Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Conversion of the Heart and Mind: Apologia Pro Vita Sua

by St. John Henry Cardinal Newman

This book is recommended for Level 6 Year 2 in the Mater Amabilis high school religion plans (twelfth grade). It's one of the three books currently in the lesson plans of readings by modern saints. St. John Henry Newman is one of our family's patron saints, so I was excited to read this book.

St. John Henry Newman threw the English religious world into turmoil when he, a revered intellectual and leader in the Anglican church, converted to Roman Catholicism, a faith viewed with particular patriotic contempt. In the years after his conversion, Newman struggled through the loss of many friends and skepticism from many in his new faith. 

Finally, in response to a personal attack on his integrity and that of his new faith, Newman decided a thorough response was necessary, one which meant sharing the development of his faith from childhood through his rise in the Anglican church and his eventual conversion. He gathered as many of his personal letters and writings as he could and published it all in an astoundingly short amount of time. The result, through a couple of revisions, is Apologia Pro Vita Sua. The edition I read is that edited by Ian Ker, which contains much of the original content, such as the pamphlet from his most prominent accuser which prompted the book.

Newman spent years reading and praying, on the brink of converting but hesitating. His Apologia offers some explanation for his reticence.

I could not continue in this state, either in the light of duty or of reason. My difficulty was this: I had been deceived greatly once; how could I be sure that I was not deceived a second time? I thought myself right then; how was I to be certain that I was right now? ... To be certain is to know that one knows; what inward test had I, that I should not change again, after that I had become a Catholic? (p. 206)

So, like the rest of us, he decided to write a book (Essay on Doctrinal Development) and, if he felt the same way when he was done, he'd become a Catholic. 

And I hold this still: I am a Catholic by virtue of my believing in a God; and if I am asked why I believe in a God, I answer that it is because I believe in myself, for I feel it impossible to believe in my own existence (and of that fact I am quite sure) without believing also in the existence of Him, who lives as a Personal, All-seeing, All-judging Being in my conscience. (p. 182)

Newman's early years as a Catholic were difficult ones. Many of his friends and family abandoned him. Many Catholics were wary of him. His first endeavors as a Catholic ended in failure or mediocrity, but he never looked back and trusted always in the Lord who had been leading him all along.

I read the book and the appendices. I assigned the book itself to my oldest when he was a senior. He struggled at times with all the different groups of people, because Newman writes to an audience who knew all the people and all the controversies. I think there might be benefit in reading the papers and essays going back and forth in order, so you would read what others wrote and then how Newman responded, but it's hard to always sort that out in the book. (If you've read Charlotte Mason's books, you'll find the same sort of essay writing here; where the author is obviously responding to something or someone specific, but modern readers are a bit in the dark.) The Introduction of this edition of the Apologia also has some background, but I hadn't thought to assign it to my son; that might be a good idea. It's really only a problem when Newman is describing the activities of the Tractarians and the responses to his conversion. When Newman is writing about himself and his own thoughts, the book is clear.

When my son was reading it, we paused reading a few chapters in to read Joyce Sugg's John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wallwhich was helpful in providing Newman's basic background and some context for the Apologia. I plan to assign Sugg's book to my future kids, but it could also be a good family read-aloud.

If your high school student struggles a little with dense texts, you could assign Sugg's book and some excerpts of the Apologia. That would still provide an excellent foundation for learning about Newman's life.

A friend of mine especially loves reading St. John Henry Newman because he wrote in English. For those of us used to reading the words of saints through a translation, it's a great blessing to read such rich and beautiful prose in our own language. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, even if it was sometimes a challenge.

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

Monday, January 29, 2024

Be the Good: Therese

Therese
by Dorothy Day

I read this with my book club and did purchase the Well-Read Mom edition from Ave Maria Press. The design of this book is beautiful - lovely cover, good margins, nice quality paper. I do think it's odd that it seems to be only available through Ave Maria Press's website. I stopped by a local Catholic bookstore to find a different book in the Well-Read Mom edition and was told they were not allowed to carry it in stores, even though they wanted it and had people asking for it. It would be so nice to be able to buy all the book club books from a local brick-and-mortar store. I've linked the one from the same publisher which you can find online, which seems to have everything except the Well-Read Mom portions.

Surprisingly, my favorite parts of this book were the forward and the afterward. In these, Robert Ellsberg (in the foreword) and John Cavadini (in the Afterword), draw a direct connection between Dorothy Day's advocacy for peace and St. Therese's little way. 

From Therese, Day learned that each sacrifice endured in love, each work of mercy, might increase the balance of love in the world. She extended this principle to the social sphere. Each protest or witness for peace--though apparently foolish and ineffective, no more than a pebble in a pond--might send forth ripples that could transform the world. (p. ix)

Dorothy Day wrote that St. Therese's shower of roses, her spiritual force, and presumably the works offered by all those who try to follow her little way, rise up against the fears and horrors of the twentieth century.

We know that one impulse of grace is of infinitely more power than a cobalt bomb. Therese has said, "All is grace." (p. 192)

John Cavadini continues in a similar way. He says these blessings challenge the lie that Love will fail.

If I had encountered this idea before, that St. Therese's Little Way was more than just a way for us to grow in virtue, that it could combat the evil of the world one little good deed at a time, I had forgotten it. As a homeschooling mother who does little more than one little good deed at a time, this is an important lesson.

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

Friday, January 26, 2024

February 2023 Book Reports



A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh - Based on a recommendation from a good friend, I requested this book from another member at PaperBackSwap.com. I don't read many mysteries, but this was a fun little book to distract me at the end of stressful days of unpacking at a new house. (PaperBackSwap.com)

They Loved to Laugh by Kathryn Worth - This book is one of the many historical fiction reprints from Bethlehem Books. I wanted to love it. I chose it to read because I wanted something relaxing and easy during our move. Sadly, I think it hasn't aged very well. There were far too many remarks about how women shouldn't be too smart or too educated. The delightful heroine was chastised for bothering to learn French, painting, and how to play an instrument. I'm fully in support of learning how to bake bread and cook well, but there's also value in culture. Worst of all, the young men of the Gardner household practically abuse her with practical jokes from the beginning of her time with them, when her parents have only been dead a few weeks. I was a little horrified. There is one delightful chapter on the raising of silkworms, but it is not enough to redeem the book for me. (purchased new)

Judith Lankester by Marjorie Hill Allee - Judith's mom frees the slaves and moves the family to her father's Quaker home. Judith is angry and resentful; she wants to return to her grandmother's house and a life of ease. Instead, she moves in with another Quaker family and begins to learn how to care for herself, a home, and a family. It's a sweet story of growth and virtue. (purchased new)

East of Eden by John Steinbeck - I was excited to see this on the book club list, because it had been on my shelf for many years, but I hadn't yet read it. Now that I have, I can fairly confidently say, I do not like reading books by John Steinbeck. He's brilliant and writes beautifully, but it all seems to have such a sardonic unhappy tone. This book is supposed to be a kind of retelling of the story of Cain and Abel with two sets of brothers in two generations, but the man who is supposedly the best person anyone has ever met is a dreadful father, and I just can't believe a person is truly good who so completely fails at his primary vocation. I spent most of the book angry at him. Everyone should read one or two books by John Steinbeck; he's a master novelist and an influential American literary figure, but I will not be seeking out any more of his books myself. (purchased used)

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

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

A Hundred Years Ago in New Zealand: The Drovers Road Collection

by Joyce West

This collection includes three books: Drovers Road, Cape Lost, and The Golden Country (audiobook linked for the third). This edition is out of print, but Bethlehem Books has reprinted the three books individually and has audiobooks available as well. (The audiobooks are narrated by an Englishwoman. She has a lovely voice, based on the sample, but it would have been so fun to hear them narrated by someone from New Zealand.)

These books share the adventures of Gay Allan, a lively child who grows to adulthood and inherits a ranch in 1920s and 1930s in New Zealand. After her parents divorced, she went to live with her uncle, who had already taken in the three children of his oldest brother after a tragic car accident. Their lives are not tragic, though. They are filled with love for each other, delight in their land, and plenty of excitement (and hard work). 

I was captivated by these books. New Zealand is about as far away from Kansas as you can get and still be on earth, so I loved reading about this wild and faraway land. Gay and her cousins ramble about the land and getting into mischief. More than anything, I loved how much they care for each other, even when they had their disagreements.

There are a few interactions with and references to Maori people that might feel awkward today, but for the most part they are treated with respect.

I picked this book from our shelves because I wanted something heart-warming, and it was perfect. The reading level is a little light for high school, but I still think you could use one of these books for high school geography. (The third might be a good option.)

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

Friday, January 19, 2024

Friends on a Mission: The Ranger's Apprentice series

 

The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan

Last January, we decided to buy a house with my mother-in-law which meant packing two houses and selling one. (We sold ours later.) It was...stressful. I felt like I needed an escape book, one that would entertain but be easy on the brain. I asked my older daughter for a recommendation, and she suggested the Ranger's Apprentice series, which has been a favorite of hers for years. Wonderful! Not just one book, but eleven! (There is a twelfth, but it's a prequel, and I didn't read that one.) 

It seems unnecessary to link to every book in the series. You can find the first three in the Ranger's Apprentice Collection. My daughter originally checked them out of the library, but now she owns them all.

These books were just what I needed - easy to read (probably middle grade reading level), heart-warming adventures. The books follow Will and his friends as they embark on careers in a Middle Ages alter-universe. Will becomes a Ranger, which means he protects the kingdom by learning the arts of secrecy like hiding in plain sight and gleaning information from observation and innocent conversations, but also negotiations. He gathers friends about him who become his family. He travels to distant lands (where there are cultures that seem surprisingly like those from our world). Everywhere he goes, he strives to be true to himself and his country. And, of course, everything always works out in the end.

It's not great literature, but I loved every book.

John Flanagan has written some spin-off books as well, which are definitely on my list. I just needed to take some time off to unpack. I also decided reading a recommendation from First Daughter went so well, I'd ask my other kids for recommendations as well.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. My daughter loaned me the books. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

December 2022 Book Reports

The History of Black Catholics in the United States by Cyprian Davis - link to my post (purchased copy)

A Separate Peace by John Knowles - I was reminded of this book when I recently read The Chosen by Chaim Potok, a story of the friendship between two young men during World War II. I read A Separate Peace in high school, but didn't remember it well. The friendship in A Separate Peace is more volatile and uncertain. The book is less satisfying in its conclusion, though perhaps it better exemplifies the feelings of many of the young men who were preparing for war even as they completed their usual high school studies. If you're only going to read one, read The Chosen. (library copy)

The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey - I selected this book from the library because I thought it would be a nice easy read for visiting my parents over the holidays. Not that I generally recommend zombie-esque dystopian books for Christmas reading, but it was the kind of book I thought I could read while kids tumbled and roared around me. The main protagonist is a young girl at a special school, learning about a world she never sees or experiences for herself because much of it has fallen into ruin and (essentially) enemy hands. After her world turns upside down and inside out, she travels with a few companions toward an unknown destiny - for herself and the world. I was so engrossed in the book, I hid in my bedroom to finish it while the rest of the family watched football, long before we left for my parents' house. Not for the faint of heart, but a surprisingly well-written and enjoyable horror tale. (library copy) 

The Ruins of Gorlan: Book One in the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan - I'm going to make a post about the whole series soon. (borrowed from my daughter)

The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales retold be James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac - link to my post (purchased used)

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

Monday, January 15, 2024

Native American Tales: The Girl Who Helped Thunder

retold by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac

A few years ago, the moderators added tales to the English and literature recommendations for Levels 3 and 4 at Mater Amabilis. We wanted a book of Native American tales for Level 4. While the tales themselves come from a time before 20th century history (which is the focus for Level 4), the way we communicate and form relationships with Native Americans (as mainly descendants of Europeans), is an important topic for the 20th century.

I hold James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac in high esteem. They are masterful story-tellers who treat us all, protagonist and reader alike, with respect and kindness. 

This book is generally highly recommended by the thoughtful contributors of the Facebook group, Living Books of All Peoples, which is a treasure-trove of helpful information and resources. I cannot recommend it highly enough to all parents.

The tales in this book are from a number of different cultural groups, organized by geographic area. It's beautifully illustrated by Stefano Vitale. As usual, the Bruchacs have chosen tales to delight the reader. They are a bit short and easy to read for a Level 4 student (eighth grade), but the history in Level 4 is so difficult, it's important to mix in some easy and uplifting lessons as well.

Overall, I'm so pleased we added this book to the curriculum!

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

Friday, January 12, 2024

November 2022 Book Reports


The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - I had read this book a few years before we had kids, so it had been almost twenty years when I read it again with my book club. It seemed a little more trite to me this time around, though generally I think the main protagonist is a much more virtuous person than I would have been in her situation. (read free Kindle copy)

Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants by George W. Bush - link to my post (borrowed copy from my dad) 

A Mercy by Toni Morrison - I read this as I was deciding on an African American literature selection for senior year. This book presents the stories of a single 1680s household from the differing perspectives of the master, mistress, and slaves. It is often difficult to read, both because the text can be challenging and because the events are harsh and tragic. Few people of privilege, wealth, or power are portrayed positively. But it is beautifully written. I think a high school senior could read it, though some will struggle in understanding some of the voices. There are also some pointed criticisms of Catholics that, while I think they are valid, would need context for a teenage Catholic reader. That is all in addition, of course, to all the content considerations you might imagine: rape, violence, slavery, witchcraft, intimacy outside of marriage and with people of the same gender, etc. (library copy)

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - This was my second time through this audiobook and I loved it just as much as the first time. I picked up on many more of the jokes this time through because I had recently listened to Jerome K. Jerome's original travelogue, Three Men in a BoatBack in 2020, I wrote:

This may be my favorite audiobook of all time. I enjoyed every single minute of it, invented chores so I could listen to it, and was both delighted with the ending and sorry it was over. It's a quirky tale of time-travel, Victorian England, the Blitz, and romance, "to say nothing of the dog" (and cat). (purchased from Audible during a sale)

 I'm sure the book is good, but the audiobook is an absolute delight.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - I've never been much of a mystery reader; I can never guess the murderer! But so many people rave about Agatha Christie, I thought I'd give a few of her books a try. I enjoyed this one, though of course I didn't figure out the solution until it was revealed. (library copy)

Leona by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino - I was looking on PaperBackSwap for books by this author because I love her book My Heart Lies South. This little out of print book about a brave but often over-looked woman in Mexico's history was available. It's written at about a middle school level, though the romance means it might be more interesting to older children. I enjoyed it, but I don't know that you have to seek it out. (received from another member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - link to my post (library copy)

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis - I read this with my book club. The story tells of the perseverance of two women left alone in the Alaskan wilderness, the revival of their skills to survive, and the flourishing of their friendship. It's also a story of the healing of family relationships. I added this book to my Geography of the Americas shelf in case any high schoolers want to select it as a free-read (Level 5 or Level 6). (purchased used)

The Yellow Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang - I have read fairy tales aloud to all my kids regularly since the very beginning of our homeschooling journey, but we don't read one every day, or even every week, so it can take a long time to get through a book. Fairy tales seem to be enjoying something of a moment, especially in the homeschooling crowd, but nothing can teach you about the wonderful and the weird as much as reading through a collection from beginning to end. I picked something different to read aloud after this one, but I'm considering returning to the Blue Fairy Book after that because my younger kids don't remember it. (purchased used)

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



Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Hard Truths: The History of Black Catholics in the United States

by Cyprian Davis

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to any American Catholic. While I think the books my children have read do a relatively good job of talking about some of the hard truths of our history, none of them explore the history of our faith in America from the point of view of black Catholics like this one does.

This book is a treasure trove of amazing research. I imagine Cyprian Davis spent years reading letters, journals, newspaper articles, baptismal records, and other primary sources. He also conducted many interviews. The breadth and depth of this work is astounding, as is his humility. He reminds the reader regularly that more research is necessary.

The book was first published in 1990. I'm sure there have been great strides in scholarship at times and places, but I'm not sure there's been another book attempting to pull it all together in the way that this author does.

Reading the book, I found a recurring cycle of Catholics, even some in authority, speaking out the truth of the Gospel and how blacks, slave and free, should be incorporated as full members of the Church, but Catholics in practice deluded themselves into serving their own interests. As Fr. Cyprian points out, the black Catholics also spoke eloquently and repeatedly on their own behalf:

For the first time [in 1853] but not for the last, black lay Catholics had spoken out for themselves expressing both loyalty and love for the church and anger and dismay at the racist practices of those within the church...Still, the pattern of appeal to Rome regarding the plight of black Catholics, both on the part of blacks themselves and on the part of those who labored among them, will eventually result in a Roman response that will change the American church decisively. (page 97)

You may look at the text of this book and the number of pages in dismay, anticipating a dry academic treatise. Do not fear. Fr. Cyprian writes clearly but engagingly. I marveled at how eager I was to keep reading and how quickly the pages turned. 

I don't intend to assign this book to my high schoolers, simply because it is rather long, and the history curriculum is already pretty dense, but I will keep it prominently on our shelves and encourage them to read it. I'm making a list of books to gift my seminarian son if he becomes a priest (to begin building his library), and this is the first book on the list.

I received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I purchased a copy of this book.

Monday, January 8, 2024

October 2022 Book Reports

Deuteronomy and Joshua, both from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series - This series gives the text of the Bible using the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition along with an introduction for each book, annotations on the text, word studies, topical essays, and study questions. I think it's a decent series. I prefer the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, but that's not available for the Old Testament. I read these because I had planned for my older daughter to use them in her Scripture study. Mater Amabilis schedules readings from the Bible so that a student will read the entire Bible over the course of the four high school years, with some books read more than once. My daughter always has lots of questions when reading the Bible, and I thought these books would give her more context. We ended up dropping Scripture as a school subject because she reads her Bible every night, so she hasn't read these yet. (purchased copies)

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather - This is one of my favorite books. This was my second or third read-through. It's a gentle story of quiet strength and courageous faith, surrounded by exquisite descriptions of the American southwest. Highly recommended. (copy from a fellow member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Australian Legendary Tales collected by Mrs. K. Langloh Parker - link to my post (purchased copy from Living Book Press)

Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians by N. T. Wright - I think the new edition of this is now called 2 Corinthians for Everyone. N. T. Wright is Anglican, not Catholic, but he's a leading authority on Paul. I like how he translates the letters himself, which makes them seem fresh and new to me. He breaks the letter down into little chunks. Following the Scripture excerpt, he provides connections to our own modern lives with personal stories and in-depth explanations of his translations, including connections to other verses of Scripture. (purchased used)

Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian Painters by Amy Steedman - I bought this book from Connecting with History to give us a break from picture study in First Son's last year or so at home. Once a week or so, I would read the story of one of the Italian painters. They were mostly enjoyable stories, though the kids were always excited when there would be one with a happy life; there were lots of illnesses and early deaths in those days. (purchased from Connecting with History; link is not an affiliate link)

Chatter: The Voice in our Head, Why it Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross - link to my post (library copy)

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri - link to my post (library copy)

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