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The Edge of Sadness

Book cover: The Edge of Sadness
Author(s): 
Edwin O'Connor
Number of pages: 
640 pages
Copyright: 
1962
ISBN / ID: 
0829421238
Publisher: 
Loyola Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Literature
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

At first glance, Edge of Sadness by Edwin O’Connor is a walk down memory lane. A memory of the American Catholic church before Vatican II, before the priest scandals. A lovely, nostalgic read. But the thing that makes this book worthy of the Pulitzer Prize it won in 1962 is the fact that O’Connor’s story is truly ageless. The characters are drawn from humanity, painted with the author’s word-brush so lovingly and carefully that by the end of the book you know each of these folks intimately. And, you like them, in spite of their less-than-virtuous actions. The story centers around a native Bostonian priest, Father Hugh Kennedy, a recovering alcoholic who guides us through the joys and troubles of his life in late 1950s Irish Catholic Boston. Seeing all through the eyes of this humble pastor, the reader is introduced to a wealth of characters: self-made first-generation Irish folks, political hopefuls, fellow priests and “outsiders” such as his Polish curate and a non-Irish, non-Bostonian bishop. The prejudices unveiled are humanely drawn; there's something redeeming in every character, something that Father Hugh finds regardless of their overt actions. Through the book winds a thread of Father Hugh’s own self-examination, a thread that is tested and strengthened by every encounter; encounters which lead Father Hugh just to the brink of despair, to the edge of sadness. But, grace pulls him back from the brink each time. This book, although a hefty 600-plus pages, grips the reader from the first page. It reads quickly and elegantly as the humor and pathos of Catholic American life transcends the era and location in which the story is set. This book is a great read because it shows how American Catholicism was and how it can still be; how the Church is run by humans (who sometimes make mistakes) trying to minister to humans (who sometimes make mistakes) – all with God’s grace and beneficence helping us through. Loyola Classics has added ten provocative questions to the end of the book for the edification of the reader or to facilitate discussion within a book club. These would make for a wonderful “study guide” if used with a teen reading club or individual book study.

Reviewed by: 
Mary C. Gildersleeve
First reviewed: 
11-19-2005

Q&A for Lent and Easter

Author(s): 
Theresa K. Driscoll
Kelley L. Renz
Number of pages: 
98 pages
Copyright: 
2006
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Other
Subject(s): 
Lent
Grade / Age level: 
All ages
Review: 

This is a rather unique resource for Lent. It's a quiz book written at three levels of difficulty with all sorts of questions and answers about the Catholic Church's celebration of Lent and Easter. It primarily focuses on Church liturgy, with a very significant focus on the process of Christian initiation, culminating with the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.

These aren't the kind of questions and answers that you would expect your children to memorize in every particular. It's more of an informal format to discuss topics and potential questions relating to Lent and Easter.

Here's a sample page focused on Good Friday:

Level 1:

As at Mass, what prayer begins the Communion Rite on Good Friday?

(a) The Nicene Creed

(b) The Our Father

(c) The closing prayer

Answer (on back):

(b) The Our Father

Level 2:

How can we have Holy Communion without having had a consecration in a Mass of the bread and wine?

Answer (on back):

Consecrated hosts from the Holy Thursday celebration are reserved for this Communion service.

Level 3:

This is the only day of the year that Mass is not celebrated. Why, then, does the Church invite us to receive Holy Communion?

Answer (on back):

The Church's invitation reminds us of the importance of the Eucharist and of our sharing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ through our reception of His Body and Blood. This reception of Holy Communion provides a tremendous opportunity to express our love and gratitude to Jesus for all that He suffered for us during His passion and death.

This seems especially good as a conversation starter for families to use who are preparing to enter the Church, but could certainly be used for families or CCD classes to simply discuss and familiarize themselves with these Church practices.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
2-11-2008

Catholic Heritage Handwriting

Author(s): 
Nancy Nicholson
Publisher: 
AMDG For Little Folks
Binding: 
Spiralbound
Subject(s): 
Handwriting
Grade / Age level: 
Second Grade
Resource Type: 
Workbook
Review: 
It’s often the little things that make a resource stand out from the myriad of great products out there. Maybe it’s color pictures instead of black and white; or maybe it’s the typeface used; or maybe it’s the weight of the paper. There are many reasons why I like the Catholic Heritage Handwriting series more than the many other options available for practicing writing, spelling, even grammar and punctuation. For this review, I’ll be referring to Level 2 (about a 6 or 7 year old level – basically 2nd grade). With the revised handwriting series written by Nancy Nicholson, a big plus is the spiral at the top. I’m left-handed, my husband is left-handed and two of my children are left-handed. The one who will be using the Catholic Heritage Handwriting Series – Level 2: Finding the Way is one of my lefties. Being a boy, he already has to work so hard on his manual dexterity without also having the encumbrance of the spiral always in his way! Believe me, it makes for stress that can be easily avoided by placing the spiral at the top. THANK you, Nancy Nicholson! The organization of this handwriting series is great for a multi-aged home learning family. Each lesson is titled with the week and the lesson number – making it extremely easy to schedule the handwriting practice into a four-times-a-week time slot. Additionally, the lessons are short – maybe taking a total of 15-20 minutes (which is about the concentration span of a very active 6 or 7 year old). I like too that Nicholson has woven in Catholicism in the practice sentences and phrases. If this book was used during First Sacraments preparation, the words could be incorporated into spelling practice while the phrases could be memorized for recitation practice. Another cool thing is the subtle shrinking of the lines as the student progresses, from 3/4-inch uppercase to 1/2-inch uppercase! The lessons build bit by bit until, by the end of the year, the student will be copying out full prayers, poems and thoughts. These are all geared toward receiving the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion; however, even if your student is not yet ready to receive (or has already started receiving), these sentiments are still worthwhile for learning. The one down side is that for these longer copywork exercises, the author turned the page to allow more writing space. I’m sure though, that by the time my son gets to those longer lessons, he’ll be confident enough and his manual dexterity will have improved enough to avoid the despair the spiral unnecessarily engenders.
Reviewed by: 
Mary C. Gildersleeve
First reviewed: 
6-22-2009

The Story of Saint Perpetua

Author(s): 
Mike Aquilina (script consultant)
Copyright: 
2009
Publisher: 
Christian History Institute
Subject(s): 
Church History
Martyrs
Setting: 
Early Church
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Animated Video
DVD
Review: 
This short animated film (32 minutes) tells the story of Saint Perpetua and her companions, who were martyred in Carthage, in North Africa, in the year 203. The animation is good, the best of any Catholic animated films I've seen, though not reaching the quality of The Prince of Egypt. The storyline, however, is quite rich and historically detailed and skillfully brings to life the sorrows and fears, hopes and joys, present in the life and struggles of these martyrs, and the early Church in general. In particular, the concept that those awaiting martyrdom might fear pain, but do not fear death, is very helpful and hopeful! The story is quite dramatic and might be difficult for more sensitive children, though the producers have skillfully avoided gore or some details that are unnecessary for children. In fact, for many children it might be a good introduction to the idea of martyrdom. The comic relief, provided by the devout pagan jailer (a real-life character who ends up converting and tells Perpetua's story to others!) and his attempts to communicate with his "gods", helps draw children into the story as well. My younger children (ages 5-11) have been entranced by this story and have consequently developed a real devotion to Saints Felicity and Perpetua thanks to this film. I do recommend previewing the movie first before sharing it with younger or more sensitive children. Mike Aquilina, a pre-eminent Catholic author and speaker on the Fathers of the Church (and a homeschool dad of six!) served as script consultant for this video. The same company has also produced a 55 minute documentary entitled The Passion of Saint Perpetua: Martyr of the Faith which is also quite good and includes detailed commentary from Mike Aquilina. Although it has some content that is a little more mature than that found in the video, on the whole it's surprisingly family-friendly and is quite moving!
Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 
Available from www.catholicheroesofthefaith.com
This animated DVD was donated for review by Catholic Heroes of the Faith. We were able to rent "The Passion of Saint Perpetua: Martyr of the Faith" through Amazon.com for a very reasonable fee.
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
10-29-2009

Catholic National Readers

Book cover: 'Catholic National Readers'
Subject(s): 
Catholic Readers
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Elementary
Review: 

The Catholic National Readers were originally published in the 1890s by Benziger Brothers Publishing. They have been reprinted by Savio Books and Neumann Press in 1997 in hardcover editions. They are frequently compared to the McGuffey's Readers and are illustrated with charming pictures of the sort you'd expect to see in "antique" books. Because of the sometimes archaic language and vocabulary, some homeschoolers (particularly those with more reluctant readers who want stories that are a little easier and a little more fun) prefer the American Cardinal Readers or the Faith and Freedom Readers. The Catholic National Readers are used by Kolbe Academy, Our Lady of Victory School and St. Thomas Aquinas Academy. Kolbe Academy sells some study guides that accompany the books.

First reviewed: 
Feb 21, 2001

Catholic National Readers: New Primer and Book One

Number of pages: 
130 pages
Copyright: 
1890
Publisher: 
Lepanto Press
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Catholic Readers
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

I found this volume very useful for early reading practice with my first-grade daughter. We were able to move into this after she finished the Bob Books. The advantage I saw to this particular primer in contrast with the later series (Cardinal or Faith and Freedom) was that it was much harder for her to guess the words because of either the pictures or the heavy repetition so common in other early readers. The passages are very short, although not particularly story like. Some of the phraseology was rather archaic, such as "Has a boy the jug? A boy has not the jug." (p. 15) We didn't find this to be a big problem. There were also some stories where the perspective is so different that it's almost shocking to our modern ears. For example, a story about seals on pg. 60 indicates that children of that time might have been more familiar with seals from their skin used as clothing than being "acquainted" with the animals themselves.

Since we used this volume just for reading practice, we skipped the segments on vocabulary, word recognition and introductory cursive.

Additional review: This is actually two books in one binding - the Primer and Book One. My daughter dove into the Primer right away and is working her way through it. Each lesson begins with the new words listed with phonetic notations. Most of the lessons have some of the text reproduced in cursive writing. The pictures are beautiful and the stories are wonderful and steeped in Catholic culture. The stories in these two are very short and not really full stories. (N.H., 1999)

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Primer: 32 pages + Book One: 98 pages

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
Feb 21, 2001

Catholic National Readers: Book 2

Number of pages: 
168 pages
Copyright: 
1890
Publisher: 
Lepanto Press
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Sample Pages
Subject(s): 
Catholic Readers
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

Some of the stories in this one I have seen in the "Rare Catholic Stories and Poem" book from Catholic Heritage Curricula. They are delightful. Not all of the lessons in this book have the new words listed, but almost all have a language lesson after the story. It is like reading comprehension or teaching parts of speech.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
N.H.
First reviewed: 
Feb 21, 2001

Catholic National Readers: Book 3

Number of pages: 
260 pages
Copyright: 
1890
Publisher: 
Lepanto Press
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Catholic Readers
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

This one contains stories like "St Elizabeth" and "Our Lady's Flower Society". This book contains dictation exercises with some of the lessons, as well as vocabulary, and comprehension.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
N.H.
First reviewed: 
Feb 21, 2001

Catholic National Readers: Book 4

Number of pages: 
286 pages
Copyright: 
1890
Publisher: 
Lepanto Press
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Catholic Readers
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

This one contains stories like "St Agnes" by Cardinal Wiseman and "Pope Leo XIII". Besides dictation, vocabulary, and comprehension, this book contains also contains pronunciation and vocabulary lessons.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
N.H.
First reviewed: 
Feb 21, 2001

Catholic National Readers: Book 5

Number of pages: 
386 pages
Copyright: 
1890
Publisher: 
Lepanto Press
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Catholic Readers
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Elementary
Review: 

This one contains stories like "The Power of the Blessed Sacrament" and "Rip Van Wynkle". It also contains pronunciation, dictation, vocabulary, and comprehension with the lessons.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
N.H.
First reviewed: 
Feb 21, 2001

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