Death: The Final Stage of Growth is an especially enlightening work not simply because of the varied and knowledgeable contributed views to this particular volume, but because it approaches death and … more
The death of a child is a horrific and heartrending moment in a parent's life, a time where no words can be used, because it is totally inexpressible. Yet, somehow, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross does … more
The data and writings of Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross are really perceptive and affecting, because they show the living what can be possible versus what just is, as well as how life can and should be lived: … more
The book, To Live Until We Say Good-Bye, is not your common book on dying and grief or even the medical psychology of it, as is quite internationally acknowledged with many of Kubler-Ross's previous … more
The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day has long been held to be an important social document as well as a meaningful written Catholic memoir, because it delves deeply into the intimate conversion experience … more
Gilead is a very short book, but it is going to be one that you either love or hate; there really is no middle ground. So therefore, my recommendation is to borrow the novel from the library first. My … more
First and foremost, Neil Simon is a brilliant playright, and Lost in Yonkers is another feather in his cap. Set in Yonkers, New York in 1942 during the second world war, two children-Jay and Artie-must … more
Religion, next to poor economic conditions, was primarily responsible for the foundation of the colonies. It too was the backbone for its evolvement. And one of the chief leaders in that unfolding was … more
The Catholic Church offers many blessings, the sacrements being one of the most significant. But coupled along with that are the global children of the Church and the vast shining examples of good that … more
The ten short stories contained in Heinrich Boll's The Mad Dog offer a sweeping glimpse into the aftereffects of those traumatized by the bloody carnages and mental wounds of war, in this specific … more
Information manipulation, secrets and lies and cover-ups all in the name of providing a service of keeping the public in the "loop" of day-to-day current events are the backdrops of Heinrich … more
Mr. Blue, a Catholic novella, by Myles Connolly, is a very unique work of fiction and one that I thoroughly found pleasure in, because it portrays the adherence of faith and doctrine not as an obligation … more
Saint Elizabeth Ann Baley Seton is one of the most remarkable saints of the Roman Catholic Church, because of all that she-by God's grace-accomplished in her short life: wife, mother, convert, founder, … more
The poet-priest Gerard Manly Hopkins was imbued with the gift of natural poetic expression, and the tragedy of his life was that he saw it as something other than the God-given gift that it truly was. … more
A wonderful and dramatic companion to the Selected Writings of Saint Thomas More, Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons is a superb piece of literary drama, because it makes More's own writings, … more
Upon reading the spiritual autobiography of Thomas Merton, the immediate details of his life that boldly jutted out and painted the overall portrait of the man was his controlled yet cyclonic whirlwind … more
The day-to-day struggles of human existence are quite difficult for many people, and for others, they are a marvelling pleasure, and why is that? What sets one group of humanity apart from the other whereby … more
Morris West's--The Devil's Advocate--is a perennial literary classic thriller that is an intermixture of politics and religion, which explores the behind-the-process investigative scenes of Catholic … more
Being apart of the Roman Catholic family is a wonderful thing, and if you ask any Catholic, devout or otherwise, if they have a favorite apparition that resonates deeply with them, for the most part, … more
Every now and then there is an exceptional and unique soul, a Gospel artist whose sancity officially gets acknowledged by the Church because of his or her intimate and intense love for the Holy Trinity … more
Because of our own doing, evil has been given a permanent place in our world, and G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, illustrates that fact perfectly. … more
Journeys Home by Marcus Grodi and a "host of others" is a very inspirational book that details the religious experiences of converts who accepted the Catholic Church and her teachings as the … more
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Letters & Papers from Prison was a most edifying read, primarily because it stripped away the mystery and mythical aura that surrounded him, before and after his murder by … more
For an oral history project, I had the fortunate opportunity to interview a former grassroots committee member who was investigating the goings-on in El Salvador via the political influence of Joseph … more
If the investigative reporter Nellie Bly were still alive, she probably would have declared Susan Sheehan to be her comrade-in-arms, journalistically speaking, at least, for so eye-opening is this book, … more