Book Reviews

In his recent book, Father Michael Kueber reflects on the Hispanic moment in the church.

Noting the 60th anniversary of J.F. Power’s classic, “Morte d’Urban” Russell Shaw recalls a time when moral ambiguity and the mysteries of the human heart inspired complex, intriguing Catholic novels that were plentiful, well-read and widely recognized with prestigious awards.

The timely novel “The House at the End of the World” demonstrates the Catholic-Christian imperative to resist evil at all costs, and to appreciate that suffering is both redemptive and spiritually healing.

“In 1850, Charles Dickens exposed the dark realities of the life of the parentless child in coastal England with ‘David Copperfield.’ In 2022, the clever Barbara Kingsolver set out to do the same for rural America through ‘Demon Copperhead.'”

The book “is written for the curious layperson who wants better to understand the background of the stories that make up the Hebrew Bible.”

An explanation of the aspects of “sacrifice and expiation” in the celebration of the Eucharist and, therefore, in the role of the Catholic priest was the focus of two of the new essays included in “What is Christianity?” — a book released only in Italian in late January by Mondadori.

The author considers the book a “first attempt at enculturating the faith to autistics. I don’t expect it to be perfect, but I do intend to keep some important truths in mind: the orthodoxy of the Catholic faith and the reality of being autistic.”

The collection is divided into seven parts — each a selection of Father Ted’s thoughts and advice on specific values.