Leticia Velasquez - A Special Mother is Born

My interview with the Long Island Catholic

I lived most of my life on Long Island, NY. I told the reporter the story of how my book,
"A Special Mother is Born" came to be.

Here's an excerpt;

Velasquez said “A Special Mother is Born,” “my own story of Christina’s birth,” was first published in Faith & Family magazine in spring of 2007. “I received so many letters in response from women who had the same epiphany of being surprised by this powerful joy, this encounter with Jesus in the person of their special needs child, that I knew I was on to something,” she continued. “I began collecting stories from mothers three years ago, and was delighted to meet many courageous faith-filled women.” Reading former Senator Rick Santorum’s story in The Philadelphia Inquirer about his daughter with special needs inspired Velasquez to ask fathers to contribute to the book as well.

You can read it on their website.

Where to find wholesome Catholic youth literature

Do you realize that our youths are facing a darkness of epic proportions? Go to any bookstore and what do you see offered on the children’s/YA shelves? Darkness, the occult, evil. The covers are all black, creepy. Either that or the characters are in skimpy clothing. This is what our youths have to choose from today when they are in the mood for a good book. And some parents are so thrilled that their children are actually reading instead of texting or playing video games, that they either look the other way or bury their heads in the sand. It’s reading, after all. It can’t be that bad, right?

Wrong! If we want to teach our children about God, about values, about standing up for the truth and the precious gift of LIFE, then we need to give them the tools they need: Spiritual armor to fight the battle. Knowledge about our faith. The difference between good and evil. Instead, they are being sent out to fight the battle after reading about vampires, witchcraft and the occult, and stories that celebrate immodesty, disobedience, selfishness, pride, and teen sex.

As a publishing industry insider and award-winning children’s author for pre-teens, I see too often how our kids are being led into the darkness. Much of the material publishers are offering is unhealthy for their spiritual, emotional, and physical development. Harvey House Publishing was founded to provide our children with material worthy of their great dignity and also the tools they need to live joyful, happy lives of true Christian witness. Our precious youth need good, solid role models in order to fight the good fight: The Saints!

Children respond strongly to being introduced to St. Therese, a sweet, yet very powerful saint they can identify with and emulate, who can intercede for these youngsters and pray for them as they make their way through adolescence.

Olivia and the Little Way and its pro-life sequel, Olivia's Gift, are being used in Catholic-school curricula across the U.S., as well as homeschools , Catholic clubs and church groups. Pre-teen readers, teachers, and parents are raving about the series, and are eagerly anticipating the third book in the series.

"While Olivia's Gift is a Catholic story by nature, this is a story of the human spirit and the fact that teenagers and young adults are already experiencing their own profound stories of faith and God...It is a refreshing and realistic reprieve from what teenagers today are currently very distracted by—vampires,” says the Catholic Press Association.

A mom of two pre-teens writes, "I've searched so long for truly Catholic fiction for the preteen set: a fun story that teaches values. I have finally found it in these books! My children are now following the Little Way and love St. Therese. Thank you!”

The next time you are at the bookstore or library, take a good, hard look at what our youths have to choose from, and remember a quote from one of the greatest saints of modern times and Doctor of the Church, The Little Flower: "My sword is Love, and with it I must drive out the stranger from the land, and establish Thy kingdom in souls."
Nancy Carabio Belanger
Publisher, Harvey House Publishing

www.harveyhousepublishing.com

Book Recommendation: Girls' Night Out

This is not precisely a review as I did not sit down and read this as a regular book. I did, however, do the creative design and layout and in the process wound up reading a good portion. I was delighted with what I read and have just been waiting until it was in print so I could bring to your attention.

This is the sort of book that I wish I'd had around when our own girls were young. I used to give the girls coupons for their birthdays and Christmas. They were good for their choice of activity with either Tom or me or for the entire family. Then I insisted that they use them ... and we had lots of fun with those.

This is a similar concept, but for an older girl who is getting ready to make those great strides toward womanhood. Michaelann Martin takes that same concept of mothers and daughters spending one-on-one time and puts it to good use in helping prepare a girl for her future as a woman of God. She gets creative but allows just the right amount of leeway for you to be creative also. It is a great book (oh, and so well designed!).

Girls' Night Out is divided into ten lessons, accompanied by a date activity that journeys to a tea house, salon, shrine, book store, café, jewelry shop, department store, nail spa, community recreation center, a walk in your neighborhood, park, or simple hike, scenic drive, ice cream parlor, restaurant, and other inexpensive places to invest in your relationship with your daughter. This book is perfect for mothers who want to build close bonds with their daughters and are willing to invest special time in their daughter’s preadolescent years not only as a mom but as a special friend, examining their lives in light of God’s Word and the virtues.

Here are a few looks at some inside pages ... click on them to enlarge. You can order the book at Emmaus Road Publishing.

"When Catholics are Attacked All Christians Should React "

Scott Nehring, our token Protestant (his label, not mine, folks!) here at Catholic Media Review, has a clip on his blog, Good News Film Reviews explaining why he believes Christians of all denominations should stand with the Catholic Church when it is unfairly criticized or attacked by those in the entertainment industry.

There is a segment in his book titled “Attack on Catholics: Just Because I Don’t Follow You Doesn’t Mean I Won’t Back You Up” where he delivers the same message. Scott told me, "It ends w/ the line 'When filmmakers throw cinematic eggs at the Vatican, they are intended to splatter on us all.'"

We all remember Scott's book, right? The one I read the galley of and can't wait to get a copy of? You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens

Luckily, Scott is kindly not going to make me break my book fast experiment* as I will be getting a review copy. As he emailed:

Literally, I am sending one to the Vatican, then one to the Texas Chainsaw.

You read that right. A copy of his book will be residing at the Vatican. So you know you'd better read it, just in case the Pope twitters about it.

And, yes, you read that right. He calls me the Texas Chainsaw. Perhaps because of our frequent sparring over movies, most notably Memento.


*No books bought since the New Year.

The Lost Art of True Beauty by Leslie Ludy

The subtitle of the book is The Set-Apart Girl’s Guide to Feminine Grace, which implies the spiritual aspect of beauty. The two meanings in the Bible for “sanctify” are “to set apart” or “to make holy”. Ludy strongly urges her readers to find true beauty as they separate from the values of the world and draw closer to Christ. The thoughts I’ve woven together below are taken from the author’s own words.

She rightly points out that we live in a culture that lifts up a standard of beauty impossible to achieve in real life. “We are constantly assaulted by a world that insists we aren’t alluring enough – we need to change our bodies, our clothes, and our personality in order to be more appealing.”(p. 26)

Read the entire review at Worthwhile Books.

Another Batch o' Books

Books that have been flowing through our house and my consciousness ... which can provide good reading.

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey *****
A classic mystery except that it is conducted by a Scotland Yard inspector who is in the hospital for several weeks bored out of his mind (this is before television). He is known for his ability to "read faces" and is intrigued by a portrait of Richard III. Could such a sensitive face actually belong to a king who murdered his nephews to secure his crown? With the help of an American scholar, he investigates using historical sources, and then must investigate their sources. This is a brilliant work that remains deservedly one of the best known mystery stories ever.

Blackout by Connie Willis *
I never thought I'd give Connie Willis a one-star review. Honestly? If they had no stars, that is what I'd give. What a waste of time. If it were any other author I'd have stopped long ago but I kept giving her more chances.

This is the first of a two-part series about traveling back to WWII London. Problems with the book: Soooo many different characters. Thrown in seemingly randomly in fairly similar settings so it takes me a bit to catch the switch. That is quite annoying. Worse yet, no forward motion ever takes place. The various characters move throughout their little stories, all wondering why no one from home base has come through to save them and take them back to their own time (they do this over and over and over ... aaargh .. what a bunch of wusses). You may or may not care about the characters and their stories, but eventually you tire even of those because they, too, go nowhere. What a lot of wasted ink and paper.

Editors, you should have reined Willis in and forced the story into one book. I no longer care what happens to any of them so the second book is completely wasted. What a shame and a waste of writing talent.

How's Your Drink? Cocktails, Culture, and the Art of Drinking Well by Eric Felten ****
I always enjoyed reading Eric Felten's weekly cocktail column in the Wall Street Journal and was very sorry when it recently ended. Luckily, this book conveys the interesting combination of history and drink that Felten is so good at writing. With delicious and carefully selected recipes, naturally! I have tried the Raspberry Shrub and found it delicious.

The Beer Trials by Fearless Media Critic ****
As with The Wine Trials, the authors give many different kinds of beer the paper-bag review treatment. This allows them to find the best tasting beer without prejudicing results by seeing labels or brands.

I can say this is probably the only book that Tom has ever hijacked from me. He spent quite some time perusing the results and reading aloud various selections that had been reviewed. Yes, we're more beer drinkers than wine drinkers in our household.

The book also has a very interesting front section that describes the difference between all the different kinds of beer. Who knew? Not me!

We have several sorts of beer on our list to try now and luckily we can probably find many of them at our nearby Central Market.

Highly recommended. (This was a review copy.)

The "R" Father by Mark Hart ***
Written in a straight forward fashion but providing surprising insights to the Our Father (The Lord's Prayer) from the perspective of reflecting on it in 14 phrases. I plan on reviewing this properly but don't wait for that. Get it. Recommended.

City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley *
I believe that many have read my comments from when I was about halfway through this book. Just when I thought I was reconciled to all the above, was jogging along, in a story that has been told in the detective's POV (including thoughts) ... the author suddenly throws in one sentence that tells us what someone else is thinking. Then back to usual. I figured it was an editorial miss from rewriting. But no, a couple of pages later, there is a whole paragraph that way again. No warning, just tossed in there and then gone again. So disruptive to the reader. Or at least this reader. It tosses me out of the story completely. And guess what? It tells us nothing new. Nothing. We already knew those things about the reporter. Was it that the editor missed this? Lost a fight? Or, worse, thought it was a good idea? Oy veh ...

In summary: this noir wannabe is actually chick lit. It should have been cut in half by the editors. This could have been easily achieved by not indulging the author in her desire to "take us back in time" by describing every single item, person, and place encountered. I know her afterward discusses the authenticity. I'd prefer an authentically well told tale to meandering about in old San Francisco.

These Just In
From St. Benedict Press I received this interesting grab bag of books:

• Bleeding Hands, Weeping Stone by Elizabeth Ficocelli: when Ficocelli discovered that she wasn't the only one who'd never heard of many of the Church's approved miracles, she wrote this book.
• The Essential Belloc edited by McCloskey, Bloch, and Robertson: quotes and fairly lengthy excerpts make up this compilation, sorted by subject. I was initially uninterested, however, as I have always meant to read Belloc, this actually looks like a good beginning point what with those lengthy excerpts and all. Tom picked this up, flipped through, and instantly began laughing and reading me a bit. Which is a good beginning I think we would all agree.
• The Judas Syndrome: Seven Ancient Heresies Return to Betray Christ Anew by Thomas Colyandro: I believe that this is the book I wrote to request. I am fascinated by all the ways that old heresies pop up in new clothing to mislead us anew. This looks very interesting.
• The Three Marks of Manhood: How to be Priest, Prophet and King of Your Family by G.C. Dilsaver: Tom saw this and instantly quipped, "As long as I'm king then I don't need to be priest or prophet." Joking and title aside, this actually looks like a pretty good book for those who want to regain a sense of proportion about their marriages and homes. Rather akin to the goals that I see and agree with in The Art of Manliness, which is a regular read for me.
  

I just wanna say one more time to small publishers ... giant type makes baby Jesus cry. Puhleez people!

Cross-posted from Happy Catholic. You can see much more of my reading at Good Reads.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

In one word--magnificent. But you will need more than one word. So--it is beyond comprehension that this is a first book. The elements of story, character, setting are so tightly bound, so perfectly intertwined, and so absolutely in-tune with one another. It is as if one had taken the fine-tuned sensibility of a Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer and wedded it to the intricate series of incident and entanglement (but NOT coincidence) that makes up a Dickens plot.

Steven Riddle's review at A Momentary Taste of Being is practically a work of art in itself. I already had requested it from the library before he began posting excerpts. This culminating summary makes my mouth water even more. No wonder I am #304 out of #350 requests at the library. I'd like to quote the entire review, but won't. I will let you enjoy it all at his blog. Here's just a touch more to lure you over there.

This is NOT a romance, even though it is a classic love story. It is a story centered around love and learning to love and understanding what love is and what love means, and by that understanding coming to forgive oneself one's shortcomings and to forgive the shortcomings so obvious in others. It would not be an exaggeration to say that properly read, this novel can be life-changing in the best possible way.

You Are What You See

I was privileged to read the galley for this book by Scott Nehring who, incidentally, is a contributor to this blog. I can honestly say that I can't wait for it to come out so I can begin pushing it on everyone. He opens people's eyes to the power of film as a cultural force and unlocks the "key" of story so that you really understand what you are watching (well, ok, I already watched that way ... but I still was riveted by this book).

It is simply fantastic. You will never watch movies the same way again ... click the image to enlarge for readability.

If there's one thing I know from reading Judges ...

... it is that human nature doesn't change. Short memories about God's faithfulness, a "me first" mentality, and more. Oy veh!

I am now beginning 1st book of Samuel. Presumably for more of the same ... with a heavy dose of covenental faithfulness from God as it also begins the story of Saul, David, and Israel's monarchy.

However, these Bible commentaries are highly recommended AND worth the price. I have yet to be disappointed by one of them as I have roamed over the New and Old Testament books with their guidance.

So Many Books, So Little Time

I am seriously behind on book reviews. Every time I think I am going to get a chance to review something, work gets in the way. If only I didn't have to pay bills, I'd just write reviews for you all day.

As well, I've gotten in a slew of books recently. And most of them are good, y'all. Which is why I have about six of them "in progress" all over the house.

Here is a bit of myIn Progress/To Read list, just to give you an idea.

Mary, Mother of the Son trilogy by Mark Shea
These books I actually bought and let me tell you that is a rarity around here, especially for theological materials since I am blessed with review copies from various publishers. I was not much interested in these books until I read The Curt Jester's glowing review. I really am glad that I plopped down the cash. The first book is fantastic so far and I enjoy Mark's style so much that I am picking it up instead of Frederica (by Georgette Heyer) some nights for bedtime reading. Now that's a ringing endorsement as any Heyer-lover will tell you. The Curt Jester was right on the money with this comment:

All of my hesitations about a three volume apologetics book set on Mary were dispelled. Mark's writing is informative and much of it with a smile behind it. His writing is not adversarial in any way and so any Protestants reading his book will not get any sense of "us against them." Like so many ex-Catholics, Mark is quite positive about his time as a Protestant, but is also very good at showing the cracks that he started to see when he questioned some basic assumptions or psuedo-knowledge. So I think these are great books to read both as an apologetics work and/or spiritual reading.

The Abbess of Andalusia by Lorraine V. Murray
After reading several reviews of a very unsatisfactory fairly new biography of Flannery O'Connor, it was a pleasure to read the materials on this very different sounding book about her.

In these pages you will come to know Flannery O'Connor not only as a writer and an icon, but as a theologian and apologist; as a spiritual director and a student of prayer; as a suffering soul who learned obedience and merited grace through infirmity; and truly, as the Abbess of her own small, but significant, spiritual house.

Just got it today, so I must read in a dedicated fashion to clear room. Our Catholic women's book club is going to be reading a few of O'Connor's short stories since one member offered to do the work of researching just what they might mean. (I've only read one of her stories but I was flummoxed until I read a couple of papers on it.)

This Tremendous Lover by M. Eugene Boylan, O.C.R.
This is one of those books whose name I have seen mentioned time and again in other books. I picked it out from Tiber River, part of Aquinas and More Catholic Store's review program. By the way, there are a lot of good reviews over at Tiber River and some interesting review lists as well. I must say that I received the book and was a little taken aback. I hadn't expected a 350 page, densely packed work. Also, the modern forward kept stressing the fact that this had been very popular in its day but that parts of it were necessarily out of date since it was 60 years old. However, upon flipping through it, I came upon section after section full of common sense about how to live one's faith and how to build a relationship with God in the midst of a busy life. As well, the first chapter is one I may have to excerpt here. Boylan talks about the Trinity in such a wonderful way that I felt I actually had a real understanding of something which usually just makes my head hurt. So far, I'm lovin' it.

The Power of Pause by Terry Hershey
An easy to read book of 52 reflections about how slowing down our lives will make them better and help us connect with God more. Yes, we've heard it a thousand times, but Hershey makes you want to do it. In fact, Tom and I have begun doing just that thing ... but that's the subject for a different post.

Retreat in the Real World
This is the book form of a popular personal retreat was originally offered online through Creighton University. In fact, I got about a quarter of the way through that retreat before I slipped away. Part of that was from having to print out pages to put in my notebook and so forth. (Hey, I never said I wasn't a light weight, ok?) At any rate, I am looking forward to pursuing it with this more accessible form.

The Bible Blueprint by Joe Paprocki
An engaging and simple look at the Bible which encourages us to read and study it.What has me interested in the back half which has a very interesting resource list and ideas about how to begin parish Bible studies.

Book Review: No Price Too High

No Price Too High
A Pentecostal Preacher Becomes Catholic

Then I read 2 Thessalonians 2:15; Paul tells his followers to be careful to observe all the paradosis he had delivered to them. And the word paradosis means traditions. Whether written (as in the Bible) or oral.

Well, that knocked Sola Scriptura (the "Bible alone" theology) right out of the water. The Church has never ever adopted the position that the Bible is our only teaching authority. That's why we realize that Martin Luther didn't attempt to reform the Church; he reinterpreted it. He tried to make changes without authority and didn't go back to the beginning, to what was handed down from the apostles.

In the early days of the Church, Christians weren't running around with Bibles in their hands. All that were available were the Old Testament Scriptures and very few of those. Plus, most people couldn't read anyway. The teachings of the Old Testament had already been interpreted by Jesus and the apostles, and those teachings were handed down orally. The Christian faith was handed down through the traditions of the Church. This only made sense.

[...]

By the end of 1998, I had come to understand that the Catholic Church was, indeed, the Church of Jesus Christ. The traditions of the Church were authentic. This was how the Church had evolved, not the way we thought it had evolved. I decided we needed to identify with the Church, but I thought we could do that without becoming a part of the Catholic Church. I wanted to replicate it. I wanted to become like them, not be them. Heck, I didn't want to just throw my church away! Although this was authentic Christian worship, I decided I didn't need to be Catholic in order to worship that way.

All minister Alex Jones wanted to do was to take his Pentecostal flock closer to the authentic roots of Christianity, back to the time when Jesus walked among us. He turned to the Church Fathers’ writing and found himself being inexorably led to the Roman Catholic Church. Time after time he would admit that the Catholic Church got it right and see how he could adapt his own church’s services to serve the new truth he’d discovered. Eventually, he wound up converting, as did his wife, and 55 others of his congregation.

This is an impressive story that takes us inside the Pentecostal movement as we learn Jones’ history. I particularly enjoyed the story as he began researching Church history and was led to realize that conversion was inevitable if he was going to follow God’s will. We also hear what Jones’ wife, Donna, was going through during this time as she was an intelligent, faithful Christian who was anything but ready to become Catholic. In telling his story, Jones also speaks for other Catholic converts, including me, when he says:

I wanted to know why he would call me to his Church so late in life. Why? Why did this happen to me now? Why didn't I see the truth of the Catholic Church when I was in my twenties or thirties? I could have given my entire life to it. And why was I able to see this truth when other Protestant ministers, far more intelligent, far more gifted, far more educated, and far more holy than I am, didn't see it? How had I stumbled upon this -- a man who is very ordinary in every sense of the word? It was so plain to me -- as though it had just peeled back and was revealed to me. I saw the truth so clearly. Why couldn't these intelligent, gifted Protestant pastors see this?

[...]

I began to see the breadth and the dimension of those who are converts and those coming into the Church. I began to meet those -- hundreds of them -- who had come into the Church pretty much the same way I did. I began to realize that my conversion was not unique. It was a typical conversion, maybe a bit more public, but it was a typical conversion.

People become Catholic because they have discovered the authenticity of the Catholic faith, generally through three different avenues: they recognize the authority of the Church; they have discovered the Blessed Mother; or they have studied the Church Fathers. The more I traveled, the more people I met, the more I began to realize that God is at work renewing his Church. He is stirring the cradle Catholics, and he is bringing in converts who have a relationship with him, a profound love of God, to build up the faith of the Church, to strengthen it.

Most enjoyable and highly recommended.

StarShipSofa podcasts all Nebula Short Story nominees for 2008 In one day!

Yes, Tony did that thing. Get the iTunes links at SFFaudio which has the whole story. Science fiction can challenge your faith, but it also can broaden your horizons ... only you know if it is a genre that you will enjoy. I just wanted to let everyone know about all these free audio stories, which I will be listening to, you can be sure.

I haven't heard the others, but if you want to try out only one, might I suggest Trophy Wives? It is the one that I read for Tony.

Kudos Tony and thank you!

Prayer Request: Terry Pratchett

I came late to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, although I certainly was familiar with Mr. Pratchett's name and some of his other works. So I was shocked to read in the online version of the Guardian Book Review that Mr. Pratchett is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's. He has since donated $1 million to Alzheimer's research in the U.K. and has also spoken out about the fact he must pay for his own medication because, according to the National Health Service, he is "too young" to qualify.

Mr. Pratchett is also outraged at the lack of funding for Alzheimer's research--hence his donation.

He's still writing books, although he's noticed that his ability to touch type has disappeared.

There's little we as fans can do except pray. And continue to enjoy Mr. Pratchett's prolific writings. He plans to keep writing as long as he is able. God willing, that will be for several more years!

crossposted at The Mad Tea Party

Lenten Reading Ideas

Although not complete reviews in some cases, these may provide ideas for anyone who is still considering what to read during Lent.

• Sarah has just finished reading one of my favorite books, Adventures in Orthodoxy by Fr. Dwight Longenecker. I don't know if she chose it specifically as Lenten reading but it is Lent and she did just finish reading it. So that counts. Go check out her review of a really wonderful book you probably never heard of that both The Curt Jester and I really love.


• Darwin Catholic continues his Lenten tradition (it's the second year so that makes it tradition) of commenting on Dante's Divine Comedy. His first post answers the question, "Why read Dante for Lent? Why read Dante at all?" As someone who is very slowly working her way through Dante and has made it to the beginning of Paradisio ... it has changed how I think about my life and sin. Consider that I began reading Dante to cross it off my reading list and then think about how it might change your life ... or go see what Darwin has to say.


• Woodward at Thursday Night Gumbo tells us what he's reading and invites us to tell him what we're reading.


• The Anchoress just received Questions and Answers: Pope Benedict XVI and also The Greatest Gift; The Courageous Life and Martyrdom of Sister Dorothy Stang. She has a bit about them.

I am reading two books which I began long before Lent but got sidetracked from by other books. Part of my overall Lenten resolution to focus and simplify is to finish these excellent books.

• The School of Prayer: An Introduction to the Divine Office for All Christians by John Brook. Interestingly Brook partially presents this introduction to promote ecumenism for he points out that praying from the Psalms makes Protestants feel right at home in the practice. This book not only tells about the divine office, but has an explication of the psalms commonly prayed so that we more easily find Christ in them.


• Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom. This book is written with complete simplicity but yet somehow contains depths that one thinks of for some time afterward. Let's just begin with this ... "If you look at the relationship (us and God) in terms of mutual relationship, you would see that God could complain about us a great deal more than we about Him. We complain that He does make Himself present to us for a few minutes we reserve for Him, but what about the twenty-three and half hours during which God may be knocking at our door and we answer 'I am busy..."

Also, thinking ahead for Easter reading recommendations, I am reading a couple of review books ... sci-fi and fantasy, both of which I am thoroughly enjoying I will put links here so you can take a look if you are interested. Reviews will come when I have finished the books which I do not anticipate being long as I am finding these riveting and that makes me read even faster.

• Seven Archangels: Annihilation by Jane Lebak


• Infinite Space, Infinite God edited by Karina and Robert Fabian