Biographies

The Quiet Light

A novel of St. Thomas Aquinas
Book cover: 'The Quiet Light: A novel of St. Thomas Aquinas'
Author(s): 
Louis de Wohl
Copyright: 
1950
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Disclaimer: best suited for high schoolers due to an incident where Thomas Aquinas is tempted by his brothers when they bring a prostitute to his room one night. Also, there are a few quick references to 'wenches' .

The dust jacket reads that the "theme of this novel was suggested to Louis de Wohl, in a private audience, by His Holiness, Pope Pius XII in 1948". The Quiet Light was printed two years later.

The book tells the story of the life of Thomas Aquinas from the eyes of his family members. It is a well-written novel, with an exciting plot and a complement of well-rounded characters. We see Thomas Aquinas as a shy, and supposedly dull-witted, schoolboy who earns himself the name of "The Dumb Ox". It isn't until college that his legendary genius is revealed. We learn how Thomas's wealthy family are terribly opposed to his decision to become a Dominican, and of their many attempts to thwart his personal plan. The author makes Saint Thomas Aquinas come alive, and we are left with a deep impression of the impact that this saint made in his time.

The novel is also noteworthy for its historical content. It is a wonderful case study of life in the thirteenth century in Europe. We learn of feuding barons, fleeing popes, politically-motivated marriages, chivalry, feasting, the crusades, and life in a monastary.

Most importantly, this is a Catholic novel. We are touched by the depth of the faith of St. Thomas Aquinas, and awe-struck by the miracles that occur later in his life.

For highschoolers studying the Middle Ages, or anyone who wants to learn more about this important saint, The Quiet Light is highly recommended.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1999

The Shadow of His Wings

Book cover: 'The Shadow of His Wings'
Author(s): 
Fr. Gereon Goldmann
Number of pages: 
350 pages
Copyright: 
1964
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
This is a fascinating tale on many levels - spiritual, historical, adventure, humor. Fr. Goldmann was a young seminarian in Germany when he was drafted into Hitler's dreaded SS. Despite amazing obstacles and in spite of his loud mouth and rather hot temper with regard to his disagreements with the Nazi's, Goldmann works his way through World War II as a medic for the German army and is finally ordained as a chaplain to his comrades in the French prison camps in North Africa.

The story is quite simply related and details about the horrors that surrounded Fr. Goldmann on a daily basis are handled delicately enough to make the story appropriate for most high schoolers. Without being the least bit preachy, the story demonstrates in a powerful way the mysterious ways of God's will and the power of prayer and suffering. It's a very, very beautiful and worthwhile book. As an added bonus, Americans who are accustomed to seeing the story through the eyes of the "Allies" will find the German perspective (despite the author's clear anti-Nazi position) quite enlightening. This may help provide a much fuller sense of what the war was about.

Note: The story is also available on Audio Cassette, produced by St. Joseph Communications.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-20-01

The Song of Bernadette

Book cover: 'The Song of Bernadette'
Copyright: 
1945
Publisher: 
20th Century Fox
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
This is a beautiful, Academy Award winning movie depicting the apparitions of Our Lady to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France, in the mid-1800s. The depiction is accurate - based on the book of the same title by Franz Werfel - but also beautifully and powerfully produced. Jennifer Jones is the simple and unpretentious Bernadette, Vincent Price is a town magistrate who is skeptical of the apparitions and rather hostile to Bernadette. An excellent family film and one of the finest Hollywood films of a religious nature.
Additional notes: 

black and white, 156 min

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
3-3-01

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers

Book cover: 'The Story of the Trapp Family Singers'
Author(s): 
Maria Augusta Trapp
Number of pages: 
320 pages
Copyright: 
1949
Publisher: 
Harper Paperbacks
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
This is the actual book, written in 1949, which inspired the script of the movie the Sound of Music. It is Maria and her family's autobiography, covering some early details of the Captain and Maria's separate lives and the history of the family from Maria's position as teacher to the young Maria all the way through the late 1940s. After reading the World of the Trapp Family (reviewed below), I finally picked up this book which I had started to read years earlier, but never finished.

I found this a really delightful and engaging book. Maria, who in not a professional writer and is writing in her second language, comes across with a style that is a little unusual, but very charming and personable. In many little details, the movie is surprisingly faithful to the book, but in other ways, it actually understates rather than exaggerates some of the amazing aspects of the story. This book also goes well beyond the scope of the movie, even when looked at chronologically. There are many reasons to recommend the book, but my favorite aspect of the book is how Maria comments and reflects (in a very Catholic way, may I add) upon the events surrounding her and her family - the providence of God in many parts of their lives, the importance of music in culture, her thoughts on the discipline of children, some of the terrible events and persons of Europe during World War II, and on and on. Although I was reading the book to myself (and there are many reflections of interest to Catholic mothers), there were many, many little fascinating and humorous stories within the story that I had to share with my husband and children.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
11-3-01

The Wolfling, A Documentary Novel of the Eighteen-Seventies

Book cover: 'The Wolfling, A Documentary Novel of the Eighteen-Seventies'
Author(s): 
Sterling North
Number of pages: 
223 pages
Copyright: 
1969
ISBN: 
0140361669
Publisher: 
Penguin/Puffin
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Wolfling is the follow up to Sterling North's Newbery Honor book Rascal. The two are loosely related in that they both take place in the wilderness of Wisconsin. Rascal is largely an autobiography of North's unusual childhood in Wisconsin in the early part of the 20th century while Wolfling takes place in the time that North's father was a boy soon after the Civil War. It is based on the letters that he sent North about his childhood.

The bottom line of the story is that the main character, Robbie, must figure out who he is, and what he wants to do with his life. He comes to discover this through his relationships with both virtuous and morally suspect people who live in his town, and through his relationship with his mother and father, who are going through a similar discernment. Robbie learns how to deal with the morally suspect characters without condoning their actions, while emulating the virtuous characters. His parents are portrayed are virtuous, hard working people who must deal with the hardships of life on the frontier, the hardest of which is the loss of several children. Robbie makes virtuous choices, and in that, the book is a good choice for young adolescents.

North weaves actual historical events and real historical characters into the story and in some ways this is the most interesting part of the story. He spends a good deal of time introducing the reader to Thure Kumlein, a Swedish naturalist who is largely unknown, but made great contributions in natural history research at the time. If I lived in Wisconsin I would be seeking out his works and trying to travel to the part of Wisconsin where this story takes place.

In the back of the book, North gives scientific and historical information about the events described in the story. He describes the Panic of 1873 and the great Chicago fire as adeptly as he describes the habits of wolves in that region. Speaking of wolves, you might wonder why this review doesn't mention the wolfling so far. The dog is important as a plot device to move the story of Robbie's coming of age, but he is not central to the story. However, your more subtle readers may see an analogy between the wolfling and Robbie. The wolfling straddles two worlds, the wild and the tame, just as Robbie straddles much the same two worlds, the "wild" unruliness of the frontier, and the "tame" of schooling and civilization.

I couldn't help comparing this book to North's more widely acclaimed Rascal, and I like this one much better. In Rascal, North spends a lot of time "teaching" about his evolutionary and social philosophies. I had decided my children shouldn't read it until they were older, even though they would love all the outdoor exploits of the main character. I think that Wolfling is a better story with a better message. And, the best part as far as my children are concerned is that Robbie doesn't have to give up the wolfling in the end.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
5-15-04

The World of the Trapp Family

Book cover: 'The World of the Trapp Family'
Author(s): 
William Anderson
Number of pages: 
168 pages
Copyright: 
1998
Publisher: 
Anderson Publications
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Whenever I hear the phrase "based on a true story", I want to know what the true story was. The World of the Trapp Family will provide just that for anyone interested in the real family behind The Sound of Music. The movie is just factual enough that Sound of Music fans will surely enjoy the flesh and blood behind the story. However, the real family is so much more vivid and fascinating than the movie that this book will probably be enjoyed even by those who didn't care for the movie (or grew tired of seeing it too many times.)

This in-depth history of the Trapp family (shortened from "von Trapp" when they became American citizens) begins with young Captain Georg von Trapp - a highly-decorated hero of the Austrian Navy during World War I. He and his wife Agathe (whose grandfather invented the torpedo) had just started a family a few years before the war broke out in 1914. The happy couple had seven children - Rupert, Agathe, Maria, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina - before Agathe's untimely death of scarlet fever in 1922.

Maria Kutschera was a twenty-two year old postulant at Nonnberg Abbey when her Mother Superior assigned her to become a teacher for one of the von Trapp children who was too sickly to attend school. The Captain and Maria were married within the year and Maria gave birth to three more children: Rosmarie, Eleanore and Johannes. Although there was a certain amount of musical talent in the family to begin with, Maria introduced to the family to a great variety of beautiful music (sacred music, traditional folk songs, etc.). Music became a big part of their lives and something that knit the family together very tightly.

After the family fortune was lost (1932) in events leading up to World War II, the family took boarders into their home in order to simply be able to keep their home. Because of these events, they became acquainted with a young priest, Fr. Franz Wasner in 1935. Fr. Wasner was a canon lawyer and musician who became interested in the family's musical talent and eventually became their musical mentor, conductor and composer who emigrated with them to America during the difficulties of World War II. He introduced them to an even greater variety of great vocal music and individual family members became skilled with the recorder and other instruments as well. Reluctantly, they began to accept invitations to sing before audiences and eventually came to realize that this was part of God's plan for them.

After the Nazi's took over Austria in 1938, the family had to turn down three separate propositions from the enemy: Captain von Trapp was offered the command of a German submarine, the eldest son - who was just barely out of medical school - was offered the post as head of one of the great Vienna hospitals, and the family choir was invited to sing for Hitler's birthday celebration. Each of these offered possibilities of fame and fortune, but the family felt that these would also compromise their basic obligations to God and country. Leaving behind their large estate and nearly all of their belongings, they traveled to America where they were invited to give an extensive concert tour.

The story continues to follow the von Trapp family as they make their way through the War years (with two sons fighting for the U.S.), become American citizens, tour as a choir for twenty years, establish themselves and a farm on a lovely site in Vermont and many other events all the way up to recent photos of the six children who are still alive today.

The book is brimming with hundreds of glossy photos (black and white of older family photos, color of beautiful scenes from Austria and America and more recent pictures) that are a real feast for the eyes. Their lives were so intertwined with significant parts of history, music and culture that this book - along with Maria Trapp's autobiography - could make an interesting supplement to a study of the 20th century. The beauty of the Catholic culture lived fully by the Trapp family through music, traditions, celebrations of Catholic faith and other aspects of their lives will make this especially enjoyed by Catholic families of today.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Donated for review by the author, William Anderson.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
11-03-01

The Young Life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Book cover: 'The Young Life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta'
Author(s): 
Claire Jordan Mohan
Number of pages: 
64 pages
Copyright: 
1997
Publisher: 
Young Sparrow Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
This is an interesting and unique short chapter book telling the story of Mother Teresa of Calcutta - a great lady who changed the world by following God's will and being a true messenger of peace and love. Similar to Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa's childhood was filled with both joy and tragedy. Her early inclinations to be a missionary led her to teach at a wealthy girls school in India. One day she realized that she was called, not to teach the wealthy children, but go out and help and teach the poor, sick and homeless out on the streets of Calcutta. Also included are a timeline of her life, quotes from Mother Teresa, a list of awards she's received, a "Further Reading" list and an index.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
4-6-2000

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