carroll was writing of how Lenin thought all of Europe, and then the world, would revolt and become Communist in the wake of the horrors of World War I.

His euphoria was somewhat premature, even in light of what he did surely know and reasonably suspect. But he was not so far wrong as nearly everyone since has tended to think. There is good reason to believe that the Western world stood very close to final catastrophe in that ghastly autumn of 1917. How many more Passchendaeles could any nation, however disciplined and loyal to its leaders, have endured without breaking? We may presume that no inconsiderable part in preventing that ultimate collapse was played by the prayers offered for peace--by Pope Benedict XV, by the children of Fatima offering their daily rosary for peace as the Lady had asked, by the suffering and the dying, by the victims of the rural terror in Russian, and by millions more throughout Europe and the world.

So, we are presumably to believe that the prayers of Fatima offered in response to Mary's request, did save the world from a massive Communist movement that would have begun in Russia and enveloped the world. There's no way to argue against that and it might very well be true, but it was odd to me that this was the only instance where he mentioned what might have been an outcome. There are other times when he points out how Lenin's plans nearly fell apart (like when he was not arrested the night before the revolution in October, despite being stopped by two mounted officers while wandering the streets without papers). It would be just as easy (thought not in line with the rest of the book) to argue that the prayers of the faithful benefitted the revolution.

Warren talks about how Woodrow Wilson, in his speech asking Congress to declare war, said it was necessary in order to help bring democracy and freedom to the world. Warren contends that almost the opposite occurred.

The principal historical consequence of World War I was to be the establishment, as far into the future as human eyes can see, of the most fearful, pervasive, far-flung tyranny in the history of mankind--a tyranny so gigantic and so evil that, in the end, only the Mother of God in person can conquer it.

A powerful statement, and one that might be interesting to consider: Was the most important consequence of World War I the rise of communism in Russia, especially given Germany's obvious use of Lenin as a disruptive agent delivered to Russia? It's seems a different argument then to move from that to Mary being the only one who can conquer it.

There are clear references to Rasputin's debauchery and lewdness that would be inappropriate for some younger readers. Additionally, descriptions of the trench warfare are also graphic and horrific, as befits the war.

Here's a link to the Google Doc I made for First Son with a list of vocabulary to check before reading and some articles of interest. I divided the book into five readings and planned for him to read one each week. That gave us some leeway, which we ended up needing when his World War II book (the unit just before this one) went a week over.

I am glad I read this book as I found it an interesting and engaging account of the events of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. I have assigned it to First Son, though I didn't finish it before he started it. Having now read the whole book, I will leave the assignments as they are, though I'm not convinced I'll assign it to the other children. I think that will depend on discussions I may have with First Son about it. There's nothing overtly wrong with the book, but I feel like the author makes vast statements without adequate support and I'm not sure how that may come across to a Level 4 student. Will First Son believe it all at face value? Is it necessary that he does not? I don't know! Unless there are some amazing discussions around this book, I'll probably choose something else as there are lots of other options. But we'll see.

Serving Souls in a Prisoner of War Camp: A Shepherd in Combat Boots

A Shepherd in Combat Boots: Chaplain Emil Kapaun of the 1st Cavalry Division

by William L. Maher

Servant of God Emil Kapaun is a priest from our own state of Kansas who died in a prison camp during the Korean War. During his time as an army chaplain, he inspired the men in his care with his bravery, his kindness, his mechanical skills, and his love of God. His cause for canonization is being considered in Rome. I chose this biography of him for First Son to read for one of the twentieth-century saints and heroes as suggested by Mater Amabilis™ for ™Level 4. I hadn't read the whole book before we started, so First Son and I read it together.

The early chapters emphasize the difficult lives of the people of rural Kansas.

Winters were bitter and confining, the drabness broken every day by the freezing chores of caring for the farm animals. Spring brought threats of tornadoes, or thunderstorms which could wipe out emerging crops. The summers were brutally hot and severe winds often swept in from the western prairies, accompanying the droughts that the farmers feared so much.

The book also reveals the conditions of troops in Japan (living with Japanese girl friends, liquor plentiful, girls available) as well as later the difficult and distressing conditions in the camps. Sensitive readers may be upset by these things. First Son was fine.

Father Kapaun, while living in Japan before the Korean War, spoke often on a radio ministry.

The peace which God gives is a gift which exists even in suffering, in want, and even in time of war. People who try to promote peace and love among their fellow men are peacemakers in the true sense of the word. And the people who try to bring the peace of God to souls are peacemakers of a higher order.

That's from a broadcast on April 21, 1950, part of which you can find online on the Diocese of Wichita website.

There are reports of multiple times in Korean when shells and bombs fell near-by while Father Kapaun was saying mass. He did not pause his prayers or services even when they were missed by just hundreds of yards. Displaying similar bravery for the good of his men, he would sneak out and steal food for the prisoners while in the prison camp, explaining to many soldiers that in these circumstances, stealing was not immoral because the captors were unjustly starving the men. His practical skills and creativity in problem-solving also helped men survive in the camp. He crafted pots, repaired tires, and devised ways to provide clean water to sick men.

There are many powerful quotes from fellow prisoners about Father Kapaun and his example in the prison camp.

"It was his actual deeds that gave the prisoners such a tremendous impact as they watched him living by God's law. In a few words, Chaplain Kapaun practiced what he preached," said Lieutenant Ralph Nardella.

Also this one:

"When others were getting meaner the priest was only kinder," said another American soldier. "The longer we were in the valley, the rougher it got, and the rougher it got, the gentler Father Kapaun became."

Amazingly, Father Kapaun baptized some of the prisoners during his time in the camps. It's hard to imagine more desperate and humiliating circumstances, yet this priest was able to demonstrate the eternal love of God even in the midst of such horrors.

I think the most remarkable testimony comes from Marine Captain Gerald Fink, a man who arrived at the camp after Father Kapaun had died and therefore knew him only from the reports of others. Inspired by his example, he created a stunning crucifix of scraps with improvised tools.

If the meek shall inherit the earth, it will be because people like Father Kapaun willed it to them. I am a Jew, but that man will always live in my heart. He was a man among many who were not. I saw the biggest, huskiest and toughest men crack under the strain. Father Kapaun not only served Christians well but he served everyone else with equal goodness and kindness. Never thinking of himself, he was always doing something for others. He represented to me saintliness in its purest form and manliness in its rarest form. 

This book is simply written, much of it drawn directly from primary sources like eports from Father Kapaun to his bishop and interviews with men who knew Father Kapaun at home and in the prison camp. Maher has read and incorporated Kapaun's letters and diaries to give an incisive view into Kapaun's thoughts and feelings. It is an excellent early biography, though I do hope there will be another in the future that shapes these first impressions into a more beautifully crafted story of his life and witness.

For those interested, The Miracle of Father Kapaun shares more information about his time in the prison camp and the miracles that are being considered in his cause for sainthood.

This is an excellent biography of a twentieth-century man of God for any Level 4 student, but especially for a young man or a student in Kansas or near-by states. There is something especially powerful in seeing an example of such saintliness from a man who grew up in the same area. My children and I regularly visit the chapel where Father Kapaun was ordained and the school where the crucifix he inspired hangs.

I purchased this book used. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.