Looking for a meaningful Christmas gift? Check out this list of books written by Jesuit Media Lab contributors.
“My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars” by Eric Clayton
In “My Life with the Jedi,” award-winning author Eric A. Clayton intertwines lessons learned from the Star Wars universe with profound spiritual truths, inviting readers on a journey that touches on the epic and the everyday.
The science/faith discussion is often hindered by a fundamental misunderstanding of the role and function of science. This misunderstanding was made most evident, with tragic consequences, during the recent pandemic. The ways that science has gone wrong, and the underlying causes of how it goes wrong, will be illustrated here with a series of historical essays describing ideas about the universe, planet Earth, and the evolution of life that were all based on ideas that were reasonable … but ultimately wrong.
After spending 300 miles on the Ignatian Camino in Spain with a group whose average age was 67, Christine Marie Eberle returned to the United States with blisters that would fade, friendships that would not, and the conviction that anyone can develop a pilgrim’s heart on this life’s journey.
“The Inner Chapel: Embracing the Promises of God” by Becky Eldredge
Becky Eldredge offers readers down-to-earth stories, prayer experiences to try, and enthusiastic encouragement for spiritual growth and a deeper friendship with God.
Discover a rich legacy of audacious women who forged a spirituality that is more inclusive, surprising and empowering than we ever imagined.
With Exiles, Ron Hansen tells the story of a notorious shipwreck that prompted Gerard Manley Hopkins to break years of “elected silence” with an outpouring of dazzling poetry.
How is it possible that a chain-smoking socialist, a teenage video gamer, an opium addict, a satanic high priest, a disabled beggar and a self-absorbed mean girl became saints? Popular itinerant missionary Meg Hunter-Kilmer will stretch your preconceived notions of holiness by exploring the lesser-known lives of 75 extraordinary people whose human struggles and limitations reveal the power of God’s grace.
“One Ordinary Sunday: A Meditation on the Mystery of the Mass” by Paula Huston
Paula Huston guides us through a Mass at her home parish in a rural California town. Huston’s personal and spiritual reflections offer fresh and often unexpected insights into the profound mystery at the heart of the Catholic faith.
“Saints, Angels and Demons” is an illustrated compendium of the fascinating lives and meaningful legacies of nearly 400 iconic figures who have influenced history, religion, literature and art, throughout the centuries and across the world.
“Lit” follows the self-professed blackbelt sinner’s descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness — and to her astonishing resurrection.
“Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion” by Jeffry Odell Korgen and illustrated by Christopher Cardinale
“Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion” introduces readers to the amazing life of Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and candidate for sainthood in the Catholic Church. A “graphic biography,” it’s written and illustrated in comic book style.
“The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives” by Jonathan Malesic
Going beyond the how and why of burnout, Jonathan Malesic combines academic methods and first-person experience to propose new ways for resisting our cultural obsession with work and transforming our vision of human flourishing.
“Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle” by James, Martin, SJ
In this wise and compassionate book, Fr. James Martin, SJ explores the story of Jesus’s greatest miracle — the raising of Lazarus from the dead — and what Jesus means when he calls each of us to “come forth.” It offers profound reflections on Jesus’s lessons on love, family, sadness, frustration, fear, anger, freedom and joy.
“Absolution” by Alice McDermott
A riveting account of women’s lives on the margins of the Vietnam War by Alice McDermott, renowned winner of the National Book Award. The novel explores folly and grace, obligation, sacrifice, and, finally, the quest for absolution in a broken world.
“Fugitive/Refuge” by Philip Metres
In “Fugitive/Refuge,” Philip Metres follows the journey of his refugee ancestors — from Lebanon to Mexico to the United States — in a vivid exploration of what it means to long for home. The collection draws on both ancient traditions and innovative forms in order to confront the perils of our age: forced migration, climate change and toxic nationalism.
The first major biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver — who has been described as “the Copernicus of baseball” and “the grandfather of the modern game” — “The Last Manager” is a wild, thrilling and hilarious ride with baseball’s most underappreciated genius, and one of its greatest characters.
“The Modern Saints: Portraits and Reflections on the Saints” by Gracie Morbitzer
The saints were the original social justice advocates. This stunning collection of contemporary portraits celebrates their diversity and spiritual depth as never before, accompanied by thoughtful reflections from bestselling and influential writers, including Jesuit Media Lab contributors Renée Darline Roden, Cameron Bellm, Shannon K. Evans and Fr. James Martin, SJ.
“The End of Ending” by Josh Noem
A supernatural thriller about baseball, beer and love that is stronger than death,
“The End of Ending” hums with a motor running on pure hope. Dive into the story that was named best Catholic novel in the 2021 Catholic Media Association’s book awards and was selected for inclusion in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Archives.
“Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World” by Pádraig Ó. Tuama
This anthology pairs 50 illuminating poems with poet and podcast host Pádraig Ó Tuama’s appealing, unhurried reflections. With keen insight and warm personal anecdotes, Ó Tuama considers each poem’s artistry and explores how its meaning can reach into our own lives.
“Not So Sorry: Abusers, False Apologies, and the Limits of Forgiveness” by Kaya Oakes
In “Not So Sorry,” journalist and culture critic Kaya Oakes tackles questions about forgiveness with intelligence, nuance and a bit of righteous anger. Ranging effortlessly from Christian theology and world history to psychology and pop culture, Oakes takes us on a whirlwind tour of the many abuses of the concept of forgiveness. Ultimately, Oakes dares us to ask the necessary question: Is it ever better not to forgive?
“Startling Figures: Encounters with American Catholic Fiction” by Michael O’Connell
“Startling Figures” is about Catholic fiction in a secular age and the rhetorical strategies Catholic writers employ to reach a skeptical, indifferent or even hostile audience.
“Poems to See By: A Comic Artist Interprets Great Poetry” by Julian Peters
This stunning anthology of favorite poems visually interpreted by comic artist Julian Peters breathes new life into some of the greatest English-language poets of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Fr. William Hart McNichols is widely known as one of the world’s most gifted living religious artists and iconographers. Through interviews with writer and theologian Chris Pramuk, Fr. Bill shares the moving story of his early loneliness and sense of being set apart for some purpose ― a purpose realized in his twin vocations as priest and artist.
“The Five Wounds” by Kirstin Valdez Quade
From an award-winning storyteller comes a stunning debut novel about a New Mexican family’s extraordinary year of love and sacrifice. Kirstin Valdez Quade conjures characters that will linger long after the final page, bringing to life their struggles to parent children they may not be equipped to save.
“The Habit of Poetry: The Literary Lives of Nuns in Mid-century America” by Nick Ripatrazone
Something of a minor literary renaissance happened in midcentury America from an unexpected source: Nuns were writing poetry and being published and praised in secular venues. Though their literary moment has faded into history, it is one worth revisiting.
“The Freedom of Missing Out: Letting Go of Fear and Saying Yes to Life” by Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ
Shattering the popular conception that we should say yes to everything lest we miss out on something better, Michael Rossmann, SJ, outlines a practical plan for developing emotional courage, increasing focus, and learning to say no to what depletes us.
“Mixed Company: Stories” by Jenny Shank
Award-winning author Jenny Shank reveals moments of grace and connection between people of her hometown, Denver, through stories that contrast the city during its oil-bust era of economic troubles and court-ordered crosstown busing for racial desegregation with the burgeoning and gentrifying city of recent years.
“My Life in Seventeen Books: A Literary Memoir” by Jon M. Sweeney
Former bookseller, longtime publisher and author Jon M. Sweeney shows — with history and anecdotes centering around books such as Thoreau’s “Journal,” Tagore’s “Gitanjali,” Martin Buber’s “Hasidic Tales,” and Tolstoy’s “Twenty-three Tales”— what it means to be carried by a book.
From the beloved, critically acclaimed, bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving novel featuring Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of “Brooklyn,” Tóibín’s most popular work in 20 years.
“The Art of Spiritual Writing” demonstrates that by taking the time to learn and implement the process and craft of writing, we can begin to uncover new ways to connect with ourselves, our readers, and God. And as we grow in our writing ability, our spirituality blossoms as well.