Prelude: Back when The Da Vinci Code first came out, I noticed that many Catholics were reading this novel.Several of them, whom I interacted with on a frequent basis, seemed to take the premise of the novel rather seriously: that Jesus had an affair with Mary Magdalene and fostered children by her. One even told me it wouldn't be a problem for his faith life as a Catholic. The others seemed disturbed by what the book was promoting and I could see that it had shaken their faith.
Needless to say, most Catholics are fairly ignorant of their faith these days. The religious education since the Council has been fairly awful overall, and has not instilled much in the way of real knowledge or truth about their faith. This incident seemed to exemplify how bad the situation really was. But it also illustrated one other important point. Catholics are hungry for something good to read but don't seem to know where to turn these days. Most go to their nearby secular bookstore (virtual or otherwise) and pick up whatever grabs their attention. Elaine Pagels, Dan Brown, Deeprok Chopra - these are all available and seem like they might have something to say of those who are seeking more understanding of their faith or the life of Jesus.The problem is, in most cases, these works are antithetical to Christianity and can easily confuse the uneducated and ill-informed (and ill-formed) reader. Knowing that there is much to be enjoyed out there that is of a healthier bent, I decided to start sharing some of my experiences of god literature and things I have discovered through the years.
By no means am I an expert, but I simply wish to try and pass on things that I have greatly enjoyed and which have enriched my life greatly.There are great writers out there whose faith has informed their writing, but many people seem unaware of them. So below you will find some random thoughts and summaries of some writers I have discovered and am still discovering. This is only a brief beginning and I hope to continually add to this site and update it as more things are unearthed and new discoveries are made:
One of the purposes and missions of this web site is to provide quality reading material for those who wish to nourish their faith and especially for those of the Catholic Christian faith. The operators of this site have discovered through the years, that many Christians do not know where to turn for quality fiction and non-fiction that deals with those elements of our lives that are not adequately addressed in the popular press and media. Many great works of fiction and non-fiction are available that will cause you to learn, think, and even pray along the way of your walk with your God. Below are a few that we recommend everyone read as an alternative to some of the more popular works offered on “religious” subjects. Many have survived the test of time and are “classics” in that sense and prove to be popular again and again with generations of young and new readers. The popularity of C.S. Lewis’ THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
and J.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY
underscores this reality. Both works of fiction have been made into films in recent years and continue to engage people on a level that goes beyond pure entertainment.
A few authors and tiles will have comments after them. Enjoy!
Recommended books and authors:
Kristin Lavransdatter
by Sigrid Undset winner of the 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature for its depiction of Northern Medieval life. A beautiful story of how life’s tragedies lead to comfort in her Catholic faith.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Nearly everyone has heard of these or read part of them if they haven’t seen the two movies. But what is really the greatest treat of all are the audio CDs published by Harper Children’s Audio. Narrated by such luminous British actors as Jeremy Northam, Derek Jacobi, Patrick Stewart and others, you can sit back and let your mind go into a wonderful world of fantasy where chivalry and the quest for good still live on! Lewis has numerous other extremely popular non-fiction works and another multi-volume work of fiction entitled The Space Trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien. Lewis and Tolkien were contemporaries at Oxford and knew each other well. Lewis, a high church Anglican and Tolkien, a daily communicant, both were imbued by their Christian faith and it is inseparable from their work although they do not consciously acknowledge some of it as allegorical. Christian elements are apparent throughout these two magnificent works. Tolkien was master of numerous languages and mythologies and created the world of Middle Earth which has enchanted countless millions of readers and viewers. Other works of fiction exist by this prolific and ingenious man.
Several famous American Catholic writers exist and there a few contemporary authors whose writing is impacted by their faith. The south produced several of the greatest, and probably the most well-known is Flannery O’Connor. Best known for her short stories she managed to produce two novels in her short life as well. The stories are written in the deepest reaches of the Bible Belt and combine a theological sensibility with wry humor, irony, and occasional violence used as a lens to bring things into focus.
Walker Percy
was a contemporary of O’Connor and they met briefly. But his style is of such subtle irony and humor that it sometimes takes some time to catch onto it. As well as several novels, he has works of non-fiction and essays that are both humorous and serious commenting on the current events of his day as well as the direction and problems in American society. He gave up a career as a doctor to pursue writing fiction. Deeply imbued with his Southern heritage as O’Connor was, he is concerned with Southern themes of honor and chivalry as well as existential questions of man’s place in the universe and the basic reasons for existence.
An author that very few people know about yet one who is more recent and probably more accessible to modern readers is Andre DubusSelected Stories
(not to be confused with his son, Andre Dubus III). The film, In The Bedroom, starring Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson was nominated for an Oscar in 2002. the film is based on Dubus’ story called The Killing and is a raw look at the power of loss and need for revenge. Dubus is not for the faint-hearted or those who want to indulge in sweet pious stories of faith. He finds God in the rawness of broken relationships, bigotry, violence, and his fiction is a fiction of realism and deals with themes that are not normally found in Catholic fiction such as adultery and even abortion. We Don’t Live Here Anymore is a 2004 film made out of two his stories and stars Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Watts. It is a complex story of relationships and broken marriages. Several collections of essays exist as well.
Needless to say, most Catholics are fairly ignorant of their faith these days. The religious education since the Council has been fairly awful overall, and has not instilled much in the way of real knowledge or truth about their faith. This incident seemed to exemplify how bad the situation really was. But it also illustrated one other important point. Catholics are hungry for something good to read but don't seem to know where to turn these days. Most go to their nearby secular bookstore (virtual or otherwise) and pick up whatever grabs their attention. Elaine Pagels, Dan Brown, Deeprok Chopra - these are all available and seem like they might have something to say of those who are seeking more understanding of their faith or the life of Jesus.The problem is, in most cases, these works are antithetical to Christianity and can easily confuse the uneducated and ill-informed (and ill-formed) reader. Knowing that there is much to be enjoyed out there that is of a healthier bent, I decided to start sharing some of my experiences of god literature and things I have discovered through the years.
By no means am I an expert, but I simply wish to try and pass on things that I have greatly enjoyed and which have enriched my life greatly.There are great writers out there whose faith has informed their writing, but many people seem unaware of them. So below you will find some random thoughts and summaries of some writers I have discovered and am still discovering. This is only a brief beginning and I hope to continually add to this site and update it as more things are unearthed and new discoveries are made:
One of the purposes and missions of this web site is to provide quality reading material for those who wish to nourish their faith and especially for those of the Catholic Christian faith. The operators of this site have discovered through the years, that many Christians do not know where to turn for quality fiction and non-fiction that deals with those elements of our lives that are not adequately addressed in the popular press and media. Many great works of fiction and non-fiction are available that will cause you to learn, think, and even pray along the way of your walk with your God. Below are a few that we recommend everyone read as an alternative to some of the more popular works offered on “religious” subjects. Many have survived the test of time and are “classics” in that sense and prove to be popular again and again with generations of young and new readers. The popularity of C.S. Lewis’ THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
and J.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY underscores this reality. Both works of fiction have been made into films in recent years and continue to engage people on a level that goes beyond pure entertainment.A few authors and tiles will have comments after them. Enjoy!
Recommended books and authors:
Kristin Lavransdatter
by Sigrid Undset winner of the 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature for its depiction of Northern Medieval life. A beautiful story of how life’s tragedies lead to comfort in her Catholic faith.The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Nearly everyone has heard of these or read part of them if they haven’t seen the two movies. But what is really the greatest treat of all are the audio CDs published by Harper Children’s Audio. Narrated by such luminous British actors as Jeremy Northam, Derek Jacobi, Patrick Stewart and others, you can sit back and let your mind go into a wonderful world of fantasy where chivalry and the quest for good still live on! Lewis has numerous other extremely popular non-fiction works and another multi-volume work of fiction entitled The Space Trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien. Lewis and Tolkien were contemporaries at Oxford and knew each other well. Lewis, a high church Anglican and Tolkien, a daily communicant, both were imbued by their Christian faith and it is inseparable from their work although they do not consciously acknowledge some of it as allegorical. Christian elements are apparent throughout these two magnificent works. Tolkien was master of numerous languages and mythologies and created the world of Middle Earth which has enchanted countless millions of readers and viewers. Other works of fiction exist by this prolific and ingenious man.
Several famous American Catholic writers exist and there a few contemporary authors whose writing is impacted by their faith. The south produced several of the greatest, and probably the most well-known is Flannery O’Connor. Best known for her short stories she managed to produce two novels in her short life as well. The stories are written in the deepest reaches of the Bible Belt and combine a theological sensibility with wry humor, irony, and occasional violence used as a lens to bring things into focus.
Walker Percy
was a contemporary of O’Connor and they met briefly. But his style is of such subtle irony and humor that it sometimes takes some time to catch onto it. As well as several novels, he has works of non-fiction and essays that are both humorous and serious commenting on the current events of his day as well as the direction and problems in American society. He gave up a career as a doctor to pursue writing fiction. Deeply imbued with his Southern heritage as O’Connor was, he is concerned with Southern themes of honor and chivalry as well as existential questions of man’s place in the universe and the basic reasons for existence. An author that very few people know about yet one who is more recent and probably more accessible to modern readers is Andre Dubus
Selected Stories (not to be confused with his son, Andre Dubus III). The film, In The Bedroom, starring Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson was nominated for an Oscar in 2002. the film is based on Dubus’ story called The Killing and is a raw look at the power of loss and need for revenge. Dubus is not for the faint-hearted or those who want to indulge in sweet pious stories of faith. He finds God in the rawness of broken relationships, bigotry, violence, and his fiction is a fiction of realism and deals with themes that are not normally found in Catholic fiction such as adultery and even abortion. We Don’t Live Here Anymore is a 2004 film made out of two his stories and stars Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Watts. It is a complex story of relationships and broken marriages. Several collections of essays exist as well.
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