How could a story about Xan, a twelfth century English orphan possibly relate to today’s youngsters? Xan was neither caped-crusader nor superhero. Violence destroyed his neighborhood and family. He was poor, undernourished, homeless, and the victim of bullies. His relationship with his girlfriend became very complicated. Xan had no real […]
The Chronicles of Xan, Part I: Shadow in the Dark (Second Edition, OakTara Publishers 2013) by Antony Barone Kolenc
This and the next three posts address topics in juvenile and young adult fiction with an eye toward developing a list of titles that affirm Catholic values and which may serve as suggestions to those who chose books for reading programs in schools. Please feel free to add to the […]
Race with the Devil by Joseph Pearce
¶ Leave a comment ¶ Edit Raised in the Shire, he left its tranquility for an adventure that brought him through battles, dungeons and peril until he found an immense treasure. To possess it, he fought a monstrously evil dragon. We speak not of Bilbo Baggins, but noted Catholic biographer […]
Emusoi: Maasai Girls Tell Their Stories by Kasia Parham
By dmulcare ¶ a ¶ Leave a comment ¶ Edit Kasia Parham relates the story of the struggle the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania as they face extinction as a people. The Maasai have lost much of their traditional cattle raising lands through drought, encroachment from large-scale farms and the […]
Selfless: The Story of Sr. Theophane’s Missionary life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea, by Sr. Immolata Reida, SSpS; Edited by G. J. Maier
This time-capsule, written in 1946 and published for the first time in 2013, transports the reader to the first half of the twentieth century. The author recreates the language, values and simplicity common to that time. The reader observes as the “Greatest Generation Ever,” grows to maturity. Inez […]
Candles in the Dark: The Authorized Biography of Fr. Richard Ho Lung and the Missionaries of the Poor, by Joseph Pearce
Joseph Pearce writes that Father Richard Ho Lung, known as the “Reggae Priest,” the Ghetto Priest,” the “Dancing Priest” and the “Renegade Priest” would rather be known as a “practicing priest,” setting a high standard for all clergy. Pearce suggests that Fr. Ho Lung may be the happiest man in […]
Callista: A Tale of the Third Century, by John Henry Cardinal Newman
First published in 1855, Newman’s novel remains fresh. Its foundation is a comparison of hereditary Christians to converts and those who seek happiness in the comforts of the material world to those who can be satisfied only by union with God. Newman warmly and vividly details a story of death […]
Nation by Terry Pratchett
My rating: A+ (Superlative!) By way of introduction, let’s blame all of this on Julie Davis, the indefatigable contributor to the Catholic Writers Guild blog. Along the way, Julie aroused my curiosity with her description of a Young Adult novel, Farmer in the Sky (1953) by Robert A. Heinlein. Since […]
Pope Francis: The Pope from the End of the Earth, by Thomas J. Craughwell
The church faithful and anyone interested in Pope Francis I as a significant newsmaker need a readable, current and scholarly guidebook. Thomas J. Craughwell prepares the faithful to join the new pope in his mission, and answers many questions of the curious. For instance: What criteria guided the Cardinals as […]