The Cellist of Sarajevo. Galloway, Steven. New York: Riverhead Books, 2008. ISBN 978-1594483653.
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a city in modern history. Lasting more than three years, the siege resulted in the death of thousands, the near starvation of tens of thousands more, and the destruction of a city that was once a cultural and political center in Eastern Europe.
The “Cellist of Sarajevo” is a poignant story told through the eyes of four different people inside...
Ficocelli, Elizabeth. New York: Paulist Press, 2007. 181 pages. ISBN 978-0-8091-4486-0.
In this book, Elizabeth Ficocelli presents the history of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, to the French peasant girl, St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France on February 11, 1858 and for several days afterwards.
In the book, the reader will learn about the apparitions, the life of St. Bernadette and what happened after the apparitions ended.
Ficocelli also...
Gniewek, Gabrielle and Sean Lam. San Rafael, California: ATITUQ. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9826538-1-4
I opened the graphic novel Judith: Captive to Conqueror with a hope. After reading Paul: Tarsus to Redemption, which was published by ATIQTUQ, the same publishing company as Judith, I was greatly disappointed. But when I heard that ATIQTUQ was going to create a graphic novel on Judith, one of my favorite Old Testament stories, I had hope that it would be better than its predecessor. I was not...
Crosby, Anne. Paul Dry Books. Philadelphia, 2006. ISBN 1-58988-026-9
In a world where childhood education isn’t compulsory, where developmentally disabled children are referred to as “mongols,” where families are encouraged to discard burdensome children for the good of the healthy ones, Anne Crosby gave birth to a son. The year was 1964, and Matthew Crosby came into the world with a weak heart, blue skin, and the telltale signs of Down syndrome. Shocked, surprised and despairing, his...
Cunningham, Sister Agnes SCCM. Ligouri Publications; Ligouri, Missouri. 2010. ISBN978-0-7648-1959-9.
The year my sister graduated from high school, I willingly consented to shepherd her and a few friends around Italy on a graduation trip before I began my study abroad experience on an island in the Caribbean. Having spent 10 days traipsing around Italy on stuffy trains, careening taxis, and aching feet (one of our friends didn’t tell me she had corns) I left the group in the Rome airport...
Follett, Britten and Cherokee Ballard. Charleston, S.C.: BookSurge Publishing, April 2010. ISBN 9781439266601. $19.99.
Many people in Oklahoma know who Kelsey Smith-Briggs is. For those who don’t, Kelsey is a two-year from Meeker, Oklahoma who was physically abused over time and eventually murdered. According to the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office, the abuse eventually led to her death. She has become the face of child abuse in Oklahoma, if not across the nation.
This book by...
Salisbury, Matthew and Sean Lam. San Rafael, California: ATITUQ. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9826538-0-7.
When I first saw "Paul: Tarsus to Redemption," written by Matthew Salisbury and drawn by Sean Lam, I had my misgivings. I have read many different manga (graphic novels from Japan) in my life, but I’ve never read an American drawn comic book that claims to be a manga. This alone discouraged me, since I’m a bit prejudiced against Americans trying to “rip-off” the style of Japanese manga-ka...
Ficocelli, Elizabeth. Charlotte, N.C.: St. Benedict Press, April 2010. ISBN 978-1935302-31-5. $12.95.
This book is very inspiring and a worthy teaching tool about the Catholic faith. In it, Elizabeth Ficocelli presents some of those old-time miracles and fascinating wonders which in fact are timeless. She covers miracles from all over the world and from various time periods of the Church’s history.
Ficocelli divides her book into different miracle types: Eucharistic miracles, the...
O’Neel, Brian. Cincinnati, Ohio: Servant Books, May 2010. 156 pages. ISBN 978-0-86716-928-7.
This new book details the lives of 30 new saints and blesseds –also known as beati. Most of the people in this book were canonized by Pope John Paul II or, more recently, by Pope Benedict.
Some of the saints that O’Neel mentions are relatively well known. Most people are familiar with the stories of Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, St. Charbel Makhlouf, and the parents of St. Terese the Little...
Pope Benedict XVI. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, March 2010. 117 pages. ISBN 978-1-58617-432-3.
This book is a compilation from various speeches, homilies, and official documents that Pope Benedict has delivered since his election in 2005 as Pope. Its primary purpose is to serve as a reflection or meditation on the Eucharist or the Mass.
Each short chapter contains a different reflection or meditation which is three to six pages long.
In each section, The Holy Father reflects on...
