ASRP Review Part 1

 Adult Summer Reading Program: Fun At Last! Or is it?

When I saw a friend's Facebook post about the local public library system hosting an adult summer reading program, I was so excited that I messaged friends and suggested that we all take a look at it and give it a go! 

After all, it didn't look too bad: load a free app, complete activities on a 5-by-5 digital bingo board, and earn free sandwiches or comparable prizes. It sounded amazing! The prizes, at least, sounded better than what I remembered from teen reading programs - useless trinkets that went to Goodwill in a few years. The possibilities of the program had me signed up and raring to go almost as soon as it started.

Now that the program has reached something like its halfway mark, I thought it was time to review my experience of it so far.

No BINGO Yet

I have completed 9 out of 25 activities and have collected no bingos at this time. Halfway through the program timeline, I haven't cashed in once. It's the vagaries of not being able to choose where the activities fall that I'm more likely to try. I'm so close to having one or two bingos, but some of these activities take time and planning to do. Some are more time-intensive than I want to dedicate the time to complete. It probably works well for the library not having to hand out sandwich vouchers to me every two days, but it's hard for me to maintain motivation and excitement. Maybe things will improve once I get some momentum rolling on claiming prizes.

Activity Choices vs. Reading Options

As a child, I remember that I would earn points or prizes for every so many minutes of reading. The children and teen reading programs this year allow participants to decide their own goals. Not so for adults! Only seven of the 25 activities have to do with reading (or listening to) a whole book; another three are built around the expectation that a book will at least be referenced by the participant or read in part; and another several are at least related to books, although no reading is required there. That means that 50%-60% of the adult summer reading program doesn't really have anything to do with reading books.

I've been thinking about why the library went in this direction with their adult program, why they placed so much emphasis completing activities that are not reading-oriented. One reason that occurred to me is that maybe the library planners figured a reading-heavy program would be a hard sell for adults. Most adults have to work during the day, so there's not much time for reading. But this reason hardly satisfies me. If I don't have two hours to devote to reading at home, I'm going to find it a very hard sell to devote two hours to an evening tech class away from my husband - who I get to see only in the evenings - at a library that isn't just down the street from where I live. I don't need to take a tech class and it doesn't sound fun. Reading sounds fun. Why can't adults set their own goals, like the kids and teens can? Maybe we'd set our bars low and take advantage of the partial meal vouchers. 

Maybe there's another reason. This second one springs from the selection of activities chosen: perhaps this program is actually an advertising scheme. It's a way to promote services that the library supports besides the provision of reading material. I probably would never have listened to an episode of the library's sponsored podcast if it hadn't been on this bingo sheet, and I'm telling you that it's extremely unlikely that I'm going to listen to a second one. I'd rather be reading or listening to a podcast that interests me.

Or maybe there's another reason - a more altruistic one. Maybe the library wants adults to have a little adventure. With kids and teens, the concern is that they'll stop reading over the summer and lose some of their skills, which will set them back a bit when school starts. But with adults, maybe the assumption is that we spend too much time sitting down anyway and we need to get up and move around a bit. I find this line of reasoning unconvincing, but it's a possibility.

Present Summary

More likely than not, there's a combination of factors at work behind the activity options for the adult summer reading program at my local library. I have been somewhat disappointed with how difficult it has been proving to achieve the coveted food prizes, as well as with the dearth of true reading activities. However, I recognize that there are also likely multiple reasons behind why this program has been designed this way. I have more thoughts, but that will come in a different section. Ciao for now!

Thoughts on Manzoni's The Betrothed

 Thought on Manzoni's The Betrothed

Look at me using italics now that I know it's proper!

I kept telling my husband about different parts of the book as I read, so I certainly have some things to say here about it. Some of the thoughts will be short snippets, and others will be more developed. 

Read no further if you wish to avoid spoilers!

I love Fra Cristoforo; he is what I tried to do with my Friar Tuck character in my novel attempt, but executed perfectly. He and one of the monks at the end had some great lines and helped me think about what true humility might look like. 

I was surprised at just how much trouble Renzo could get into in 24 hours in Milan. Really, it's kind of impressive that he goes from "visitor from the country" to "most wanted criminal" narrowly escaping execution in that timespan.

The section about Gertude, or "The Signora," was heartbreaking and disquieting and disturbing all at once. Boy, did Manzoni make that part plenty real enough! I found it quite telling that he referred to her by multiple names - "Gertrude" or "The Signora" or "the nun of Monza" - but never by the name she would have taken on when she professed her vows. She is never "Sister So-and-so." Using the name she would have had in the convent would have indicated that she had taken on a new way of life and become, in a way, a new creation. She never did - her body entered the convent and she vowed herself to living the life of a nun, but in her heart and actions, she did not live out those vows, making it appropriate to call her by the various other names.

I thought the conversion of The Unnamed was dramatic - as in, a bit melodramatic - but at the same time, it worked. My first thought was, "Really? God starts planting seeds of dissatisfaction in this man's life just before Lucia shows up, so that he can convert and help her? After all those years of living an unrepentant life of evil works?" And my second thought was...yes! God's works are providential, in literature as well as in real life. I see God's hand at work in so much of my life - including finding my husband, my vocation. Is it that surprising to see God's hand so clearly at work in a story? Certainly not! Tolkien hid providential workings a bit more in his work, but Manzoni describes it clearly in The Betrothed without ever stating outright that the hand of God was at work. 

Writing of The Unnamed leads onto two more trails of thought. First, Manzoni's characters speak of God without self-conscious embarrassment or in didactic treatises. God is a part of life, and when the characters pray to Him, it is sincere, not showy; natural and not pretentious. It was beautiful, and at times, inspiring, to see characters turn to God in their need, placing their trust in Him.

The second trail has to do with Ignatian discernment of spirits. There were several points during the novel that I felt illustrated different aspects of discernment of spirits. The clearest instance of this was in The Unnamed's conversion. After years of living in sin, the good spirit pricks The Unnamed's conscience, taking away his pleasure in past and present evil deeds. He even tries to bring up memories of acts that once gave him pleasure, but they are no consolation to him now. The evil spirit tries to prompt him to commit suicide, but The Unnamed is preserved from this and the good spirit continues its work by drawing him towards the good via the providential arrival of Cardinal Federigo Borromeo. A conversation with this holy man confirms The Unnamed in his resolution to change his life, release Lucia from her prison, and make amends for his past deeds. It was quite exciting to see this sample of Ignatian spirituality play out in great detail and pathos.

The other slice of Ignatian spirituality that stood out to me was that Lucia pledged herself to give up her engagement to Renzo and take on a life of virginity in a moment of great duress. I learned that we should not make major life decisions when we are Hungry, Anxious/Angry, Lonely, or Tired (HALT), and Lucia was most if not all of those things when she decided to pledge her virginity to our Lady if Mary would only help her escape the danger she experienced. I loved how Fra Cristoforo resolved the difficulty at the end, stating, "Our Lord, my daughter, willingly accepts sacrifices and offerings when what we offer is our own. It is our heart, it is our will He wants; but you cannot offer Him the will of another to whom you were already bound." (pp. 575-576) This line has returned to me in the days since then, thinking of how I can make personal sacrifices without making them sacrifices for others. Fra Cristoforo goes on to ask her if she ever asked anyone advice about her resolution or opened up to anyone about it; the evil spirit wants us to not disclose some things, but once we speak of them, those thoughts or temptations can lose their power. It was really fascinating to see some of these principles of discernment of spirits play out in the story.

Joseph Pearce wrote about this book in Literature: What Every Catholic Needs to Know, and I believe he pointed out that there multiple characters are contrasted with each other in pairs - the Signora and Lucia, Don Rodrigo and The Unnamed, Fra Cristoforo and Abbott Abbondio, and Fra Cristoforo and several others. In fact, I would go a step farther and argue that much of the conversation that drive the novel forward are one-on-one interactions. There are plenty of group episodes, but the really powerful and impactful parts often happen in conversations between just two people.

I appreciated that Manzoni wrapped up all the loose ends by letting us know what happens to, or at least reaching a good stopping point for, all the characters we came to know by name.

I'm going to end by talking about my favorite part of the book, and one of my favorite characters: Cardinal Federigo Borromeo and his conversation with Abbott Abbondio. I regret to say that Abbott Abbondio, ridiculous and weak-willed and self-centered, is amusing to me and I see a lot of myself in him. I pray that God will help me to be strong in moments when I'm faced with the choice to do right or wrong, but I can absolutely see how I could be like him. He made poor choices from a great desire for self-preservation and mentally dwelt on his frustration with what seems to be lack of consideration for him on the part of everyone else. How easy it is to form an inaccurate idea of a situation when I am the only person I'm thinking about! 

Anyway, I loved the whole conversation between the two men - this was another moment of beautiful contrast, this time, happening between a great man who humbled himself and loved every priest and layperson under his charge, and a small man who exalts himself and his own preservation over the needs of the poor laypeople in his care. This long excerpt comes from a long conversation between the two men; the cardinal is asking Abbott Abbondio about what played out in his heart when Renzo and Lucia were in need of his priestly office to marry them in the face of opposition from a powerful bully.

"Have you forgotten that whenever you need courage to carry out your obligations in this ministry, however you started in it, there is One who will give it infallibly if you but ask for it? Do you think that all those millions of martyrs were courageous by nature? That they naturally held life of so little account? ...They all had the courage, because courage was necessary; and they had trust. Knowing your own weakness and your own duties, did you ever think  of preparing yourself for the difficult situations that might overtake you, that have overtaken you? Ah! If you have loved (as you must have loved) your flock for so many years of pastoral labours, if you have put all your heart and your cares and your delight in them, then courage ought not to fail you in the moment of need. Love is bold. Surely, then, if you loved those who have been entrusted to your spiritual care, those whom you call your children, surely, when you saw two of them threatened together with yourself, ah, surely then love must have made you tremble for their sakes, as the weakness of the flesh had made you tremble for your own? You must have felt humiliated at those first fears, because they were the result of your misery. You must have begged for the strength to overcome them, to expel them as a temptation. At least you must have felt that holy and noble fear for others, for your own children, that fear which must have given you no peace, that must have urged you to do everything possible to avert the danger that was threatening them...What did this fear, this love, inspire in you? What did you do for them? What did you think of doing?" (p. 398)

That's a great reflection for me as I pray one day to have children entrusted to my care.

Manzoni's work made me cry and try flipping forward a few times to find out how things ended up. It was a great work and I hope more people have the chance to read it some day; then they can come and talk to me about it!

May 2023 Book Bracket

I was frustrated when I had as many false starts this month as I had books completed. However, that doesn't detract from how good some of the finished books were, and it is a little encouraging to think that maybe I'm doing better at dedicating time to better books or books that I know I'm enjoying or learning from (for reference, see a blog post from earlier this year where I talked about focusing my reading list).

Books Read

Interior Freedom, by Fr. Jacques Philippe

A fantastic spiritual writer outlines what is necessary to enjoy true interior freedom.

Why I picked it up: I acquired this book at the Spiritual Life Center because I knew I wanted to read more of his works than the St. Therese of Lisieux book and Searching for and Maintaining Peace.

My impressions: I admit that this book was actually finished the last day of April. However, I made it a May read because I already had four books for April's bracket - four being a beautiful number for a bracket, and multiple books already being strong candidates for winning. There were many wonderful quotes that I wrote down.

"Freedom can be diminished by overly strong attachments, by a dependence on someone whom we love too much (and in the wrong way), who becomes so indispensable to us that we partly lose our autonomy. But a refusal to forgive also binds us to the person we resent, and diminishes or destroys our freedom. We are as dependent on the people we hate as on teh those we love in a disproportionate manner." (p. 66)

"Only if we take our own conversion seriously do we stand any chance of seeing out neighbor converted too...It does more good to seek to reform our hearts than to reform the world or the Church. Everyone will benefit." (p. 75)

It was a lovely book and I felt called by it to try to overcome my tendency to try to live justified by the law, rather than living out of a place of faith, hope, and charity. It's a work that I know I should go back to as my morning spiritual reading. It was a small book - very like "Searching For and Maintaining Peace", but perfect for taking in small chunks at a time. Though it did not use the term "spiritual perfectionism" and it was not focused on that subject, it did dovetail beautifully with the book The Heart of Perfection, which I read earlier this year and loved. I recommend this book to any and all Catholic high schoolers and adults as spiritual reading.

Shadows and Images, by Meriol Trevor

This historical fiction novel follows Clem through her adult life, with Saint Cardinal Newman being one of the other key characters, and his life interwoven through the tale.

Why I picked it up: I think this was one of those books that I had on my "try to read this year" list from February. I even accidentally bought it twice.

My impressions: Well, knowing that the author wrote a biography of St. Cardinal Newman in the 1960's probably shaped my idea of the novel. It felt like she said to herself, "I want to write a historical fiction novel about Cardinal Newman," and then realized from her research that his life wasn't quite the thrilling material needed for a book. It was done well, with more focus being placed on Clem at the beginning, but with Newman becoming more and more prominent as the story progressed. There wasn't a plot - following the life of a woman in Victorian England - but I didn't mind too much. There were some parts that I thought were appropriate really only for adults - that surprised me - so I wouldn't recommend this book to high school students. For example, there's an doubly awkward situation where a character is in love with a married man...and it's her first cousin. Yikes. I think the book had the feel of verisimilitude, and I reckon it was well researched. I found it a quick read, even though it was over 200 pages long. I was curious about what was going to happen. Some of the more poetic parts didn't do much for me, but some were rather lovely and demanded a second, slower reading. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't my favorite and probably won't be one I'll look to reread. However, it has gotten me more in the mindset to explore more of Newman's life and/or works, and especially to see if there's a version of his Apologia Pro Vita Sua that has footnotes explaining who is who.

Lead, Kindly Light: My Journey to Rome, by Thomas Howard**

This is the spiritual journey of a Protestant professor and writer from his beginnings as a Fundamentalist, to an Episcopalian/Anglican, to a Catholic.

Why I picked it up: I started listening to the audiobook on the Formed app within the last few months and decided it would be a good long-form break from podcasts during a teacher workday.

My impressions: The account is relatively short (five and a half hours, give or take), but clearly written by a man who did a lot of learning and soul-searching. He was no intellectual slouch. I liked hearing him talk about his experiences as a Fundamentalist and an Episcopalian/Anglican, because he didn't complain about it; he clearly loved Jesus throughout his life and seems to have had good experiences. He came across as having a very balanced approach, appreciating what was good in the different denominations and in Catholicism, as well as pointing out shortcomings of theology or lived faith, respectively. He talked about accepting some doctrines not merely as "blind faith", but as a trustful obedience to the Church he came to know as the safeguard of truth. Listening to his account and some podcasts I listened to around the same timed helped me think, "What would I say to someone about my reason for believing the Catholic faith?" and coming up with the answer, "Because it is true." This man sought Truth, trusted God to lead him, and sure enough, God brought him to it. I think this is a good work for cradle Catholics to read or listen to, because he does a great job of pointing out some things that might be missed or taken for granted for those who have lived the faith their entire lives. After listening about how others welcomed him into the Church, I want to be better at welcoming the "strangers" I encounter at my parish.

Embracing Edith Stein: Wisdom for Women from St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, by Anne Costa

One woman discusses her friendship with St. Edith Stein and outlines what she thinks women today can learn from her.

Why I picked it up: It was sitting on my sister's bookshelf and I felt the urge to snag this one, along with a couple others.

My impressions: I thought that book was a pretty good introduction to St. Edith Stein and hew works. I read a work by Alistair MacIntyre about her philosophical work in phenomenology and that was pretty brain-bending - it was really nice to have a more approachable approach to this woman and her work. I'm still not sure how difficult her works will be to read, but it was interesting to have a kind of overarching framework of what women might learn from her. Note, I said might learn because this book really was one woman's reflections on Stein's life and work. I think a lot of the conclusions she draws from considering the saint's life are the fruit of prayer and likely to be reflective of other women's experiences, but I couldn't help feeling that some of it was more subjective than objective. The parts of the book that I really liked included an early chapter that covered Edith's life in a brief-ish biography (one of my favorite parts), and pointing out a strong connection between Edith's work and JPII, who I've often heard was influenced by her, but always in a way that didn't seem to make an awful lot out of the influence. There were times when, based off the author's comments, I was wondering, if Edith wrote so much that is applicable to women today, why aren't more women, or people in general, familiar with her works? I do hope to read some her actual essays on women in the near future and get to the original source, but I'm glad to have dipped my toes into the water. I think this is a good book for those desiring an introduction to Edith, specifically regarding women.

Bracket Play

Four books makes for a nice, neat bracket! The one work of fiction fell to Interior Freedom, while the autobiographical account of an Anglican converting to Catholicism lost to the reflective work on St. Edith Stein. While I liked various aspects of the book about St. Edith Stein, Fr. Jacques Philippe's Interior Freedom won overall because it was excellent from beginning to end and is a work that I hope to cycle back to again for my morning meditation.

Books Started and Put Down

Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson

A young girl finds herself adventuring in a dangerous world of deadly spores and pirates to save her love from an evil sorceress.

Why I picked it up: A gal pal and I agreed to read this as part of our book-club-of-two.

Why I put it down: It was not bearing good fruit in me as I read; I was feeling very off when I put it down, and even when I tried to skim parts to find out what happened. I may just be very sensitive right now, but I didn't like the author's/narrator's tone and found some of his humor off-putting, as well as graphic descriptions of ways characters died. It's a little uncomfortable for me, knowing that I'm going to show up to a discussion of this book and having to admit I couldn't really handle it, but I want to be as present to my husband as possible, and this book was making it difficult. It wasn't all bad; there is a good bit of humor, but also some pretty high stakes for the main character. Sanderson has a great turn of phrase now and then and some cool characterization (I like what he did for Tress's father, for example). It's interesting, and while it has some politics, I thought it was not too heavy and helps advance, not hinder, the story.

May B, by Caroline Starr Rose

A book-in-verse tells the tale of Mavis, who must survive after events leave her alone in a sod house on the prairie with winter coming.

Why I picked it up: I heard the author speak on the "Read Out Loud Revival" podcast and thought it sounded interesting.

Why I put it down: I don't think books in verse do it for me. I don't consider them poetry, but I do think they use language and poetic structures beautifully. Out of the Dust was, from what I remember, somewhat depressing, and I found this one wasn't much better. It's tone sounded so negative to me and carried a strong sense of discontent from the beginning. It felt real, which probably works well for some people and for the story, but it wasn't the kind of real I was wanting. I'm waiting for a book in verse that is real about different emotions, (and settings), perhaps. It was quick reading and I appreciate seeing how much an author can pack into limited numbers of words, but if someone's going to write a survival tale, I'd much rather have it be like The Cay or Call it Courage or Abel's Island.

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living, by Meik Wiking

The author explains what hygge is (as well as how it is pronounced), outlining what elements make for a nice, cozy feel in any setting.

Why I picked it up: I commented on it when I saw it at my sister-in-law's house, and she invited me to take it.

Why I put it down: The book wasn't bad. But it started going into candles and it just made me think of "Theology of Home", which I think I'd rather go through again instead of reading this new book which addresses a lot of the coziness, but without the heart or soul of a Catholic perspective. Also, there are simply too many books I want to read - and even more now that I'm listening to the "Read Aloud Revival" podcast and getting mountains of recommendations from that show.

The Library Book, by Susan Orlean

The author delves into what happened when the Central Library of Los Angeles caught on fire in 1986.

Why I picked it up: I saw it at a garage sale and it had the look of one of those non-fiction books one finds on display tables at Barnes & Noble. I think one of my friends read it.

Why I put it down: Like so many other books, it wasn't bearing good fruit in me. It's aggravating, especially when some parts of it were so interesting, but some skimming revealed there wasn't going to be a straightforward account of what happened. There was a lot of personal experience from the author, which worked fine at the beginning, but was less interesting to me once I'd kind of lost my taste for the book. There were some personal details about one person I didn't like knowing and, of course, can't unknow now, and when the history of book burning came up...well, let's just say when the Catholic Church was mentioned, it wasn't commendatory. (I'm not saying members of the Catholic Church never make mistakes or act wrongly...it's just I feel like I've got a chip on my shoulder, and by habit feel skepticism about narratives that consistently seem to put the Church in a negative light.) Now, seeing as I skimmed most of the book, it is entirely possible the author made positive mention of Catholics or the Church and I just missed it. All in all, it's probably an interesting book for a lot of people who like libraries and books, but I found some parts dragging a bit - I wanted the action. It's probably just as well that I'm moving on because there are too many books I really want to read!

Further Thoughts on Embracing Edith Stein

One of these days, I'm gonna figure out what formatting I'll do for titles...italics for books and quotation marks for articles, or quotation marks for everything...and where do commas go when quotation marks go around a title? Do they go inside or outside the marks?

Well, I just looked it up on grammarly.com and it seems I've been doing it wrong. Major works are italicized, and commas go inside the quotation marks. Ah. It is good to know.

Alright, I wrote my notes up above for the most part, but some of the more striking quotes are going to be listed here.

"[JP II's] apostolic letters and encyclicals dedicated to the topic of women's issues are based largely on Edith's writings and have energized and inspired a whole new generation of Catholic women." (p. 79)

"In humility, a woman ultimately forgets herself; forgets both her shortcomings and accomplishments equally and strives to remain empty of self to make room for Jesus, just as Mary did." (p. 84) This is what I desire to reach.

"Today's generation of women seems to be asking, 'Can we really have it all? And if we can, do we really want it?' Even as the lives of women are more varied and creatively rich than at any other time in human history, our myriad of choices come with an equal number of distractions. The more responsibilities we have, the more potential stress we have. The more roles we play, the less likely we are to truly know ourselves. Even with the world as our oyster, so to speak, and with no limits to what we can become, women's sphere of influence still begins with our families and extends out into the world like so many concentric circles or ripples in a pond. And yes sometimes that pond feels like a virtual tidal wave when it comes to sorting through everything that needs to get done!

Some women have made the choice to stay at home against the tide of working women. Some are choosing to home school, embracing in a particularly concrete way their roles as the primary teachers of their children. Other women have the desire to carry this out but cannot due to economic responsibilities or other constraints on their families. Some women are raising and supporting children on their own. Others, though fulfilled by motherhood, see the value in also pursuing a profession that utilizes their gifts and talents outside the home. Still other women are not called to physical motherhood but instead take on the role of spiritual mother in the Church or in the community in which they live. And finally, we can't forget the women in our midst who are godmothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers; each on has a vital role to play." (pp. 26-27)

This section spoke to me as a woman who has been aggravated by the very traditional idea the women belong in the home...to the exclusivity of anywhere else, it sounds. This isn't Edith talking, but the author, who sees that every woman has some "vital role to play." In a way, Edith does seem to agree with the idea that women can and maybe should be in the regular workforce with the following line, quoted a little after the previous passage:

"The participation of women in the most diverse professional disciplines could be a blessing for the entire society." - Edith Stein, quoted p. 27

"The duties and cares of the day ahead crowd about us when we awake in the morning (if they have not already dispelled our night's rest). Now arises the uneasy question: How can all this be accommodated in one day? When will I do this, when that? Thus agitated, we would like to run around and rush forth. We must then take the reins in hand and say, "Take it easy! not any of this may touch me now. My first morning's hour belongs to the Lord. I will tackle the day's work which he charges me with, and he will give me the power to accomplish it." - Edith Stein, quoted p. 33

Edith understands! I want to remember that the first moments and routines of my day should be focused on God, not on things I want to check on my phone.

Edith "describes this maternal mission and calls woman 'to war against evil and to educate her posterity to do the same; this has been true of woman including the Mother of the Son who conquered death and hell, but it will have to remain so until the end of the world.'" (p. 87)

Boy, does this make women's vocations sound exciting! Fighting evil and teaching the kids to fight evil, too! Woohoo! It's not something just for physical mothers to do; it is something that is part of every woman's spiritual motherhood, and it seems more exciting and concrete to think of forming children as warriors fighting for God against the forces of darkness. Thank you, St. Edith Stein!