Two books that focus on personal journeys have been suggested for newsletter readers. HNP Today occasionally provides recommendations of reading material that is relevant to friars, as well as their partners-in-ministry.
These suggested books appeared in the January 2011 issue of The Pilgrim, newsletter of the St. Francis Inn ministries
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner, 2006) is recommended by Claire Wittmeier, a member of the Province’s Franciscan Volunteer Ministry. She described the book as “a beautiful story of Jeannette Walls’ upbringing. Her story is a unique one in many ways, but one to which many readers can relate.” Walls’ writing is “wonderfully descriptive in its themes of family, hope and love. This book is one you can’t put down.”
The parish book club of Sacred Heart Church, Tampa, Fla., read The Glass Castle last year. The book club is currently reading Half Broke Horses (Scribner, 2010), the life story of Walls’ grandmother, Lily Casey Smith.
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (Anchor, 2000) was also recommended by Wittmeier. She said this book is a “collection of essays portraying a different journey towards the acceptance of religion in Lamott’s life. These autobiographical essays take the reader on a journey from self-centered, self-consciousness, me-me-me attitude to recovery, motherhood, sobriety and finding God. I find it to be a great read because you don’t have to read it in any order; you can open it to any page and start from there. Each time you pick it up, you get a different perspective of Lamott’s life. It is wonderfully witty and honest.”
The HNP Communications Office welcomes e-mails from readers who would like to suggest a book or periodical, and asks that a short description be provided. The themes of these recommendations are, in addition to spirituality and news of the Catholic Church, topics affiliated with Holy Name Province committees and directorates: evangelization, justice and peace, African-American and Hispanic ministries, communications, wellness and fraternal life.
— Compiled by Jocelyn Thomas