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Our family has almost worn out our copy of this well-loved book. Abraham Lincoln the boy comes alive in the story and illustrations. We see him grow to a young man and take several adventurous trips "down river" and learn that a fortune-teller from New Orleans predicted that he would be president some day. The authors indicate his empathy for the slaves during this trip and show how his honesty and integrity eventually win the respect of many, although they don't make for an easy life. The book includes information and anecdotes from the Civil War, but avoids the topic of his assassination.

This is an interesting biography of one of our nation's most colorful presidents. It was interesting to discover that Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) was a rather sickly youth who suffered from asthma. His determination in overcoming his illness and living a full life despite his rather frail body help to make him a man who loved life and tried to live his life to the fullest - especially enjoying the world around him. He was a nature enthusiast and an avid hunter and is considered one of the pioneers of the conservation movement - although certainly not what some today might call a "wacko environmentalist." This aspect of the story might lead to some interesting discussions with your children about a proper stewardship of nature. It is interesting to note how he was affected by the harsh winter of 1886-1887 which devastated the Dakotas where Roosevelt had a huge ranch. I believe this was the same year described in the book The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A comparison of the two perspectives might make an interesting writing assignment. I can't comment on the accuracy of the author's presentation of the politics of the day - especially the war in Cuba - as I haven't read much else about it. This book would provide interesting reading and discussion material for approximately grades 5-8.

This is a fascinating and surprisingly readable (but lengthy) biography of St. John Vianney - the definitive one, carefully researched from the documents produced for the canonization process. It is most suitable for adults, but will be appropriate for teens who enjoy reading - it is particularly beneficial for young men considering the priesthood. Some of the particular stories about St. John Vianney and those whose lives he touched are absolutely amazing.

This book also bears a special recommendation from Pope John Paul II and had a substantial influence on his life. He had this to say about St. John Vianney and this particular book in his own book Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination...

"With great emotion I visited the little old church where Saint John Vianney heard confessions, taught catechism, and gave his homilies. It was an unforgettable experience for me. From my seminary years I had been impressed by the figure of the Cure d'Ars, especially after reading his biography by Monsignor Trochu. Saint John Marie Vianney astonishes us because in him we can see the power of grace working through human limitations. It was his heroic service in the confessional which particularly struck me. That humble priest, who would hear confessions more than ten hours a day, eating little and sleeping only a few hours, was able, at a difficult moment in history, to inspire a kind of spiritual revolution in France..." (pp. 57, Gift and Mystery by Pope John Paul II)

Although this is a bit longer than some of the other Saint stories by the same author, my children have been enjoying this story very much as a read-aloud. The story is told in the first person - from the point of view of St. John Vianney himself. (My children have particularly enjoyed this perspective and found it a nice change from the ordinary.) The author also weaves a great deal of thoughtful commentary upon the importance and mystery of priesthood into the story as well as important concepts about the love of God and the need for prayer and penance. It is just the sort of book that could inspire a young boy to consider a priestly vocation in his future.

Full title: From Slave to Priest: A Biography of the Reverend Augustine Tolton (1854-1897) The First Black Priest of the United State

"Good Father Gus" was born into a devout Catholic family of slaves in Missouri in 1854. His father died fighting for the Union Army and Augustine was just seven years old when the rest of the family traveled the Underground Railroad to freedom in Illinois. Life was very difficult there, even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Tough working conditions and low pay were the norm at the tobacco factory where Augustine worked beginning at age nine.

When Augustine discovered he had a vocation to the priesthood, he had the support of many priests and religious who knew him, but was unable to find any seminaries in the United States willing to accept him. After many years of study, prayer and hard work, he was finally accepted at the Collegium Urbanum de Propaganda Fide in Rome.

After his ordination in 1886, he returned to America where he served as a pastor in his hometown of Quincy, Illinois and later on in the first black parish in Chicago. Throughout his life and his ministry, his efforts, though blessed with a significant number of friends and benefactors, were frustrated by ignorance, racism and poverty. He labored tirelessly on behalf of his people, but died at the young age of 43, with many unfulfilled dreams.

It's a rather sad, though faith-filled and inspiring story, and perhaps serves as an important examination of conscience within the study of American history. A tidbit from a conversation between the young Augustine and one of his teachers illustrates the obstacles he was up against: "Father, you mentioned that a master did not actually own a slave's will and intellect when he acquired a slave. What chances did these slaves have to develop their wills and minds? Look at the thousands of persons who are illiterate, mentally and morally stunted."

This is a fascinating and rather quick read for upper high school or adult. Father Tolton is a man who deserves to be remembered and emulated. Sister Hemesath has done a great service to the world by compiling and preserving this very detailed (though at times confusingly-organized) account of his life. She was able to interview many people who knew Father Tolton (including St. Katharine Drexel) since her interest in his life story dates from 1933.

Pierre-Jean De Smet (1801-1873) was a beloved missionary in the American West who brought the Gospels and the Catholic Faith to many Indians as well as fighting for peace and justice for the Indians and those suffering from the Civil War. A substantial figure in American history, many may remember from the Little House Books that the city in South Dakota that the Ingalls settled in was named after this renowned priest.

This is a readable interesting story which provides many interesting details about Indian life, the cause of the struggles with the Indians, and the role of Catholics in American history. It really shows a much more favorable side to the Indians than we see in many books as we understand their initial trust of white man and how that trust was betrayed over and over again. (Naturally the details vary from tribe to tribe.) Fr. de Smet founded missions among many of the Indian tribes and played influential roles in a number of important peace councils - particularly his encounters with the legendary Sitting Bull.

One reason I think this book is particularly important is that it shows how progressive Catholic teaching is and was on matters relating to the Indians and their rights. Kind of interesting from a book written in the 1950s! Highly recommended. Most appropriate for grades 5-8.

A great book to read alongside this is Brave Buffalo Fighter by John D. Fitzgerald (Bethlehem Books). It brings the same era to life through the eyes of children on a wagon train.

St. Therese of Lisieux is a very popular saint whose life story is easily understood by children. While not full of action and adventure, her life story's simplicity and sweetness are appealing to even the most worldly of children. This lovely picture book, with its carefully chosen vocabulary and sentence structures, is written on a level that will allow a 3rd-grade and up child to read it for himself or herself. The full-page illustrations are attractive, colorful, simple, and modern in style, adding to the story rather than overwhelming it.

God's Little Flower is not so much a biography but an age-appropriate explanation of St. Therese's spirituality. There are no dates or quotations or geography lessons slipped into the text, yet it manages to convey an even more important lesson---that of quiet, loving service to God through our prayers and sufferings.

I have not yet read this story, but my daughter read it to herself and enjoyed it very much even though she already read St. Therese and the Roses.

This biography of St. Therese of Lisieux for children emphasizes the story of her childhood, her simple spirituality as taught to her by her family with an emphasis on the little acts of sacrifice she made and how that helped her to develop control of her will. The story includes many details of Therese's childhood and family life that Catholic homeschool families will relate to. It is told in a way that encourages young children to offer little sacrifices to God in imitation of this saint. I was particularly amused to hear that St. Therese at first did not want to study her lessons and would hide from her mother. I know that this particular behavior is one that has frustrated a number of homeschooling mothers. They may be encouraged to know that Zelie Martin struggled with this too and may wish to ask Blessed Zelie and Saint Therese to gain the cooperation of their children. The book also includes numerous pen and ink illustrations (on almost every page) which highlight the ways in which St. Therese imitated Our Lord even as a small child. A sixteen page segment in the middle of the book provides a timeline and a number of black and white reproductions of photos and paintings depicting her life.

Whether you have read any of Jane Austen’s novels or not, Presenting Miss Jane Austen offers a fascinating glimpse into her family’s life. Although none of her family are famous for any extraordinary, worldly accomplishments, they are still far from dull or boring. By reading about her family life, we come to understand the many characters and plots in her novels. Woven throughout the biography are snippets from her novels and correspondence with others, providing insight between actual occurrences and scenes in her novels. While today we might consider the romance between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennett a fairytale, Jane actually experienced through close family members more than one fairytale romance. What may be especially meaningful to learn about for the budding author is how her family created a home environment that fostered her writing abilities.

What was her family like? She grew up in a rather large family with four older brothers, Henry, James, Edward, and Francis, one older sister, Cassandra, and one younger brother, Charles. Her mother was a resourceful woman, who even cut up her handsome, scarlet riding habit to make clothes for her young sons. Her father, a rector, was a “sweet-tempered” man who “loved to teach and could make boys love to learn.”

As a young child, Jane was extremely shy. When she was six she went to school, but at age nine “her formal education was over; her real schooling was about to begin.” Unlike most children in similar family circumstances, she did not have a governess. She did, on the other hand, grow up with her father’s vast library.

From early on, we can begin to piece together what her family did to encourage her writing talents. She came from a loving family and they loved to learn. Besides reading books from her father’s vast library, her father loved to read aloud to the children from poetry, popular novels, and more. When the children were older they also enjoyed putting on charades and later on plays that they called theatricals.

As a young adult, Jane blossomed. Much like Elizabeth Bennett, she loved to dance. In a letter to her sister Cassandra, Jane relates to her “that there had been 20 dances at the ball and she had danced them all.”

One constant theme throughout Jane’s life is the love, affection, and support the family had for one another. “But the Steventon Austens, happy by nature and disciplined by training to let others be happy, would have scorned a family quarrel and family differences were laughed over rather than dwelt upon.”

Why do people enjoy reading Jane Austen’s books? After reading her biography, the answer becomes even more apparent. Her characters are real. So real that as May Lamberton Becker remarks, “You would recognize them today should you meet them at a party.” Even to Jane, they seemed real. When she and Henry visited an exhibition of paintings in London, she wrote to her niece Fanny that she had seen a portrait of Mrs. Bingley.

Her characters are real because they are, like Jane described one of her characters, Fanny Knight, “so odd, and all the time so perfectly natural—so peculiar in yourself, and yet so like everybody else!” One aspect of her characters that makes them particularly realistic is that her heroes and heroines are not perfect. They have faults. Although Austen pokes fun at other’s imperfections in her subtle way, she never succumbs to the derogatory put downs of today’s modern television sitcoms. Her humor is genteel.

At the same time, she recognizes that it is not just the other person who has faults, but that we all have weaknesses to overcome. The character of Elizabeth Bennett is a good example. Although she is the heroine, observing all the flaws in those around her and especially becoming exasperated with her mother’s and sisters’ shortcomings, she too recognizes that she is not perfect. If she continued to focus on the faults of others and never recognized her own, she would never have been able to grow in her relationship with Mr. Darcy.

To Jane, writing was a delight. As May Lamberton Becker noted about Jane writing Pride and Prejudice, “She smiled as she wrote it and whenever she thought of it she smiled.” Others in her family also delighted in reading Pride and Prejudice. “They kept on reading it more than once.” In fact, Jane once remarked about Elizabeth Bennett that “I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.”

Perhaps one of Jane Austen’s greatest writing strengths is that she wrote what she was familiar with and excelled in it. She spent 16 years patiently rewriting Pride and Prejudice until she was satisfied with the final outcome. How many authors would have the patience to rewrite something countless times over that many years? At the same time, she didn’t succumb to writing the popular Gothic romances of the time.

Reading Presenting Miss Jane Austen, has sparked my interest to go back and reread Pride and Prejudice and Emma as well as acquaint myself with all her other novels that I have never read. The author touches upon many intriguing aspects of Jane Austen’s life. We learn about her family, her life, her interests and thoughts through her correspondence, the progression of her writing career, and more. We even learn what her contemporaries, like Sir Walter Scott or George Eliot, thought of Jane Austen. After reading Pride and Prejudice, you may come to agree with Anthony Trollope that it is “the best novel in the English language.”