Children's books show Christmas' true joy with beautiful stories, art

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These are among several books for children that are suitable for Christmas giving.
— Regina Lordan, Catholic News Service

“The Watcher” by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Bryan Collier. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2017). 42 pp., $17.
“The Watcher” is a rare treasure in the world of children’s books: The verse is poetic, the illustrations are a compelling blend of photographs and drawings, and the story is a gripping tale of bully and victim ... or is it? The narration unfolds and reveals that the instigator is really just a lonely child desperate for a friend. Influenced by Psalm 121, which attributes all help to God’s loving protection and care, it is written in “golden shovel” form, in which the last word of each verse is a word from the psalm. “The Watcher” is a story that holds onto you as it slowly reveals understanding, compassion and innocent faith in God’s love and protection. After it is read, its lyrical tale will not be soon forgotten. Ages 6-10.

A Look at China’s Religious Landscape Omits Today’s Catholics

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In "The Souls of China," author Ian Johnson shows how China does, indeed, have more than one soul.

The religious landscape is dynamic yet chaotic, as the Chinese people carry not only a 5,000-year history behind them, but also the excesses of the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, the year of Mao's death.

If there is one consistency to contemporary Chinese belief systems and practices, it is inconsistency, the author makes clear.

Memoir tells lives of Syrians, nation in peril

"The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria" is as much an account of Syria as it is a beautifully crafted narrative of a Syrian family and an independent first-generation Syrian-American woman.

It breaks through the single-lensed generalizations and headline tickers and dives deeply into the lives of Syrians with stories that smoothly weave in and out of a complex political context. In sharing the stories of her friends and families, author Alia Malek is sharing the story of a nation.

The book is bracketed by Malek's quest to reclaim and renovate her grandmother's apartment in Damascus, which had been taken in 1970 from her family by an obstinate tenant protected by lopsided laws. Malek, a Christian whose parents' professional careers as a physician and pharmacist lead them to settle in Baltimore, had long had a nostalgic desire to return to her parents' homeland to which she was exposed during long visits with family as a child.

Honest book on prayer is compelling

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Heather King is a wonderful writer who, in "Holy Desperation," gives us a contemporary rendition of classic Catholic asceticism.

Her story -- a recovering alcoholic who gave up the practice of law to embark on a full-time vocation as a writer -- would be compelling enough as a human memoir. But what she has done in this remarkable book is more impressive. King, who entered the church in 1996, has allowed us to see the contours of her prayer life and the daily discipline that led her to a life of service.

The book begins with the prayer of desperation King uttered from the depths of 20 years of alcoholism, an acknowledgment of defeat and the utter need for God's help. The kernel of her wisdom is the recognition that "genuine spiritual awakening seems to consist in a disappearance, however temporary, of self."

Catholics should read inspiring book on Mass

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It's been a long, dry stretch since someone published a book on the Mass that is captivating, informative, inspirational and challenging.

Rooted in solid, intellectually honest, balanced scholarship, yet written in language that the average person will follow easily and enjoy, "Bored Again Catholic" is a book that will renew just about anyone's appreciation for the Mass. Indeed, it should be required reading for Catholics in general and priests in particular.

Authors help couples provide credible, effective witness to marriage

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Research on many fronts makes it clear that a healthy marriage is beneficial to both the individual couple and to the larger society.

Married couples tend to be healthier, happier and more prosperous than those not married. Husbands and wives tend to live longer with few fewer medical issues than do single men and women. The larger society promotes marriage through tax policies and other laws because of the benefits marriage brings to society.

Explore nature, poetry, saints with new children's books

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By Regina Lordan Catholic News Service

The following books are suitable for summer reading:

"How to be a Hero: Train with the Saints" by Julia Harrell, illustrated by Chad Thompson. Pauline Kids (Boston, 2017). 176 pp., $14.95.

This summer elementary-school readers can take a timeout from preparing for the next grade or athletic event, and train to become a saint by using the virtues as a guide. Organized by mini-biographies, reflections and questions, "How to be a Hero" explores the virtuous lives of St. John Paul II, St. Josephine Bakhita and St. Charbel Makhlouf among many others. The book includes discussions on the cardinal, theological and "little" virtues, and can be read daily or weekly as a part of a summer religious curriculum. Ages 9-11.

Author explores nun’s path to martyrdom

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On Thursday, Dec. 4, 1980, the bodies of four women were found in a shallow roadside grave in El Salvador. It became clear after the autopsies that two of them had been raped before being murdered. There were over 8,000 murders that year in El Salvador, but these four victims stood out because three of them were Catholic nuns, the fourth was a lay missionary and all of them were Americans.

"A Radical Faith" tells the story of the eldest victim, Sister Maura Clarke, who was a Maryknoll nun. She had been in El Salvador only four months, but she had been a missionary sister serving in Nicaragua for 20 years.

Insightful look at 'radicals' shows link between faith, social action

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Today as racism, sexism and electoral politics divide millions of Americans, the distinguished religious scholar Albert J. Raboteau offers moving accounts of seven 20th-century activists whose commitment to social justice is exemplary.
"American Prophets: Seven Religious Radicals & Their Struggle for Social and Political Justice" demonstrates how Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, A.J. Muste, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Trappist Father Thomas Merton, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer all were compelled by "a deeply felt compassion for those suffering injustice."
Through their social activism, which included writing, speaking, organizing and picketing and other kinds of demonstrating, they changed Americans' views toward the wrongs inflicted by war, racism and poverty.

Bishop provides incisive look at Latino experience in U.S.

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Anyone looking for a primer on the Mexican-American (and by extension, the Latino) experience in the United States should read "Power From the Margins." The author, retired Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was born of Mexican parents in Bay City, Texas, along the Mexican border.
Bishop Ramirez blends his personal experiences as a Mexican-American with his pastor's knowledge of how Latinos have been and are contributing to U.S. secular and Catholic society. He also dissects how they think, act and survive in a secular atmosphere and church culture often alien to their understandings of society and religion.

Journey through the theological life of the retired pope

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Peter Seewald's interview of Pope Benedict, which follows from previous interviews and works including "Salt of the Earth," offers readers a journey through the theological life of the retired pope. This includes thoughts on significant individuals such as Jesuit Father Karl Rahner, Father Hans Kung and St. John Paul II.
The first part of the book highlights a world radically different from our own, that of Bavarian Catholicism in the mid-20th century. Its piety centered on family, village and Christ.
Joseph Ratzinger stepped out of this world into the seminary and then higher theological studies in Munich. He relished this world.

With book on sex abuse, author hopes to help himself, others heal

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In the 1950s, Norbert Krapf was sexually abused -- along with scores of other boys -- by a priest of the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana, who was loved and respected by the community.
After five decades of silence, Krapf -- a retired professor, author and award-winning former Indiana Poet Laureate -- confronted the monster of his past both by outing the then-deceased priest to the bishop and, in 2012, publishing a book of poems called "Catholic Boy Blues" to help himself and other victims heal.
This year, Krapf published "Shrinking the Monster: Healing the Wounds of Our Abuse." In Krapf's own words, the book is a "prose memoir about the experience of writing those poems, with an emphasis on the process of my recovery from the abuse." That experience, as outlined in the book, was a journey of pain, struggles, victories and healing.

Book on parish leadership may be required reading

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No single thread connects the Catholic parishes that are vibrant and thriving in the 21st century. "There is no 'silver bullet' for doing great parish ministry in the Catholic Church today," writes William E. Simon Jr.
Still, the research that prompted him to write "Great Catholic Parishes" revealed four important characteristics of these parishes, namely that they "(1) share leadership, (2) foster spiritual maturity and plan for discipleship, (3) excel on Sundays, and (4) evangelize in intentional, structured ways."
In 2012 the book's well-known businessman author, who ran for governor of California in 2002, founded an organization called Parish Catalyst, "devoted to supporting the health and development of Catholic parishes." This book demonstrates that Simon's interests stretch well beyond the fields of politics or financial investing.