December 2024 Book Reports

The Aeneid by Vergil, translated by Sarah Ruden - I read this with my book club. I'm certain I read it back in 2019, or rather, listened to an audiobook version, because First Son was reading it that year, following the beta version of the Mater Amabilis high school English plans, but I can't find it on my blog. (Shock!) It was nice to have a refresher a year before Second Son will read it. I thought Ruden's translation was lovely and readable. The Odyssey may still be my favorite, however. (purchased copy, though I later found my son had a copy of this translation for his college Great Books class).

If you are looking for help in understanding The Aeneid, I highly recommend Elizabeth Vandiver's The Aeneid of Virgil, which also isn't on my blog but should be!

Still Alice by Lisa Genova - This novel portrays an active intelligent Harvard professor who suffers from early onset Alzheimer's disease. It's tragic but also hopeful. (from a fellow member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Strange Gods Before Me by Mother Mary Francis - I love A Right to Be Merry and was happy to see this book back in print when I had some birthday money to spend. Mother Mary Francis wrote this book in the years following Vatican II, as contemplative communities (and the whole Church) grappled with its ramifications. She writes against the "strange gods" of the modern world who distract us from our devotion to God and his will. I found this a fascinating book to be reading alongside a brief study of Vatican II with our adult ed church class and reading some of the Vatican II documents with my older daughter. Anyone discerning a religious vocation will find much to ponder in the book, especially those interested in contemplative orders. The insights into a rich spiritual life, though, are useful to anyone, not just someone in religious life. This book is worthy of its own post, but I am squeezing it in here because I'm trying to catch up! (purchased copy)

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

Conversion of the Heart and Mind: Apologia Pro Vita Sua

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 Wall, which 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.

The Revelation of God's Love: A Memory for Wonders

A Memory for Wonders: A True Story

by Mother Veronica Namoyo Le Goulard, P.C.C.

This stunningly beautiful book is the autobiography of Mother Veronica Namoyo, written and shared only by order from her superior. She was the child of atheists, yet felt herself encountering a presence repeatedly in her life that eventually led to conversion and a complete dedication of herself as a Poor Clare nun in Algiers.

Suddenly the sky over me and in some way around me, as I was on a small hillock, was all afire. The glory of the sunset was perhaps reflected in the myriads of particles of powdery sand still floating in the air. It was like an immense, feathery flame all scarlet from one pole to the other, with touches of crimson and, on one side, of deep purple. I was caught in limitless beauty and radiant, singing splendor. And at the same time, with a cry of wonder in my heart, I knew that all this beauty was created, I knew GOD. (p. 30)

The book ends with her entrance to the convent, but her life as a nun seems to be have been full and momentous. I would dearly love to read a biography of her time within the convent as well, though I recognize my curiosity is unlikely to be assuaged in this life.

Kneeling in cotton stockings, listening to these still foreign expressions and looking at the veiled forms beyond the threshold, I was conscious of an almost infinite distance between when I was and what I was supposed to be. But the grain of wheat had to be buried. I went to the other side, and an enormous key turned grindingly in the lock. (p. 182)

Later that night, as she knew alone in her cell, she could hardly pray. She said only "You wanted me here, and here I am." (p. 182) 

This would be an excellent choice for a supplemental geography book in Level 5 or 6 alongside the study of Africa. Descriptions of the life and people of Morocco and Algeria are interwoven with her story. 

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

An Introduction to Religious Life for Children: Of Bells and Cells

Of Bells and Cells: The World of Monks, Friars, Sisters and Nuns

by M. Cristina Borges

This little book beautifully describes religious orders for young children. It begins with a discussion of vocations in general and the call for everyone to be a saint, a theme that recurs throughout the book. Then it describes the specific call to be a religious and the process of entering and professing at a monastery or convent.

But all the outward actions are really only aids to the important work that the religious does inwardly, inside the soul--the long process, which lasts a liftetime, of "dying to self," that is, of not paying so much attention to ourselves, so as to growing the love of God and of neighbor.

The reader learns words like postulant, novitiate, horarium, and habit, as well as Latin phrases like alter Christus. Quotes from Scripture and encyclicals appear throughout.

A double page spread shows men and women religious in full habits with explanations of the clothing. It includes many of the orders a young Catholic will find in readings of saints and history: Benedictine, Franciscan, Dominican, and Carmelite, so they will be familiar with them when they come across them later. It also includes Redemptorist and Carthusian (for the men) and Missionaries of Charity and Conceptionists (for women). An appendix includes descriptions of these orders in more detail.

Then the book describes the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

One of the most important parts describes what religious men and women do, where it tells of a daily schedule of praying and working.

When they leave the chapel, they continue praying in the silence of their hearts, always having God in their minds and hearts while they scrub, build, or plough, or cook, or study, or teach, or care for the poor and needy.

The author explains the difference between contemplative and active orders.

But whether they are contemplative or active, all religious imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, doing simple things very well for the love of Jesus, with prayer and thanksgiving always humming in their hearts and minds.

Finally, there's a section on the priesthood. 

The illustrations are lovely. They show religious men and women in their habits, living their lives - praying, eating, serving. There were a few pages with very light coloring in places. On pages 14-15, for example, it is a little difficult to read the English translation under the chant. 

This book was recommended by a fellow moderator in the Mater Amabilis Facebook group. You could read it aloud, but it's written to young readers and reading it independently allows a young reader to contemplate the illustrations more slowly. I intend to assign it to my Level 2 student (fourth grade) this year. He could read it in one sitting, but I will assign just a few pages at a time to encourage him to slow down and enjoy it, as much as he is able.

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

Faith, Science, Life: Brother Astronomer

Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist

by Brother Guy Consolmagno

A fellow member of the Mater Amabilis™ Facebook group recommended this book as a living book on astronomy. I have read The Heavens Proclaim by the same Jesuit brother and was thrilled to find this one at our library. It will be a marvelous supplement to our study of astronomy in eleventh grade.

The book is a mixture of essays and explorations on the relationship between faith and science and stories of his own personal experiences as a scientist and as a Jesuit scientist. It feels a little disjointed rather than a coherent whole as it seems to be a mixture of essays he'd originally written for other publications, but I think it's still valuable.

Brother Consolmagno writes about his life as a scientist at the Vatican. Most days are spent answering emails and examining meteors or preparing presentations or papers, but he does share some dramatic experiences as well. He writes about his reluctance to get up early to see a comet in person because he'd learned so much about them in books and pictures. When he woke and couldn't go back to sleep, he dragged himself from bed.

It was simply the most stunningly spectacular sight in the sky I have ever seen. It was as big and bright as a photograph on a planetarium ceiling. Five times as big as Comet Hale-Bopp. I would not call it impressive; I would call it frightening. In a world where the regularity of the stars is one of the few things that can be counted on, the presence of this flamboyant looming stranger shook me to my core.

We had a similar experience when we changed our vacation plans to drive through the full eclipse of the sun in 2017. We wondered whether it was worth changing everything and planning our vacation around an eclipse, but it was mesmerizing and unforgettable.

There is a long section in the book where Brother Consolmagno examines the historical facts of Galileo's trial and its enduring effects on the modern understanding of the relationship between faith and science.

But it was the jealous, possessive attitude of Grassi and Galileo -- all the more offensive for coming from supposedly calm and rational men of science -- that caused the final breach. The ill feeling on both sides that led to Galileo's final trial in 1633 helped set back science in Italy for years, and has fed antireligious and antiscience bigots on both sides of the issue every since.

Brother Consolmagno explicitly and clearly states that the Church was wrong it its treatment of Galileo. Unfortunately, that wrong has created a perceived insurmountable rift between faith and science in the modern world. Our response as Catholics to modern scientific theories has lasting effects on the ability to evangelize our modern society.

So why does everyone still think a Church-science conflict exists? Why is it that in the popular culture, science and religion are thought to be opposed? To understand why, we need to look not at science, nor at religion, but at the popular culture.

He talks about where people learn about the faith, pointing out that much of what we know comes from Sunday school, an hour a week during the school year when we are in elementary school. People who leave the church at a young age understandably have a childish view of religion. Similarly, most people stop studying science seriously in high school, or perhaps even younger. Finally, modern society draws on media accounts highlighting dramatic conflict, popular books with simplistic (and misleading) explanations of scientific principles, or books on astrology or UFOs, and most of all, fiction.

So what do our stories tell us about science and religion? One message all too present is that both are to be feared, each in its own way. In the movies, all preachers are power-hungry, money-driven hypocrites; all scientists are mad. They're both caricatured by wild hair and a fanatical gleam in the eye.

These ideas are ones that my children will regularly encounter, helping them to build a foundation of understanding not only the true relationship of faith and science, but also why modern culture's misunderstanding persists. After a chapter presenting how our culture has come to see science and religion as opposed, Brother Consolmagno affirms the roles they each play in supporting the other.

Good science is a very religious act. The search for Truth is the same as the search for God. And if you accept that God was the creator of this physical universe, then it immediately follows that studying creation is a way of worshipping the creator. 

Later he says:

The desire for truth and understanding, including understanding the truth of the natural world, was given to us by God in order to lead us to God. It is the desire for God. It is why I am a scientist; it is why the Vatican supports me.

St. Athanasius's On the Incarnation receives much attention in an essay called "Finding God in Creation." Mater Amabilis™ includes it in Level 5 Year 1 (ninth grade) as optional reading, so some students may be pleasantly surprised to see it related to the modern studies of faith and science (as I was).

There is even a chapter on extraterrestrial life.

People think we're looking for philosophical answers with our telescopes. What we're actually doing is inspiring philosophical questions. 

Brother Consolmagno writes about his time as a student when physics was a struggle. He writes later about what his days are like at the Vatican Observatory and about his visit to Antarctica to search for meterorites. He talks about his life as a Jesuit and how his faith is strengthened by his study of the natural world. These sections are perfect for a student considering a life in physics, geology, or astronomy.

Though I haven't selected a text or thought seriously about lesson plans for our eleventh grade earth sciences exploration of astronomy, Brother Astronomer is going to be on the free reading list as a complement to whatever else we do.

I have received nothing for this post; all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I borrowed this book from our library.

Beauty, Prayer, and Silence: Report from Calabria

Report from Calabria: A Season with the Carthusian Monks

by A Priest

This book is written as a series of letters from an American priest (who chooses to remain anonymous, as Carthusian writers do during their lives) to his friends and family while living in a Carthusian monastery in southern Italy for four months. Carthusians live in a community, but each resides in his own house. Even most meals are served through the wall to be eaten in solitude. Many liturgical prayers are prayed at the same time, but each monk remains in his cell, praying alone. As difficult as it is for most of us to understand the vocation to a religious order, ones such as the Carthusians seem even more extreme. There is a film, Into Great Silence, that shares more of the Carthusian life, but I've only seen parts of it.

The letters describe the lives of the Carthusians from an outsider's point of view, but also from the point of view of someone who is living with the monks, praying as they pray, and trying to immerse himself in their solitude. He is able to connect their prayers to our lives in a meaningful way.

He believes there are three "products" of a Carthusian monastery: praise, intercessory prayer, and union with God. Speaking of the second, intercessory prayer, he wrote:

Certainly there are physical evils that must be combated, but at root the world is wounded spiritually, and prayer is the medicine that can heal spiritual wounds. Reflection on this has shaped my prayer somewhat here. For example, some friends of mine have a son who is serving with the Marines in Afghanistan, and I am praying daily for his safety. But I am also praying for something else: his heart and soul, which must experience tremendous emotions given what he and his comrades are going through. Many soldiers return from combat with terrible physical damage, but even those who are spared this must be wounded in other way, and no surgeon can deal with that--God's healing grace can. That is one reason why communities dedicated to prayer are so vital to the life of the Church. Otherwise, as Pope Francis keeps saying, we end up just being another nongovernmental organization striving to deal with people's material welfare.

As he prays and interacts with the monks, the author ponders the life of solitude, the benefits of it for individuals, for the monastery, for the Church, and for the world. He quotes a Carthusian monk:

The purpose of this life is to silence the outer voices so that you can hear the inner ones; then you can begin to uproot those that draw you away from loving God and others, and encourage the good thoughts to grow. 

He talks about learning silence as it if were a language.

The gift of silence here is precisely an invitation not to think and not to do--and that is not easy, at least not for me. It is a language I must struggle to learn.

It is really a matter of learning God's language, of attending to his still, small voice.

My favorite letter was the last one. He writes:

"Stat crux dum volvitur orbis" -- The Cross stands firm as the world turns. This is the motto of the Carthusian order, a reminder that while some may consider these men to be "halfway to heaven", they see themselves as plunged into the heart of the earth, with all its joys and sorrows. In their solitary prayer, in their struggles with loneliness, in their mellow chant that pierces the stillness of the night, they proclaim a message, eloquent in its silence, that the Cross of Jesus is the axis upon which all creation turns.

After the priest's letters, there are appendices of some of St. Bruno's words (the founder of the order), the text of a letter written by Pope St. John Paul II to the order, and a homily of Pope Benedict XVI on one of his visits to Calabria. There is also an extensive list of further reading and resources that seems thoughtfully collected.

This is a book of beauty, thoughtfulness, and the heart of prayer. Because our family has a devotion to St. Bruno, I intend to read it aloud to our children. I hope it will give them a greater insight into the Carthusian order and the diversity of the practices of our Catholic faith. I checked this book out from our library, but I would like to have one of our own.

I checked this book out from our library to read it and have not received anything to write this post. Links above are affiliate links to Amazon.

As Long as I'm Sharing Videos

Here's one a friend shared on Facebook this week because her family knows the priest who made it.



My kids love this video! They've turned a large box into a Guineamobile and have been acting out this two minute action sequence for days.

The Religious Life

There's a lovely article at NPR about young nuns. (HT: Creative Minority Report)

It reminds me of this video of some Dominican brothers.



First Son and I have debated whether St. Francis of Assisi had snowball fights with his brothers. What do you think?