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BOOKS PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED
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"A Church in Search of Itself: Benedict XVI and the Battle for the Future," by Robert Blair Kaiser.
Knopf (New York, 2006). 261 pp.,
$25.95
   Robert Blair Kaiser's well-written "A Church in Search of Itself: Benedict XVI and the Battle for the Future" is a work of both journalism and activism. Kaiser, who has covered religion for The New York Times, Time, CBS and Newsweek, is an engaging writer with an admirable ability to make complex situations and ideas understandable without facile simplification.
   This book is about the institutional church, the Vatican and the 2005 conclave and, at the same time, it is about "the people of God church" that Kaiser discovered on his worldwide travels. Kaiser discusses issues (clericalism and priesthood, enculturation, liberation theology, the challenges of religious pluralism) through effective portraits, including six cardinals (from five continents), women religious, theologians and bishops.
   Kaiser is an activist about church politics. "This is arguably the time to make the church less Roman, more catholic -- and more American. First, however, the people of God in America have to wake up and stand up." He proposes that the American church "could become an autochthonous church, modeled on the ancient churches of the Middle East ... Catholics united with Rome, with their own patriarchs, their own liturgies, and their own mostly married clergy."
   One does not have to agree with Kaiser's call for a "people's church" to recognize the concern that motivated the long years of research and travel that resulted in this book.

A FAITH FOR GROWN-UPS: A MIDLIFE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS, by Robert P. Lockwood. Loyola Press (Chicago, 2004). 304 pp.
$17.95.
     It is hard to imagine how two personal reflections on Catholicism could be more different than "Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir" by Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister of Erie, Pa., and "A Faith for Grown-Ups: A Midlife Conversation About What Really Matters" by Pittsburgh's diocesan communications director, Robert P. Lockwood. One thing they have in common is insight about being a mature Catholic in 21st-century America.
     Their differences are profound and worth noting. There is almost nothing similar about their backgrounds, their focus, their concerns or their intended audiences.
     Both reflect on their Catholic upbringings and do it vividly. But Lockwood's was a warm and happy time loaded with friendships. Sister Joan describes a tormented, solitary childhood that she struggled to outgrow and transcend. Sister Joan's book is an inner journey of the soul. Lockwood reaches out to others.
     Sister Joan's fans -- and they are legion since she is a widely published author and well-known speaker -- will enjoy sharing her personal faith journey. In 25 chapters, she considers many facets of her life from her earliest days to her recent years as one of America's most prominent women religious. The chapters are organized into seven sections ranging from the "inward life" to issues of resistance and ecology.
     Occasionally one finds insight, as when she describes why thinkers chafe at commands: "Orders bind us to an immediate response, but listening sets us free to think things through." But she paints the nuanced world she inhabits with a broad brush, not always concerned about staying within the lines. "Every era manufactures a heresy proper to the times. Quietism is ours," she writes. Really?
     On page 223 I scribbled: "I think Joan and I are on the same page spiritually, but she carries some baggage that does not burden me -- and much anger." On page 224 she acknowledges the burden of "old baggage." She says one needs to "grow beyond the wounds and memories," but in the end it is not clear that she does.

"After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion," by Robert Wuthnow.
Princeton University Press (Princeton, N.J., 2007). 298 pp.
$29.95
   In "After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty-and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion," Wuthnow uses statistical data and exhaustive numerical analysis to assess the social and cultural influences on the younger adult generation. The charts help the reader stay focused, but the numbers can be a drag. What is more interesting is Wuthnow's discussion about how this generation of younger adults is shaping the churches in America today. Their so-called "life worlds" are defining how they spend their time, where they live and who they are, and, thus, the churches that they chose to -- or not to -- attend. Today's generation of younger adults have spent at least some time in college, bounce around jobs more frequently than older generations, marry later and have children later, Wuthnow reports. This leads the reader to wonder: Considering that a church's programs and services are mostly focused on married couples with children -- also noted in the book -- then isn't there a large percentage of the population that does not have the support of religious institutions?

AMERICAN JESUS: HOW THE SON OF GOD BECAME A NATIONAL ICON, by Stephen Prothero.
Farrar, Straus, Giroux (New York, 2003). 364 pp.
 $25.00.
     Drive just about anywhere in rural America and get ready to see signs that announce Jesus' return or that herald his Gospel. This signage speaks volumes about the nation's encounter with Jesus. He is as iconic as the flag. So says Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University, in "American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon."
     If Jesus were to return to America, how would he be known? Prothero suggests a number of ways that Jesus could be identified in a captivating, sprightly written narrative covering the last two centuries.
Americans have created their own images of Jesus, whether in portraiture, hymns, literature, film or biblical interpretation. This book is not theology; it concentrates on the medium rather than the message. Prothero admits, "I am interested in the man, not the metaphysics."
     And what a man he is. The book begins with Thomas Jefferson's fascination with Jesus as a moral exemplar. Prothero dubs this Jesus the "enlightened sage." He draws us to Jefferson's work table where the president sits shearing a copy of the New Testament to fit his own personal vision of Jesus, less a deity than someone liberated from all unreasonableness.
     If the matter of Jesus' divinity was considered a trifle by Jefferson, other Christians took up the doctrinal assertions attached to Jesus. Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists led the charge to configure Jesus according to the more personal interests of their members. "What a friend we have in Jesus" became a common claim.
     According to Prothero, Protestant preachers of the 19th century saw in Jesus a somewhat feminized "sweet savior." But by the 20th century, many writers began to consider Jesus as a more masculine "manly redeemer" or, after the 1960s, a more popularized "superstar" who rocked the world with the funk of truth.
Prothero does an excellent job in charting how Jesus became divorced from the historical biblical narrative, except among so many German-trained academics, and became a figure in popular culture. Prothero's analysis extends beyond Christianity to include Jewish and Hindu perceptions of Jesus as well.
     The so-called "reclamationist" Jews of the 1920s considered Jesus as a significant Jewish prophet. The American Vedanta societies that were planted by Hindu swamis saw in Jesus a kind of avatar or supreme yogi.
     Mormons are also a major subject of Prothero's book. They are an important group that claims Jesus as instrumental for their religion, though their portrayal of the man is tainted by accounts of quite apart from those that most Christians know from the canonical Scriptures.
     That includes Catholics, of course, but they are hardly mentioned in Prothero's work. It is to be hoped that this young scholar will examine their history of Jesus, too, for he truly is all things to all people.


AMERICAN DREAM: THREE WOMEN, TEN KIDS, AND A NATION'S DRIVE TO END WELFARE, by Jason DeParle.
Viking-Penguin Group (New York, 2004). 422 pp.
$25.95.
Reviewed by Owen Phelps Catholic News Service
   Some books promise more in the title than they deliver. "American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare" delivers a lot more than it promises.
   Yes, you'll find three women. When we meet them they are Angela "Angie" Jobe, 25, mother of three; her common-law sister-in-law and closest friend, Jewell Reed, 22, who has one daughter and is six months pregnant when they move in together; and Jewell's cousin Opal Caples, who joins the others later with three daughters and an obsessive taste for cocaine.
   More children join the story as it unfolds. Before it ends there are 13, not 10.
   You'll also meet an ensemble of other characters -- from slaveholder Samuel Caples and slave Frank Caples to the fathers of Angela and Jewell's children who are in jail for cocaine trafficking; male and female friends who move in and out of their lives; Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who gained a national reputation and a federal job for welfare reform; and President Bill Clinton and his Republican adversaries, who come together eventually over the issue of welfare reform.
   Author Jason DeParle, a New York Times senior writer who has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the welfare system, weaves a tale as intricate, delicate, coarse and compelling as any great piece of fiction. He seems to have mastered the gift of tri-location as he moves effortlessly from the Milwaukee ghetto to the halls of Congress and the Oval Office, and then through Wisconsin's legislative and bureaucratic labyrinth inextricably linked to Washington.
   Thus we read: "The month Bill Clinton announced that he was running for president, (Angie) stepped off a Greyhound bus in Milwaukee to start a new life. She was 25 years old and arrived from Chicago towing two large duffel bags and three young kids."
   Soon Jewell joins her and DeParle notes: "On Oct. 23, 1991 -- the day Clinton pledged to 'end welfare' -- two welfare mothers and four welfare kids awoke on a wooden floor" in an apartment without refrigerator or stove.
   As DeParle slips from place to place he uncovers all manner of irony and pathos, liberally sprinkled with indifference, incompetence, concupiscence, determination, endurance and just plain dumb luck -- some of it good and some of it absolutely heartbreaking.
   As the author dissects the personalities, relationships and circumstances of the three women, their circle of acquaintances, a prominent governor, and a conflicted president and his adversaries, he makes the case that truth is frequently much stranger than fiction. The book is a compelling study of the Law of Unintended Consequences.
   As Thompson and Clinton attempt to end welfare as America has known it, the reader steps into a strange Wonderland where almost nothing is as it seems. Success and failure, measured by a variety of different and conflicting criteria, almost always occur more as a result of serendipity than intent. And more often than not, the local, state and federal numbers generated to keep score end up obscuring more than they reveal about the welfare reform process and the people whose lives it touches.
   By now you may be wondering if DeParle is "conservative" or "liberal." The answer is that, with his fine critical knowledge skills and his badger-like drive to dig below the surface, he makes fodder of both camps. He also shreds virtually every stereotype that advocates on all sides embrace. Thus, his book is must reading for anyone who wants to know the essential truths -- large and small, public and intimate -- about poverty, welfare and survival in the United States today.
   It is no coincidence that in 1995, while Angie, Jewell and Opal were coping with the everyday implications of welfare and its reform, the nation's Catholic bishops -- in the person of Bishop John H. Ricard, then auxiliary bishop of Baltimore and chairman of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Policy -- advised Congress that welfare reform should strengthen family life, encourage and reward work, preserve a safety net for the vulnerable, build public-private partnerships to overcome poverty and invest in human dignity.
   Bishop Ricard explained. "Reform should serve the human needs of poor children and their families, not just the political needs of public officials." DeParle's book makes it clear that welfare reform still has a long way to go to meet the bishops' standards.
   One warning: after reading this book, it will be well nigh impossible to view the performances of the superficial demagogues who populate the media, barking and flailing like performers at SeaWorld, without breaking into a contemptible laugh. It's either that or cry.
   DeParle leaves no simple-minded certainties standing at the end. Of course, that may be a problem for those who cherish such things.

"American Religious Poems: An Anthology by Harold Bloom,"
Edited by Harold Bloom and Jesse Zuba. Library of America/Penguin Putnam (New York, 2006). 686 pp.
$40
Reviewed by Maureen Daly Catholic News Service
   Harold Bloom, Yale University's noted scholar of Shakespeare and the Bible as literature and author of "The Western Canon" and more than 20 other books, chose the poems by the 224 poets presented in this comprehensive anthology.
   The poets in "American Religious Poems" are arranged by date of birth, one way of sorting this large cast of characters. So Puritan stalwart Anne Bradstreet is neighbor to Puritan outcast Roger Williams; the privileged minister Timothy Dwight is close to the freed slave Phyllis Wheatley, who died young and poor; and Edith Wharton, the chronicler of high society, is wedged between social critics Emma Lazarus and W.E.B. Du Bois.
   The selections cover the four centuries of American English writing, beginning and ending with unknown authors -- first, a psalm from "The Bay Psalm Book" of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans and, last, collections of Native American chants and African-American hymns.
   Very few of these poems express a devotional creed. Many are not even overtly religious. What Bloom feels they share is an "American religion" that is so "implicit and universal" that poets "can be unaware that they incarnate and celebrate it." As Bloom sees it, this "American religion" celebrates the self, nature, solitude, the divine spark in each individual and rebellion against the limits of Old Europe.
   The central beliefs of this "American religion" were set out by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his scandalous "Address to Harvard Divinity School." In it Emerson reduced Jesus' divinity to an awareness of the divine that any human could have. He had Jesus say, "Would you see God, see me; or, see thee, when thou thinkest as I now think."
   Given Bloom's preference for doubt, it is not surprising that few of the modern poems offer much comfort or vision. John Berryman's "Eleven Addresses to the Lord" is an exception, an open prayer expressing the resignation and modest hopes of an older person. A small part of the long poem reads:

"I have made up a morning prayer to you
containing with precision everything that most matters.
'According to Thy will' the thing begins.
It took me off & on two days. It does not aim at elegance.
You have come to my rescue again & again
in my impassable, sometimes despairing years.
You have allowed my brilliant friends to destroy themselves
and I am still here, severely damaged, but functioning."

   Bloom says that Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are "the two great American originals" who "between them define the Americanness of our poetry." Each has a strong spiritual message. Bloom calls Whitman "our Adam" and says, "I find in him the American Scripture." Dickinson he calls "a sect of one" who possesses a "startling" spiritual self-confidence.
   So there are 20 pages of Whitman and seven pages of Dickinson in this collection, but there are also more than 400 pages of 20th-century verse, including the established poets Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, Marianne Moore, T.S. Eliot, Hart Crane, William Carlos Williams, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Penn Warren, James Merrill, John Ashbery and A.R. Ammons, as well as 90 pages of newer poets born after 1950.
   A brief reader's guide at the back directs readers to poems touching on certain areas of religious experience: doubt and belief, grief and consolation, nature, the miraculous, creation, the spiritual quest and so on. Indexes of poets, titles and first lines add to the utility of this book. Despite Bloom's peculiar take on faith, this anthology contains many great poems. It would be a welcome addition to any English or religion classroom.

AND GOD SAID, 'PLAY BALL!': AMUSING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING PARALLELS BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND BASEBALL, by Gary Graf. Liguori/Triumph
(Liguori, Mo., 2005). 180 pp.
$19.95.
Reviewed by Ed Langlois Catholic News Service
   "And God Said, 'Play Ball!': Amusing and Thought-Provoking Parallels Between the Bible and Baseball" gives an often-ingenious and sometimes tongue-in-cheek look at parallels between the good book and the great game. Seattle writer Gary Graf has taken two of the world's great institutions -- each a blend of human and divine -- and compares them, mostly with success.
   For example, Graf takes the dispute among Jesus' apostles about who is the greatest as an opportunity to launch a discussion about who might be the best ballplayer of all time -- and how playing good ball differs from living a good life. Graf observes that Ty Cobb may have been a wizard on the field, but he was lacking in humanity. And he wisely singles out for praise Roberto Clemente, a talented player who died on a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua.
  One of the best comparisons is between Moses and Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks. Like the leader of the Israelites, Banks was a great talent and leader, but never crossed into baseball's promised land -- the World Series. Thankfully, Graf does not try to seek parallels between Banks' Chicago Cubs and the people of Israel.
   Graf takes Moses' miscue in the desert -- when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it -- as akin to a missed sign from the third-base coach.
   One strong chapter takes up the central New Testament concept of forgiveness and its relation to errors on the field and strikeouts at the plate. For a ball team to function, players must forgive each other's goofs, Graf writes. He notes that Jesus forgave St. Peter for his strikeout of denials and that Boston Red Sox fans now seem to have forgiven Bill Buckner for the error that cost them the 1986 World Series.
   Graf even uses baseball rather skillfully to explore the Resurrection. The hope of true fans abides, especially during spring training. By the same token, players in a slump can be revived with a good game.
   Some of the comparisons, though fun, are a stretch. God's command to "Let there be light," for example, gets compared to night baseball, then to a pitcher improving his game by having an interior light blink on. One does get the feeling in these overly cheerful passages that Graf simply indulged himself by writing about his two passions and then glued them together.
   Perhaps Graf's ambition in some spots was just too high. The most apt comparison of Catholicism and baseball could be simply their shared sacramentalism, how there is more than appears on the surface. For instance, a double play is a lovely dance that speaks of various gifts being used for the common good.
   We note that Graf lives not far from Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners and probably the nation's best new ballpark. Sitting in the stands high along the first-base side, one can almost touch the city skyline, see ships come to port and watch the sun set. It's not a cathedral, but don't tell us God isn't involved in it.

A NEW DAD'S GUIDE TO PLAYING GOD: REFLECTIONS ON THE VOCATION OF FATHERHOOD, by James Penrice.
Alba House, St. Paul's Press (New York, 2004). 132 pp.
$12.95
     James Penrice's "A New Dad's Guide to Playing God: Reflections on the Vocation of Fatherhood" has the best (meaning the least dorky-looking) cover art, and is by far the most earnest of these three tomes. He tackles the meaning of his could-be-provocative title right off the bat, saying that his vision of "playing God" doesn't include a vengeance-seeking deity also capable of other random, heartless acts.
     Penrice also takes on such topics as the mother's role in the home (through the dogma of the Immaculate Conception) and Catholic teaching on marriage and baptism in such a way as to be deceptively simple, although skeptics are likely to view his essays on these matters as simplistic. But give him high marks for at least trying.
     "God continually lays out the expectations that we fail to meet," he writes. "We certainly frustrate God as much as our children frustrate us -- even more so." Amen I say to that!

"An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order," by Nancy Klein Maguire.
PublicAffairs (New York, 2006). 258 pp.
$26.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Rackover Catholic News Service
   What did you give up for Lent this year? Chocolate? Alcohol? Cookies?
   Pretty tough, huh?
   Not even close, you pampered, self-deluded, post-Vatican II Catholic you.
   In "An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order," author Nancy Klein Maguire examines a monastic way of life so austere, so stripped-down, so isolated that even the most devout and disciplined reader will shiver with the cold, ache with the hunger and swoon from night after endless night of interrupted sleep. Keeping company with the monks in Parkminster, a Carthusian charterhouse in West Sussex, England, is to keep a lonely vigil in a lifelong quest for "soli Deo": God alone.
   The book is two tales, really. It is an informed and respectful history of "the Western world's most austere monastic order," the Carthusians; it is also a sensitive record of five young men whose individual vocations led them to Parkminster in 1960.
   Maguire gives us their stories and accounts of life in the slow lane firsthand, offering enough background on the Carthusian order (founded in 1089 and, until the Second Vatican Council, "never reformed, because never deformed") to vividly convey the sense that deprivations of sleep, comfort and even simple companionship are considered a privilege in this now-dwindling order.
   The five young men whose stories comprise the basis for the book were drawn to Parkminster from happy homes and family lives in Germany, Ireland and America. They arrived separately over several months in 1960 with an interesting mixture of faithful ardor, naivete and youthful enthusiasm; not all of them fully understood the deprivations they would experience as postulants.
   What becomes of their passion and their faith -- not to mention their psyches -- is an unpredictably interesting and well-written tale that, like a good novel, plunges you into their world and makes you wonder how you would fare there.
   Braced against its own solitude, the power and strength of Carthusian devotion lies in its utter and complete focus on "God alone." But inhabiting the cowls and hair shirts are, after all, mortal men with egos, personalities and -- surprise, surprise! -- power struggles.
   The chasm between divine and human shows clearly in the choir leader's near hysteria over sloppy, off-key and just plain lousy singing; a novice master considered too radical who is eventually replaced; and one old monk weeping at the funeral of another.
   This is the gold that Maguire mines out of a seemingly impenetrable entity. From this all-male enclave where contact with the outside world is limited and controlled, she gained the trust and confidence of elder monks and tracked down the young men who left the monastery before making their solemn profession, a vow to remain in the religious order until death. Her careful, scholarly approach -- and her association with the order through her marriage to an ex-Carthusian -- led to what I have to assume is unprecedented lay and female access to Parkminster, where she was allowed to visit an unoccupied cell and spend time in its vast library.
   Maguire, a scholar-in-residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, carefully crafts -- through the words, memories and experiences of others -- the story of monastic life in all its tedium, monotony and potential glory. That some fall short of that glory is no matter. The young men who made a go of it, who dared greatly, who tell the tale through Maguire's knowing eye for authenticity and simplicity, deserve the reader's greatest admiration.

A READER'S GUIDE THROUGH THE WARDROBE: EXPLORING C.S. LEWIS' CLASSIC STORY, by Leland Ryken and Marjorie Lamp Mead.
InterVarsity Press (Downer's Grove, Ill., 2005). 192 pp.
13.00
Each chapter in "A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C.S. Lewis' Classic Story," by Leland Ryken and Marjorie Lamp Mead, corresponds with one chapter of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." The authors offer readers conclusions on literary techniques, symbols and themes and then "study questions" to gain more personal insight on the text. The guide reads like a good textbook from an interesting class you are glad you took -- all for the "tuition" of paying for a paperback.

"The Authentic Catholic Woman" by Genevieve Kineke.
Servant Books (Cincinnati, 2006). 156 pp.
$13.99.
   Kineke, in "The Authentic Catholic Woman," uses literalized and confusing figures of speech, suggesting that women "image" themselves after holy mother church in all aspects. Specifically, she recommends that women mirror the sacraments: baptism by diligent housecleaning analogous to cleansing the stain of original sin, reconciliation by repeated cleanings coupled with forgiveness of mistreatments, and the Eucharist by providing meals for others.
   Pervasive literalism and inaccurate theological examples fill the book. Kineke states that men reflect both God the Father and Christ the bridegroom. The title Father is appropriate for priests, she says, since they are "husbands of the church" and supply "spiritual seeds to bring forth children destined for heaven." Women are to be subject to male authority, and whether a religious or a wife, "a woman's fruitfulness is a function of a man's fidelity and oblation."
   According to the author, women who embrace their position and "cleave with it to the cross for the good of all" will be the hope of the church and the world. Although sincere in tone, Kineke's book will not appeal to well-educated Catholics in today's world.

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THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH: TOLKIEN'S DIVINE DESIGN IN 'THE LORD OF THE RINGS,' by Fleming Rutledge.
William B. Eerdmans Publishing (Grand Rapids, Mich., 2004) 373 pp.
$20.
   "The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in 'The Lord of the Rings'" is a more gentle read. Its author, the Rev. Fleming Rutledge, an Episcopal priest with previously published works including "The Bible and The New York Times," shows an obvious love for Tolkien's work. Rev. Rutledge describes his own work as a "theological narrative" that seeks to "specifically identify the allusions to a transcendent agency that Tolkien has placed along the way."
   Like Caldecott, Rev. Rutledge refers to Tolkien's letters to support his theories. He says it was part of Tolkien's plan that the characters and setting of "The Lord of the Rings" do not demonstrate a religion. Using a letter Tolkien wrote to fellow author C.S. Lewis (who wrote "The Chronicles of Narnia"), Rev. Rutledge explains how Tolkien hoped to reach two types of readers: Christian believers and those who have no theistic faith.
   Comparing the narrative structure of Tolkien to the narrative structures in the Old and New Testaments, he says Tolkien hoped to reach unbelievers through a majestic story that included a disguised theological design.
   At 373 pages, Rev. Rutledge's book is an enjoyable read that can be digested bit by bit. Readers should be familiar with Tolkien's characters and settings to appreciate Rev. Rutledge's book, although the book could inspire those who have not read the trilogy to pick up the masterpiece for themselves.

THE BATTLE FOR ROME: THE GERMANS, THE ALLIES, THE PARTISANS AND THE POPE, SEPTEMBER 1943-JUNE 1944, by Robert Katz.
Simon & Schuster (New York, 2004). 418 pp.
$28.00.
     "The Battle for Rome" is a penetrating study on the early stages of the Allied campaign in Italy by American author Robert Katz.
     American and British leaders, especially Prime Minister Winston Churchill, considered that an attack on the "soft underbelly of Europe" would liberate Italy, draw German defenders away from the Atlantic wall in France, and pave the way for a drive into the Balkans. However, the soft underbelly proved to be harder than expected.
     Katz reviews the long and bloody campaign up the Italian boot from the American landing at Salerno in 1943 to the liberation of Rome in June 1944. He also covers the German occupation of Rome, the Italian Resistance, American intelligence operations, and Vatican diplomatic relations, including reports from Tittmann.
     Katz is very critical regarding the silence of Pope Pius XII about the Nazi deportation of Rome's Jews to Auschwitz and the German reprisal against the Romans after a Resistance attack of German SS troops. However, he admits that many Jews found shelter in Rome's Catholic institutions and churches.
     In 1974 Katz was taken to court in Rome for defaming the memory of Pope Pius XII   with allegations he made in an earlier book, "Death in Rome." Katz was found guilty after a criminal trial. He received a 14-month prison sentence, but the verdict was overturned n appeal, and then dismissed by the Italian Supreme Court.
     "The Battle for Rome" is based on declassified documents, interviews and memoirs. Katz is a serious scholar of the period and his book will be widely read.
     Some readers will find his criticisms offset by the observations of diplomats or by statements from international Jewish leaders praising the actions of Pope Pius XII. Others will find that these new World  War II books add information to the discussion of the period without putting to rest the old controversies.

"Being Catholic in a Culture of Choice," by Thomas P. Rausch.
Liturgical Press (Collegeville, Minn., 2006). 123 pp.
$19.95.
   A few of the points that Wuthnow highlights also are touched upon by Rausch in his book "Being Catholic in a Culture of Choice," though in a less numbers-intensive way. Rausch writes as a university professor who clearly knows the statistics but also can share his experiences working with younger adults. Rausch discusses "the discrepancy between the optimistic charting of spiritual interest and the low level of religious practice or spiritual growth." Generally speaking, this is a trendy claim: Younger generations have more of an attachment to personally defined spirituality than to religious institutions and doctrine. Rausch's discussion is interesting and at times colorful. The chapter devoted to the Catholic imagination, a distinguishing point between Catholicism and Protestantism, is particularly thought-provoking. He also conjures up nostalgic memories of the Catholic tradition as taught through the family and ruminates about the sometimes negative changes since the Second Vatican Council in Catholic universities and theology studies.

"The Believer's Edge: The Secret to a Healthier, Happier, More Significant Life," by Owen Phelps.
ACTA Publications (Durand, Ill., 2005). 130 pp.
$13.95
   "The Believer's Edge: The Secret to a Healthier, Happier, More Significant Life," by Owen Phelps, is a book of fiction with lessons for laity about how to live their Catholicism.
   Set in a nondescript manufacturing company, the story is that of Derek, one of the company's best sales people. Concerned about unresolved personal issues -- including his relationship with his wife and children, the manner in which he spends his time away from work, and temptations of life on the road -- Derek consults with Tom, a longtime acquaintance who works in the same company.
   Unlike Derek, Tom's priorities include faith and church attendance. Tom introduces his troubled co-worker to others in the company who have struggled, or who continue to struggle. They talk to Derek about faith and the practice of it and, as a result, Derek changes his life.
   The result is a cross between stories in Guideposts magazine and episodes of "Touched by an Angel" -- and that's a compliment! Different readers will relate to differing facets in Derek's simple story and the stories of the people he encounters. No deep meanings or hidden symbolisms that require deciphering and discussions -- rather, it's a story about how much better life is when one's faith is lived. Phelps, associate publisher of The Observer, newspaper of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., has written a story that engages readers and inspires them in a subtle, nonpreachy way. It's a nudge, an examination of where one is, where one should want to go.

"Benedict XVI: Fellow Worker for Truth, An Introduction to His Life and Thought," by Laurence Paul Hemming.
Burns and Oates/Continuum (London and Harrisburg, Pa., 2005). 183 pp.,
$16.95
   Laurence Paul Hemming's "Benedict XVI: Fellow Worker for Truth, An Introduction to His Life and Thought" is a beautifully written introduction to the pope's life, career and thought. In a relatively short text of clear and measured tone he offers a mature appreciation of the pope, suffused by a contemplative sensibility that is wholly suited to its subject.

"Benedict XVI: The Man Who Was Ratzinger," by Michael S. Rose.
Spence Publishing (Dallas, 2005). 182 pp.,
$22.95
   In "Benedict XVI: The Man Who Was Ratzinger," Michael S. Rose provides a serviceable overview of the most salient issues facing Pope Benedict's papacy, including the sex abuse crisis, Islam, religious pluralism, liturgy and ecumenism.
   Unfortunately, Rose reduces complex issues to caricature and is disdainful and scornfully dismissive of those who (in his opinion) teach or act "contrary to the faith." He seems to have forgotten that charity, not ideological purity, is the charism of Catholic ecclesiology.  Reviewed by Rachelle Linner Catholic News Service

THE BEST CATHOLIC WRITING 2004, edited by Brian Doyle.
Loyola Press (Chicago, 2004). 233 pp
.$14.95.
Reviewed by Brian T. Olszewski Catholic News Service
     That's a risky title: "Best Catholic Writing." Editor Brian Doyle doesn't debate what "best" means in his introduction, but he does explain what "Catholic writing" is. It may be by Catholics, or for Catholics, or of Catholics, but it is also "catholic" because, "Everything, seen with a clear enough eye, is meat for the Catholic mind."
     And meaty it is. Readers might recognize the names of Andrew Greeley, Kathleen Norris or Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, but most of the writers are commercial unknowns. Who has written is less important than what they have written.
     Few readers know writer Robert T. Reilly, of Omaha, Neb., but many will relate to his story about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's. He writes, "I build my days around visits to her, not as corporal works of mercy, but as one of the joys of marriage. I love who she was, but I also love who she is."
     Jesuit Father Gary Smith might be better known among the poor in the Portland, Ore., and in Uganda than among readers. But readers of "The Leper: Robert's Story" will find it impossible not to see Jesus in this deathbed scene described by Father Smith: "'O Robert, my man, my man, O Robert.' And then I knelt at the side of his bed and wept and wept. The paradox is that, in the end, the little guy had been stripped of everything but was surrounded by the dearest of his possessions, his friends."
     And Christopher de Vinck's reflections on the late TV icon Fred Rogers may get readers thinking, talking, even writing, about their own Mr. Rogers memories.
     Really, that's what this volume does. It gets readers thinking, whether the topic is the sexual abuse of children by clergy, steps in faith formation or wondering why God leads people to do certain things. It inspires readers to examine their own lives, maybe to commit or recommit themselves to living the Gospel.
     Most of the writing in this collection comes from national publications, such as Commonweal, U.S. Catholic and National Catholic Reporter. None of the selections are from writers at diocesan newspapers, which tend to be local in focus, although they had an opportunity to submit work. And they will for future volumes. Doyle, who is the editor of Portland magazine, published by the University of Portland, Oregon's Catholic university affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, has extended a call for submissions for the 2005 "Best Catholic Writing."
     In any collection not everyone will like every topic or style. There are several pieces that address the sexual abuse scandal -- the topic that defined U.S. Catholicism in the last couple years. Yet some readers might have heard, read and seen enough of the topic with no need to digest more. The book also includes three pieces written in verse form. The writing is good, but the style seems out of place.
     This 28-selection smorgasbord offers something for the person with only a few minutes to read every day as well as for the leisurely reader. It gives observers of Catholic writing an accurate idea of what constitutes "best," provides an excellent overview of Catholic thought, and records for future historians an idea of what was happening in the church in 2004.
     Olszewski will become the executive editor of the Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in January.

BETTER OFF: FLIPPING THE SWITCH ON TECHNOLOGY, by Eric Brende.
HarperCollins (San Francisco, 2004). 233 pp.
$24.95.
      When I lived by myself for more than seven years in Washington, I had no air conditioning or ceiling fans. I relied on a rotary-dial telephone attached to an answering machine my mother made me buy. I wrote letters on the manual typewriter I bought in college. I played most of my music on a phonograph. I had no microwave oven, no dishwasher, and kept perishables in a Frigidaire so old it said "Made exclusively by General Motors" on the door handle.
      True, my apartment had only two fuses. But my monthly electric bill rarely got into double digits. Now, I wince at the wintertime gas (heat) and summertime electric (air conditioning) bills that soar into three figures.
      I guess this would make me the target audience for Eric Brende's back-to-nature tome, "Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology," which has a second subtitle: "Two People, One Year, Zero Watts."
      But while Brende records all the self-satisfied moments while he and his wife, Mary, willingly went on an 18-month experiment in the 1990s among an Anabaptist farming community in Lancaster County, Pa., that he calls the "Minimites," he fails to make a persuasive case for us to shake off the yoke of our motorized, electrical and electronic oppressors and go back to the country, save for how to lessen our dependence on the contraptions at book's end.
      Brende had been a student at MIT, and even then was questioning the role of our so-called modern conveniences. He should have spelled out his disquiet here. That he doesn't, favoring a recounting of trip preparations at the earliest stages of the book, is at least equally the fault of his editor.
      For most of "Better Off," Brende discovers that 'tis a gift to be simple. He detects a natural rhythm to everything he encounters; one wise parenthetical comment he makes is "not sure if we loved the homesteading because we loved each other or vice versa." A Catholic, he also has to parry latent resentment over Catholic persecution of Anabaptists from centuries ago.
      I find it hard to believe that everything was so hunky-dory that Brende had no lantern-resistant dark night of the soul that made him question the wisdom of his experiment. If he had one, it's not to be found here. The closest he comes is getting heatstroke while pitching hay, which he attributed to having been exposed to that accursed air conditioning. But if he was indeed "bedridden for three days, tossing and turning in a feverish delirium," you'd think someone would have hopped on a bicycle and used a pay phone to summon a doctor.
      Brende had one major fallback: an old Ford Escort for the occasional emergency bridge game in the city. Eric and Mary took the Escort to find a suitable place to relocate once the experiment ended. Brende wanted to be close to a Catholic college in the hope of earning a little money from teaching. But the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio "seemed to lack a certain minimal human appeal or accessibility," he wrote. As for Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., Brende noted, "its isolation from the surrounding community, or what passed for a community, was troubling."
      The Brendes wound up buying their own farm, only to have to sell when it turned out Mary was allergic to the horse they bought to replace their Escort. They now live in St. Louis with three kids. Eric makes soap and offers quadracycle rides to paying customers.
      "My original reason for coming was to prove a point, not to stake a claim," Brende writes. If that's the case, perhaps it's better that Brende is out of academe because, under scientific theory, once the theory is posed, one devises tests to try and disprove the theory, not to prove it.
      Brende is convinced, but unconvincing.

BLACK ELK: COLONIALISM AND LAKOTA CATHOLICISM, by Damian Costello.
Orbis Press (Maryknoll, N.Y., 2005). 182 pp.,
$22
Costello uses the story of Nicholas Black Elk to show someone who is both Christian and Native American. Black Elk, who lived from 1863 to 1950, survived the Lakota wars with the U.S. Army and later became a Catholic and a catechist. He was also the subject of the best-selling biography "Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux," which was based on interviews in the 1930s with ethnographer John G. Neihardt and was reprinted many times in the 1970s in response to interest in the American Indian Movement. Costello shows that this famous biography told only part of the holy man's life story.
    Costello's book is part of the "Faith and Culture Series" published by Orbis that looks at how "Christian faith attempts to respond to its new global reality" as the churches of the Americas, Asia and Africa "claim the right to express Christian faith in their own idioms, thought patterns and cultures."
   Costello examines the historical record to show that Black Elk was faithful both to his Native American culture and to his Catholicism. Quoting Black Elk, Costello offers examples of how Christianity improves Lakota culture through the rejection of violence, and the care for one's neighbor. Costello's book uses historical evidence to refute other authors' claims that Black Elk only became and remained a Christian in order to exist in the white man's world. Anyone interested in understanding Black Elk's legacy will find this book of great interest.

C
CALLED TO QUESTION: A SPIRITUAL MEMOIR, by Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister.
Sheed & Ward (Lanham, Md., 2004). 232 pp.
$21.95.
     Lockwood's book is different because it is not his purpose to recall his past to come to grips with it. He goes back in time to establish common ground with his intended reader -- the baby boomer who drifted away from the faith because of a slight, a grudge or just the momentum of growing up in a post-Christian culture.
     Lockwood himself drifted away with the flow of college life, but his drift was short-lived. After college he found a place in the Catholic press and worked his way to the posts of president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. While he was there, we met and became friends.
     Lockwood is familiar with all the baggage, misinformation and misunderstanding that have kept many of his cradle-Catholic contemporaries from the practice of their faith. He seeks to have a respectful "conversation" with them.
     His message is one of liberation: Forget the trappings of childhood that bother, befuddle and burden you; focus instead on the core of Catholicism and enjoy a richer, more satisfying life. He knows the core and writes about it with clarity. His book does something I would like to do -- and sometimes try to do -- with old friends and other contemporaries who have lost their way or feel adrift, looking for an anchor as life recedes with their hairline.
     Lockwood writes that he likes the often-quoted description of the Catholic Church as "Here comes everybody." That description is still good news for Catholics, even if some don't like to hear it and others don't believe it. And it helps explain how such different authors -- and their books -- are Catholic.

THE CARE OF THE EARTH, by Joseph Sittler.
Fortress Augsburg Press (Minneapolis, Minn., 2004). 116 pp.
$6
    "The Care of the Earth," by Joseph Sittler, represents an early modern attempt to integrate the themes of nature and grace. Sittler, now deceased, is respected as a Renaissance man and prophet and seer who taught at the University of Chicago Divinity School and at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. The book is a collection of sermons, some of them dating from as early at 1964.
    "Grace and nature intersect, overlap and interfuse each other. Sittler would call that Gospel," the Rev. Martin Marty writes in a new introduction to this collection. Rev. Marty says that Sittler encourages readers to care in response to nature, to human signals, to beauty, to the promptings of the heart, to the Word of God.
           Sittler believes that we are people of the created earth at the core of our being. The chief end of humanity is to enjoy nature and to glorify God in whose image we were also created. Creation exists primarily to be enjoyed, not used. When we fail to celebrate what God has created, it comes back to us as a judgment. Our use of nature is blessed when our enjoyment of it is honored.

"The Case of Terri Schiavo: Ethics at the End of Life," edited by Arthur L. Caplan, James A. McCartney and Dominic A. Sisti.
(Prometheus Books, Amherst, N.Y., 2006). 352 pp.
$21
     The controversy surrounding the life and death of Terri Schindler Schiavo, the severely disabled Florida woman whose parents and estranged husband clashed over whether to take away her feeding tube, has been described as "the perfect storm of medical, legal, moral and constitutional disputes."
     Before Schiavo died March 31, 2005, 13 days after her food and water were withdrawn, the Florida Legislature, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the U.S. Congress, various federal and state courts and much of the U.S. population had been drawn in.
     But during the controversy and since Schiavo's death, it has not always been easy to sort fact from fiction. With "The Case of Terri Schiavo: Ethics at the End of Life," bioethicists Arthur Caplan, James McCartney and Dominic Sisti make a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate by allowing readers to digest the various source documents for themselves.
     The book brings together essays, legislation, political speeches and a variety of other documents related to the Schiavo case from more than 50 contributors.
     The text of Terri's Law, passed by the Florida Legislature to allow Bush to intervene in the case, is there, as is Pope John Paul II's March 2004 message to an international congress on treatment of patients in a persistent vegetative state, which some interpreted as mandating food and water for all patients.
     Schiavo's autopsy report, the cautious statements from Florida's Catholic bishops, and articles from the New England Journal of Medicine and such Catholic periodicals as Commonweal and America also are included, with the editors providing minimal commentary to guide the reader about the documents they are presenting.

"Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church," by Russell Shaw.
Requiem Press (Bethune, S.C., 2005). 191 pp.,
$14.95
     "Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church," by Russell Shaw, explains in welcome detail how the laity's mission in the Catholic Church is defined. Shaw provides a short course in the laity's roles throughout church history, and examines those roles in the post-Vatican II church.
   The thoroughness, including much documentation from literature, papal writings, the documents of Vatican II, and canon law, will be appreciated by laity who ask, "What have I, as a Catholic, been called to do?" and "How do I live my faith in such a way that it will make a positive impact upon the culture in which I live?"
   Shaw's attention to what the church teaches about lay spirituality and vocation will serve readers well as they discern -- either individually or in groups -- their roles. The content and organization of the 12 chapters in the book make it a good choice for parish-based faith-sharing groups. Shaw has had a long career in Catholic communications including serving as director of information for the U.S. bishops' conference in Washington. He is a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and teaches at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

"Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy and the Splendor of Truth," by Father Richard John Neuhaus.
Basic Books (New York, 2006). 255 pp.
$25
     "Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth," by Father Richard John Neuhaus, lacks the inspiration of "The Believer's Edge" and the how-to practicality of "Catholic Laity." Father Neuhaus lectures readers on how the church under Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI is providing the faithful with guidance.
   Father Neuhaus is a former Lutheran pastor who became a Catholic priest in 1991. He is the founder of the Institute for Religion and Public Life and editor-in-chief of its journal, First Things.
   With any lecture, one can expect asides. In Father Neuhaus' lecture, the asides are snipes at those whose ecclesiology he does not share. In a chapter titled "The Center Holds," he writes of the Jesuits: "They are still loyal, but they bring a futurist twist of discontinuant devising." After quoting one bishop, identified only as "a bishop who belongs to the shrinking liberal caucus that was led by Archbishop Rembert Weakland," he writes, "Never mind that the bishop presides over a dispirited diocese of zero vocations, declining Mass attendance, closed schools, and an epidemic of scandals. Never mind that he hasn't read a serious book of theology for 20 years or that his ascertains about the Christian message contain no reference to Christ."
   Father Neuhaus is a devoted, well-schooled servant of the church whose analysis would be more appreciated if its presentation were void of sarcasm and disdain for those he puts down. In "Catholic Matters" it should matter how one treats those with whom he disagrees.

CATHOLIC Q & A: ANSWERS TO THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT CATHOLICISM, by Father John J. Dietzen.
Crossroad (New York, 2005). 532 pp.
$17.95
    Father John J. Dietzen has written a book that would be a welcome addition to the shelves of any parish teacher or religion classroom. In plain, clear writing that is always kind, Father Dietzen's new edition of "Catholic Q & A" gives -- as the subtitle says -- "Answers to the Most Common Questions About Catholicism."
    Father Dietzen has heard all the questions. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., in 1954 and has served as pastor of two large parishes in central Illinois. He was also director of the diocesan Office of Family Life and editor of the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Post. He began writing a weekly question and answer column for that paper in the late 1960s, and in 1975 he began a syndicated column for Catholic News Service. For 30 years he has answered questions from readers nationwide. His brief clarifications and patient explanations have made him the most widely published syndicated columnist in the Catholic press.
    The chapters group questions and answers on the Bible, the church, the Mass, holy Communion, baptism and confirmation, marriage and family living, divorce, annulment and remarriage, right and wrong, penance and anointing of the sick, ecumenism, prayer and devotions, saints, death and burial, and a final grab-bag chapter answering two dozen questions on everything else: Does God exist? B.C. and A.D., Santa Claus, the Ku Klux Klan, chain letters, worry, extraterrestrial life, suicide bombers.
    Father Dietzen answers it all, large and small: What did God do before creation? Why is Matthew the first Gospel? Did Jesus know he was God? What does excommunication mean today? What is canon law? Who can be godparents? Were there married popes? Is premarital sex wrong? How should parents respond to cohabitation? When is an embryo human? Is it possible to forgive? Does God punish us? Who can share Communion? What is Cursillo? Focolare? The Magnificat? Is Luther a saint? What about Catholic burial and suicide? Flags on caskets at a funeral? Apparitions of Mary? Why do we pray? What happens to our souls?
    Dip into "Catholic Q & A" for an answer. It's likely your question will be there. It is also likely that you'll find it hard to put down after just one page.

CELEBRATING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE: A BABY BOOMER'S GUIDE TO SPIRITUALITY, by David Yount.
Augsburg Books (Minneapolis, Minn., 2005). 174 pp.
$12.99.
Reviewed by Brian T. Olszewski Catholic News Service
   In "Celebrating the Rest of Your Life: A Baby Boomer's Guide to Spirituality," David Yount draws upon personal experience, adds wisdom from Henry David Thoreau and others, and subtly brings in references from Scripture. The combination provides an easy-to-read, easy-to-apply guide that, rather than setting spirituality apart, weaves it into the life of the aging person.
   What makes this book enjoyable is that it is not preachy. What makes it valuable is that it provides practical advice about what people are experiencing and will experience as they age. Those who are already among "the aged" will appreciate the guidance; those who are about to join them will welcome the map.
   Here is a sample of the tone: "Your retirement years will be an opportunity for engagement, not escape -- not for a life of doing nothing, but for a fuller life of activity doing something satisfying: richer occupation, deeper education, sounder health, a more positive attitude and a workable faith," Yount writes. "It is a time for loving, savoring and celebrating -- not declining." It's that sort of message that makes "Celebrating the Rest of Your Life" material for reflection as well as "how-to" spiritual direction.

Chico the cat tells children how his best friend became Pope Benedict
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Chico the cat thinks he is in the "purrfect" position to tell children the story of how one of his best friends became Pope Benedict XVI.
The cat's tale is confirmed, at least as far as the facts of the papal biography go, by Msgr. Georg Ganswein, Pope Benedict's personal secretary and the author of the preface to the Italian children's book, "Joseph and Chico: A Cat Recounts the Life of Pope Benedict XVI."
A spokeswoman for the Conventual Franciscans' Edizioni Messaggero Padova, the book's publisher, said they expect to find translators and foreign publishers for the book at the mid-October International Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.
In his preface, Msgr. Ganswein wrote to young readers, "It's not every day that a cat considers the Holy Father his friend and sits down to write his story."
Having served first as secretary to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then as his secretary after he became pope, Msgr. Ganswein assured readers that he knows Pope Benedict well and that the words author Jeanne Perego puts into the mouth of Chico -- between a few meows -- are "all true and interesting."
The papal secretary said he shares Chico's opinion that "the Holy Father is a special person," especially because "he is a sincere friend of Jesus."
Chico, a ginger tabby, said he met the future pope in Pentling, Germany, a town near Regensburg where the pope and his brother have a house. Chico officially belonged to the neighbors, but said he was welcome in the Ratzinger house.
Chico would rub up against the pope's legs, curl up in his lap, watch and listen, which is how he came to know the details of the pope's biography.
While the future pope and his brother were teenagers preparing for the priesthood, "in Germany the tragedy that would shake the world unfolded. I am speaking of Nazism, one of the most dramatic and shameful moments of human history," the cat wrote.
"Joseph was forced to do something that absolutely went against his will: enter the army and leave for war," he said.
The young Ratzinger was assigned to a unit defending a factory that made airplane motors and then was sent to prepare bunkers against a possible tank attack.
As the book ends, Chico said he watched coverage of the 2005 death of Pope John Paul II and the conclave on television.
"In my house, we were all deliriously happy" when it was announced to the world that Cardinal Ratzinger had been elected pope.
"I was so excited that I forgot to demand my dinner," he said.
"Now Joseph Ratzinger is not just my friend, but also the great friend and guide of all Catholics," he said.
END
10/04/2007 12:21 PM ET
Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

CHRIST IN DACHAU, by Father John M. Lenz.
Roman Catholic Books (Fort Collins, Colo., 2005). 328 pp.
$29.95
    "Christ in Dachau" will be grim reading for Catholics and Jews alike. But they must be read, and their photographs assimilated, by both communities, for they document something that actually happened within the lifetimes of many of us. They are a record of the total breakdown of a civilized society, the destruction of two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, and the less systematic but devastatingly effective attack on Europe's Catholic leadership.
   The Holocaust was literally without precedent in its scope and its aims. The Third Reich vision included the total denial and effective elimination of both the spiritual foundations of European civilization -- first Judaism and then Christianity -- and the establishment of a 1,000-year reign of racist oppression and genocide led by Adolf Hitler as the messiahlike "Reichschancellor."
   The late Polish Pope John Paul II, his Italian predecessors Popes Paul VI and John XXIII, and his German successor, Pope Benedict XVI, understood this truth about the Holocaust and inveighed against it. The Holocaust is the defining event of our times, and perhaps for centuries to come. For the central axiom of Nazism, like the central axiom of Soviet communism, was the destruction of humanity's urge toward the good, toward democracy and toward legal rights for the world's religions.
   Yet neither Judaism nor Catholicism were, in fact, destroyed by the Nazi onslaught. We survive today to dialogue with each other and to continue our witness to the world, together, that humanity is created in God's image and is oriented toward his divine goal of preparing the way for the kingdom of God.

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION: EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF GOD, by James Finley. HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, 2004). 304 pp.
$19.95.
  A modern audience for books on Christian monasticism, meditation and contemplation was discovered in 1948 with the publication of Father Thomas Merton's best-selling autobiography, "The Seven Storey Mountain." Today that audience has been increased by the many modern readers who are intrigued by the implications of Eastern religions for mainline Christianity. These four books are addressed to that modern audience.
                James Finley's new book, "Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God," draws on many traditional wells for insights. Finley (no relation to this reviewer) is best known for his book, "Thomas Merton's Palace of Nowhere." He is a psychological and spiritual counselor living in California.
                Finley says that people who think they must turn to Eastern religions in order to learn meditation couldn't be more mistaken. Christian meditation is hardly anything new; the practice goes back to Christian men and women who lived in the deserts of Syria and Egypt in the third and fourth centuries and, indeed, can be traced to Jesus himself.
                With a clear, informative and captivating style Finley explains for both beginners and the more experienced the basics of meditation and what makes Christian meditation Christian, with frequent references to the New Testament. Often along the way, Finley enriches his discussion by sharing with the reader his own experiences.
                This is, without a doubt, one excellent book, a perfect guide for spiritual seekers and spiritual guides as we move into an uncertain 21st century.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA AND PHILOSOPHY, edited by Gregory Bassham and Jerry L. Walls.
Open Court (Chicago, 2005). 288 pp.
$17.95
It all started with an image within an author's imagination -- a faun in the snowy woods carrying parcels and an umbrella.   After carrying that image in his head for a few decades, Clive Staples Lewis ("Jack" to his friends) crafted seven books in the series "The Chronicles of Narnia." Although he was an unmarried Oxford professor in his 50s who had no children of his own, Lewis wrote the stories for children. It was not expected to be a hit, yet the seven books, published each year from 1950 to 1956, sold well and continue to fascinate readers young and old.  The popularity of the books is not lost on Hollywood. The first published book of the chronicles, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," opens Dec. 9 in a movie directed by Andrew Adamson (director of "Shrek" and "Shrek II"). And the longevity and beauty of the work is not lost on scholars who have written volume upon volume on Narnia and its creator.  Six new books offer insight -- philosophical, literary and religious -- on the series that began with the line, "Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy."   

THE CHURCH: THE PEOPLE OF GOD, by Father William Henn, OFMCap.
Burns & Oates/Continuum (London/New York, 2004). 167 pp.
$21.95.
    For the last 40 years, Catholics -- from the leaders to the faithful in the pews -- have been discussing their church. Sometimes these discussions have turned into debates, as with the recent sex abuse scandal. At other times, they have opened up new vistas for Catholics themselves, as with the renewed worship life and openness to fellow Christians.
    "The Church: The People of God" by Capuchin Franciscan Father William Henn is a readable treatment on the meaning of church. He focuses on what is at the core of the hierarchy of truths about the people of God and he deals with specific beliefs and practices of Catholicism and fellow Christians in light of those central affirmations from Christian revelation.
    The author draws on his rich experience as a teacher and theologian, a pastor and a Franciscan to bring the reader into the lived reality of church life and teaching. He writes that his goal is to "unfold this vision of 'church' in a more creative and free manner, choosing passages from the Bible and from favorite traditional and contemporary authors" along with his rich illustrative experience.
    His reflections on the church are deeply informed by the Christian view of the human person and the implications of this view for the understanding of divine revelation and the Christian community. Finally, as an experienced ecumenist, he remains attuned to other Christian communities and their understandings of the Church and other doctrines associated with it.
    In some ways it is a very simple and easy-to-read volume, but it is also quite profound, deeply rooted in the biblical and historical scholarship which stands behind it.
   The volume includes seven chapters, each begun with a reflection from real life -- contemporary, biblical or historical. The first chapter starts by asking the fundamental question as to whether we need the church at all. Fifty years ago, Catholics began asking what kind of church does Christ want for the modern world. Out of this reflection came the marvelous renewal of the Second Vatican Council. Today, however, we see strains of religious belief and even Christians who question the corporate or institutional nature of this faith. This important chapter will be a resource for preachers and teachers trying to help their people make sense of the relationship of the church to Jesus and to ourselves as individuals in this postmodern world with all of its pressures and choices.
    The second chapter deals with faith, the origin of the church and the role of Scripture in the church. At the time of the Reformation it was thought that one of the main tensions dividing Protestants from Catholics and Orthodox was over the relationship of Scripture and the tradition of the church. This chapter demonstrates that a deeper understanding of the development of the church can dispel most of that polarization and lead us to a more organic understanding of the development of Scripture out of the tradition in the church which was the bearer of God's revelation in Christ.
    Chapter three is particularly fascinating. Catholics tend to approach authority by looking first at the magisterium and the role of bishops and the pope in teaching. Father Henn writes that the role of these ministries is to be servants, along with theologians, in the task of discerning the truth and coming closer to the face of Christ.
    Other chapters take up the process of Christian initiation, the Eucharist and developments of the churches together in understanding the sacramental life; the Christian life and the role of the church in the understanding of the human person; and ministry in the context of Jesus' role as suffering servant.
   The final chapter discusses the kingdom of God. Father Henn begins this chapter with the story of Dorothy Day and the struggles with society, justice and peace that brought her from communism into the Catholic Church. He goes on to outline the variety of developments of the church and its relationship to society, including contemporary discussions of liberation theology. Like all of his chapters, this section is deeply rooted in Scripture, without neglecting to link this core of the faith to contemporary church teaching, especially Vatican II.
    This book will provide a fine source of reflection for the interested Christian and a resource for those in parish leadership to enrich their own faith and their vision of ministry for the whole Christian family.

THE CHURCH THAT FORGOT CHRIST by Jimmy Breslin.
Free Press (New York, 2004). 256 pp
 $26.00.
      The late Norbert F. Gaughan, Catholic bishop, author and columnist, once said, "Writing is therapy for me. And I get paid for it."
      Maybe that is the justification for columnist Jimmy Breslin writing "The Church That Forgot Christ." While much of the volume is a "Here's what's wrong with the church" treatise, those wrongs are woven among Breslin's meanderings into his own Catholic life.
      Sexual abuse of children by clergy is a large part of his rant, as is how the pope and bishops have responded to the victims and how they dealt with the abusers. He mentions familiar Boston names, for example, John Geoghan and Paul Shanley, but he also lists priests who have served in the dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre in New York, priests whose crimes did not attract the national attention of other abusers, but whose deeds were as devastating to their victims and who, in some cases, were kept in ministry by bishops who moved them to new assignments after abuse accusations surfaced.
      Breslin writes a column for the New York paper Newsday. The writing in this book is similar to the dialogue one might have with a co-worker at a bar where conversations ramble and are apt to begin, "You know what I think? I think ... ." Examples of Breslin's homiletic insights are: "The Vatican is trying to load the church with Africans to make up for dwindling whites while keeping the new African faithful in Africa where they belong, rather than strolling brazenly around St. Peter's Square, or Madison Avenue," and "An important part of the Catholic religion is to always say something nice to somebody if you want to save your soul, try that. It is one of the dictums that shows the difference between the failed church of Rome, and the American religion I believe in."
      You can almost hear the participants interrupt with, "We'll have another round," as Breslin continues extolling philosophy like "A gold ring on a bishop's finger is the commercial of a pimp," and "If I had one shot at delivering a sermon, I would have them rising from the pews and interrupting me with crescendos of applause and shouts of 'Good boy, Bishop Breslin!'"
      It is as though the religion he was taught and the beliefs he holds have crashed into the institution from which he learned them. He rails against the church's mentioning the evils of abortion and gay unions at every opportunity; against opulence, devoting two chapters to the bishop's residence in Rockville Centre; and against the way in which bishops have dealt with sexually abusive priests and their victims.
      It isn't the religion with which he has a problem, but with the church, which for Breslin is pope, bishops and priests. As the crusading columnist he is, there is much "us" vs. "them" in this volume. With numerous doses of "growing up Catholic" material, most seasoned with anger, Breslin provides a look into his own life and formation, as well as into how he views the church as a result of those two elements. Nowhere does he mention the work of the Second Vatican Council and its inclusion of all people being church. It is as though his view of church was permanently formed in his childhood and he is incapable of changing it.
      Readers seeking insight into the sexual abuse crisis will find none here as Breslin offers nothing new on the topic. Those who enjoy his writing because of his jousting with authority and the institutions they run can expect that tone and style throughout.
      While Breslin maintains he does not need the church as he sees it, and proposes in the prologue to open his own parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn, it appears he does need what the church at its best can provide: healing.
      No, the institution about which he is so critical will not provide that healing, but the good people, for example, Father John Powis, pastor of St. Barbara Parish in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, about whom he writes much, will. There is hope for all who call themselves Catholic, including Breslin. One prays that he recognizes it and embraces it.
      Reviewed by Brian T. Olszewski, editor of the Northwest Indiana Catholic, for Catholic News Service.

THE CONFIRMED CATHOLIC'S COMPANION: A GUIDE TO ABUNDANT LIVING, by Sister Kathleen Glavich, SND.
ACTA Publications (Skokie, Ill., 2005). 214 pp.
$9.95
   Adults come to the Catholic Church for many reasons. Some come because their husband- or wife-to-be is a Catholic and they want to have a one-religion family. Others have profound faith-changing experiences. Yet others choose the Catholic Church because they tried other religions and this one made the most sense.
   After choosing Catholicism, however, many people get little instruction beyond classes for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. "The Confirmed Catholic's Companion: A Guide to Abundant Living" gives adults the tools they need for an ongoing relationship.
   Sister Kathleen Glavich, a Sister of Notre Dame, has pulled together a book that every church's RCIA director should hand to newly confirmed Catholics. The book features a good deal of depth on the tradition of the church, all the basic (and some not so basic) prayers, and excellent chapters on Mary, saints, devotions and sacraments. Her final chapter, "Walking the Talk," provides a wonderful view of living a moral life that is neither preachy nor saccharine.
   Excellent sidebar notes add to an already rich text. A journal section at the end of each chapter gives readers space to reflect and jot down information that they want to highlight.
   This will be a valuable book for those researching the faith, for new adult Catholics or for parents who need a refresher course when their children are making their confirmation. Every newly confirmed Catholic should have a copy on hand.

CONFLICT & CONNECTION: THE JEWISH-CHRISTIAN-ISRAEL TRIANGLE
by Moshe Aumann. Gefen Publications (Jerusalem, 2003). 293 pp.
$22.95.
     Moshe Aumann's "Conflict and Connection: The Jewish-Christian-Israel Triangle" will be of great interest to anyone taking part in or wishing to understand the contemporary dialogue between Christianity and Judaism.
     Aumann first became interested in the story when he served, from 1987 to 1990, with the Israeli Embassy in Washington as its liaison with the Christian churches. He narrates the story well, giving an excellent overview of the parting of the ways between church and synagogue in the early centuries and historical encounters since.
     Aumann then describes what he calls a "sea change" in the relationship that took place after the Second World War and the Holocaust, singling out the Catholic Church as "a special case" not only because of its size but also because it has played since the 1960s "a pioneering role in instituting the theologically wrenching revisions in those doctrines that have moved other major Christian churches to follow in its footsteps."
     As one who has attempted to navigate those changing seas for almost three decades with the U.S. Catholic bishops' Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, I can attest to the accuracy of his analysis of the events and documents (many of which he includes in an appendix) of the period he covers.
     Aumann speaks of three lingering problems: anti-Semitism, Christian missions to the Jews, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Once again he singles out the Catholic Church for leadership in responding to these continuing challenges.
     In his conclusion, he addresses the Jewish community, calling for a response commensurate with the tremendous movement toward the Jewish people on the part of Christians.

CREATING A SPIRITUAL RETIREMENT: A GUIDE TO THE UNSEEN POSSIBILITIES IN OUR LIVES, by Molly Srode.
Skylight Paths Publishing (Woodstock, Vt., 2003). 171 pp.
$19.95.
     In this her 18th book, the author counsels seniors to beware of plots to keep them busy with "meaningless little tasks that masquerade as craft." She challenges the aging to be "celebration persons" who see their bodies as "promises of resurrection" and whose dancing spirits will enliven others.
     Ingram says that creativity energizes us and can be a form of prayer. She says that just looking or listening responsively enables us to maintain youthful heart. Her title alludes to the Gospel story about the best wine served at the end of the feast, which she sees as our ability to find joy and spread it to others in whatever time is left for us.
     Ingram suggests that spiritual growth and change begin as we are able to acknowledge our mortality without fearing death. This realization determines the "liturgies of old age." We turn from external forms of prayer toward silence and contemplation. In contrast to the American ideals of competition, righteousness, and profit, we begin to see the sacred in everything.
     As the older generation, Ingram says we have no wiser guide than Christ himself. At this stage of life we are not trying to copy Jesus, but to be Jesus in the world through following our individual destinies. She speaks of living out our days consuming "the sacrament of time in the spirit of holiness."
     In "Creating a Spiritual Retirement," Srode addresses the opportunities offered to those in retirement. She sees this as a time to listen to the inner spirit, to discover the sacred, and to develop creative practices that will enrich and support our later life. Each chapter ends with an insightful reflective poem and a list of practical suggestions.
     Attending to unfinished business, such as mending relationships, clearing out things, fulfilling dreams, accepting our feelings and relating to God are important in retirement years, Srode writes. It is also important to be still and hear the beat that is different from the pulse of familiar work patterns. Srode says that just to be, to live, is holy -- whether we are productive or not.
     Srode encourages older people to focus more on the realization that we, "circled round by space and time, float gently in the present moment." Our future is the here and now for fulfilling dreams or expectations, as Srode herself found in writing this book shortly after her retirement.
      Catholic readers may have difficulty with the author's analogy that we are all divers whose spirits decided to plunge to earth to accomplish a definite "soul purpose" and who may decide to take another dive down to earth after death. Overall, however, this book provides helpful guidelines for planning healthy, hopeful retirement years.

THE C.S. LEWIS CHRONICLES: THE INDISPENSABLE BIOGRAPHY OF THE CREATOR OF NARNIA, FULL OF LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS, EVENTS AND MISCELLANY, by Colin Duriez.
BlueBridge (New York, 2005). 298 pp.
$14.95
History buffs might especially enjoy "The C.S. Lewis Chronicles: The Indispensable Biography of the Creator of Narnia, Full of Little-known Facts, Events and Miscellany." Author Colin Duriez compiled this journal of short entries for significant days in Lewis' life, beginning with the day he was born -- Nov. 28, 1898. Along with tidbits from Lewis' letters and quotes from colleagues, Duriez assembled a ton of historical research to chronicle the events in Lewis' world. Political unrest and pop culture references are among the dated listings. Duriez is also the author of "The Field Guide to Narnia" and "The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to His Thought, Life and Writings."   There is a more conversational tone to "The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy." There is nothing stuffy about philosophers who would write that "even small sounds, like the soft plop of pigeon poop on our shoulders, can make us cringe." That's the charm of this book -- it's comfortably casual. Edited by Gregory Bassham and Jerry L. Walls, the writers' text reads like stream of consciousness. The text is thoughtful but can be hard to complete due to wandering attention.

C.S. LEWIS AND NARNIA FOR DUMMIES, by Richard Wagner.
Wiley (Hoboken, N.J., 2005). 364 pp.
$19.99
"C.S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies" tries to be something for everyone. And in that the book fails. Richard Wagner obviously knows his stuff, but the text is written in an immature -- and sometimes condescending -- tone. Information is stored in shaded boxes, and little icons signal nuggets of information as tips, trivia or technical stuff. There is a lot of information in this book, but there are so many formatting clicks and buzzers that it is distracting. If readers can get over the flash, they might enjoy the book.

THE CUBE AND THE CATHEDRAL: EUROPE, AMERICA AND POLITICS WITHOUT GOD, by George Weigel.
Basic Books (New York, 2005). 200 pp.
$23
   Weigel's book, "The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America and Politics Without God," is a trenchant analysis of the present situation in Europe, which he says is in the throes of spiritual -- and hence, political -- decline. "Christian Europe" is becoming an oxymoron, he contends, especially in light of recent debates to "de-Christianize" the Constitution of the European Union. The "Cube" in the book title refers to the "Grand Arche de la Defense" in Paris, a 40-story hollow cube of glass and white Carrara marble, with offices in its side portions and an empty center in which the entire Cathedral of Notre Dame could fit. The symbolism of this monument is not lost on Weigel, who views the cube as a kind of tower of Babel and the supreme manifestation of Europe's spiritual suicide.
   How did it get this way? In a word: war. The barbarity of the last century points to a terrifying fascination with a political game of diplomatic chicken, one that is nearly always calamitous and dehumanizing. How will Europe recover? In a word: Poland. Weigel, biographer of the late Pope John Paul II, holds that this Slavic nation offers the best possible model for deliverance because Poland consistently used the power of its Catholic culture to affect surprising resilience against occupation, secularism, communism and materialism.
   It is true that Western Europe's furtive embrace of greater diversity may be to its own peril without further regulation. The immigrant population, especially among African Muslims, is on the rise in many of Europe's major cities and so there are demographic changes that necessarily alter cultural identities. The tempo of Weigel's argument is perhaps marred by his use of an old boogeyman -- radical Islamic encroachments into Catholic countries with waning birthrates. This is something of a paper tiger, at least for now, but increased pluralism is a curious index of the de-Christianization phenomenon that is covering much of European society like a funeral pall.

D
"Dark Matter: Shedding Light on Philip Pullman's Trilogy 'His Dark Materials,'" by Tony Watkins.
InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, Ill., 2006). 221 pp.
$15.
Reviewed by Christopher Fenoglio Catholic News Service

In "Dark Matter: Shedding Light on Philip Pullman's Trilogy 'His Dark Materials,'" Tony Watkins states straight away that he is "unashamedly a fan, but I also take issue with Pullman on the question of his attack on God and Christianity." Watkins sets the stage by exploring Pullman's past for literary influences. He delves deeper into Pullman's favored texts of John Milton, Heinrich von Kleist and William Blake to find the "raw materials" with which the trilogy is created. He also provides concise summaries of the events and themes of each of the books, along with examinations of the major themes found throughout the trilogy. At times, however, Watkins' appreciation of the author's storytelling bleeds into statements that associated Christian themes can be readily found in Pullman's works. In one example, Watkins proposes that the symbiotic relationship between Lyra, her daemon Pantalaimon and her ghost is a Venn-diagramlike description similar to a diagram of the Trinity. However, the explanation reads more like a square peg being written into a round hole. Watkins is more compelling when he analyzes how the author misrepresents history and misreads the Bible to create a caricature of Christianity. Using the author's own words from numerous interviews to substantiate his analysis, Watkins shows the inherent incongruity between the virtues that Pullman espouses (curiosity, courage, kindness and determination) and the bleak, desolate worldview that pervades the trilogy.

Death-row inmates caution troubled youths in new book
By Laurie Stevens Catholic News Service
TOLEDO, Ohio (CNS) -- Dennis Skillicorn can't change his past, but he believes he can change the future for young people in danger of repeating his mistakes by sharing his story and others like it. Using contributions from prisoners throughout the country, the 48-year-old inmate from Missouri's death row edited a book of essays, poems and artwork chronicling the choices that brought prisoners to where they are today. With the help of volunteers at a Catholic parish in the Toledo Diocese, "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams" is being distributed in juvenile detention facilities around the country to remind young people about the importance of their decisions. The book, written by death-row inmates and prisoners serving life-without-parole sentences, is distributed through Compassion, a nonprofit organization that produces a bimonthly newsletter written by and for death-row inmates in the United States. The concept came from Skillicorn, editor of the Compassion newsletter since 2003. In a phone interview with the Catholic Chronicle, Toledo's diocesan newspaper, from Potosi Correctional Center in Mineral Point, Mo., Skillicorn discussed his work with Compassion and his hopes for the book. "Prison systems around the country are flourishing," he said. "And we're filling those institutions with our young people because they're making bad choices." Many prisoners share a desire to prevent young people from repeating their mistakes, Skillicorn said. "A lot of these guys have children themselves, and what kind of man would want his own child to make the same stupid mistakes he's made?"  With the help of people on the outside, he believes the book can make a difference for youths. The purchase of one book allows two books to be provided for free to juvenile detention centers. None of the proceeds go to inmates, Skillicorn added. All finances are handled by outside coordinator Fred Moor and other volunteers based at St. Rose Parish in Perrysburg. Compassion initially sent 100 copies to juvenile facilities, but it has since received more than 200 additional requests for the book. Skillicorn said he has received letters of appreciation from judges and others involved in the juvenile justice system. "Professionals have recognized this as a piece of material that could actually make a difference in kids' lives," he said. Skillicorn, who was incarcerated on two other occasions before being convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1996, hopes young readers learn the importance of choosing good role models and realize they are not invincible. "I live in an institution with 800 offenders in it," he said. "Every single one of those guys at one time or another thought they were invincible." He recounted his own turning point in 1994, after his arrest for the crime that put him back in prison. "I was literally at the bottom of my life and I just had nowhere to look but up," he said. He became a Christian, and has since become passionate about restorative justice projects with Compassion and other organizations. The Compassion newsletter prints introspective essays, poetry and artwork from death-row prisoners throughout the country. Death-row inmates edit the publication, while volunteers at St. Rose oversee its publication and finances. Compassion is distributed free to all 3,400 U.S. death-row inmates with the support of outside subscriptions and donations. Half the subscription fees and undesignated donations are used to award college scholarships to the immediate family members of murder victims. Skillicorn said a number of inmates have already expressed interest in creating a second volume of essays for young people to follow "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams."
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Editor's Note: Copies of "Today's Choices Affect Tomorrow's Dreams" may be ordered for $17.95 per copy, plus $3 shipping and handling, by writing to: Compassion, 140 W. South Boundary St., Perrysburg, OH 43551. Order forms are available online at: www.co