Passion for Reading. Book selection 1. Univ Forum

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1 Passion for Reading Book selection 1 Univ Forum Univ Forum offers a selection of books for university students and all people interested in good readings. These books will take you to the profound depths of human soul and will surely make the reading adventure an enjoyable and unforgettable one. Blood, toil, tears and sweat Author: John Lukacs Publisher: Basic Books On May 13, 1940, Winston Churchill stood before the House of Commons to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister. Europe was in crisis: Three days earlier, Germany had invaded France and the Low Countries. Facing only feeble resistance, Hitler s armies were rapidly sweeping westward. Accused of mishandling the war, Neville Chamberlain s government collapsed, and Churchill was chosen to succeed him. Churchill had little support within the new government when he rose to address it on May 13. I have never believed in him, wrote one MP. Another described Churchill as a disaster. In fact, Churchill lacked confidence, both in himself and in his ability to lead his nation to victory, for he recognized far earlier than most the military genius of Adolph Hitler, and the potency of the German military. I hope it is not too late, Churchill had confided to his bodyguard on May 10. I am very much afraid that it is. In Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, the eminent historian and master storyteller John Lukacs recreates this pivotal moment in world history, and reveals Churchill as he has rarely been seen before: as a man both unsure of himself and deeply fearful of his nation s defeat. Churchill made no promises to his country in his speech, because he knew he had none to make. And yet he rallied England onward in the face of a vicious enemy. For Churchill-and Churchill alone-understood what was at stake: the fate not only of nations, but of civilization itself. 1 Sources: y 1

2 The Human Comedy Author: William Saroyan Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt For many teens, growing up seems like the biggest hurdle that one can face. William Saroyan proved that point in his first novel, "The Human Comedy," retelling his own life through the eyes and experiences of brothers Marcus, Homer and Ulysses Macauley. The Macauley family lives in a California town named Ithaca, patterned after Saroyan's hometown of Fresno. Saroyan explores the life of 14-year-old Homer, who becomes man of the house after his father dies and older brother Marcus leaves for war. Homer gets a job as a postal telegraph deliverer at night while attending school during the day. He delivers messages across Ithaca, including one to Mrs. Rosa Sandoval of G Street, telling her that her son has died in World War II. Saroyan structured the book as a self-portrait, substituting Homer for the author and his older brother, Henry. Both Homer and Saroyan were telegraph messengers who grew up in single-parent homes. Homer's work takes him to many venues familiar to Saroyan, such as the city high school, the Parlor Lecture Club, the Guggenheim and Foley packinghouses, the Owl Drug Store, the Presbyterian church and the public library. The story explores socioeconomics at the high school level by comparing the lives of the hardworking Homer and his overprivileged rival, a boy named Hubert Ackley III, whose wealthy family tries to corrupt the school system. While Homer tries to cope with daily life and baby brother Ulysses gets into trouble, Marcus is on an Army troop train, befriending an orphaned teen named Tobey George. Marcus paints a vivid picture of life in Ithaca and encourages Tobey to relocate there once the war ends. Finding the extraordinary in common people and everyday situations, Saroyan weaves an amazing story of life in a small town in the middle of a great global war. He uses Homer and his bicycle as literary devices and takes the reader from mansions to humble wood homes; from orchards, vineyards and rivers to fancy city-block buildings. Saroyan explores the meaning of life as his characters exhibit a range of human emotions, from selflessness to selfishness, from love to hate, from wisdom to foolishness. "The Human Comedy" is a very readable volume for people of every era and generation. The story of a teenage messenger boy trying to lead his family will teach unforgettable lessons to readers of all ages. Tolkien: A Celebration Author: Joseph Pearce A collection of conferences of Tolkien scholars focused on the origin and meaning of his masterpiece, "The Lord of the Rings." The different chapters, each by one author, gather Tolkien's religious and political thought, to understand the full meaning and origin of the characters and situations of "The Lord of the Rings." It is worth reading for lovers of this saga. 2

3 God or Nothing Author: Robert Sarah/ Nicolas Diat "The idea of putting Magisterial teaching in a beautiful display case while separating it from pastoral practice, which then could evolve along with circumstances, fashions, and passions, is a sort of heresy, a dangerous schizophrenic pathology. I therefore solemnly state that the Church in Africa is staunchly opposed to any rebellion against the teaching of Jesus and of the Magisterium. The Church of Africa is committed in the name of the Lord Jesus to keeping unchanged the teaching of God and of the Church." Robert Cardinal Sarah. In this fascinating autobiographical interview, one of the most prominent and outspoken Catholic Cardinals gives witness to his Christian faith and comments on many current controversial issues. The mission of the Church, the joy of the gospel, the heresy of activism, and the definition of marriage are among the topics he discusses with wisdom and eloquence. Robert Cardinal Sarah grew up in Guinea, West Africa. Inspired by the missionary priests who made great sacrifices to bring the Faith to their remote village, his parents became Catholics. Robert discerned a call to the priesthood and entered the seminary at a young age, but due to the oppression of the Church by the government of Guinea, he continued his education outside of his homeland. He studied in France and nearby Senegal. Later he obtained a licentiate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, followed by a licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem. At the age of thirty-four he became the youngest Bishop in the Catholic Church when John Paul II appointed him the Archbishop of Conakry, Guinea, in His predecessor had been imprisoned by the Communist government for several years, and when Archbishop Sarah was targeted for assassination John Paul II called him to Rome to be Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI named him Cardinal and appointed him Prefect of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. Pope Francis made him Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in My Sisters the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir Author: Colleen Carroll Campbell Publisher: Image In My Sisters the Saints, author Colleen Carroll Campbell blends her personal narrative of spiritual seeking, trials, stumbles, and breakthroughs with the stories of six women saints who profoundly changed her life: Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Faustina of Poland, Edith Stein of Germany, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Mary of Nazareth. Drawing upon the rich writings and examples of these extraordinary women, the author reveals Christianity's liberating power for women and the relevance of the saints to the lives of contemporary Christians. 3

4 Lord of the World Author: Robert Hugh Benson Publisher: Dodo Press Robert Hugh Benson ( ) was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and younger brother of Edward Frederic Benson. In 1895, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England by his father who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. After many years of questioning and soul-searching he was received into the Roman Catholic Church in He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1904 and named a Monsignor in This book, written in 1907, is Benson's dystopic vision of a near future world in which religion has, by and large, been rejected or simply fallen by the wayside. The Catholic Church has retreated to Italy and Ireland, while the majority of the rest of the world is either Humanistic or Pantheistic. There is a 'one world' government, and euthanasia is widely available. The plot follows the tale of a priest, Percy Franklin, who becomes Pope Silvester III, and a mysterious man named Julian Felsenburgh, who is identical in looks to the priest and who becomes "Lord of the World". "The one condition of progress...on the planet that happened to be men's dwelling place, was peace, not the sword which Christ brought or that which Mahomet wielded; but peace that arose from, not passed, understanding; the peace that sprang from a knowledge that man was all and was able to develop himself only by sympathy with his fellows...". C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church Author: Joseph Pearce There are many Protestants and Catholics who have been deeply affected and spirituality changed by the writings of C.S. Lewis, including many converts to Catholicism who credit C.S. Lewis for playing a significant role in their conversion. But the ironic and perplexing fact is that Lewis himself, while Catholic in many aspects of his faith and devotion, never became a Roman Catholic. Many have wondered why. Joseph Pearce, highly regarded literary biographer and great admirer of Lewis, is the ideal writer to try to answer that question. The relationship of Lewis to the Roman Catholic Church is an important and intriguing topic of interest to both Catholics and Protestants. Pearce delves into all the issues, questions, and factors regarding this puzzling question. He gives a broad and detailed analysis of the historical, biographical, theological, and literary pieces of this puzzle. His findings set forth the objective shape of Lewis s theological and spiritual works in their relation to the Catholic Church. This well-written book brings new insights into a great Christian writer, and it should spark lively discussion among Lewis readers and bring about a better understanding of the spiritual beliefs of C.S. Lewis. Joseph Pearce has tackled the great Unasked Question and produced an answer with both muscle and heart. How good an answer? Daring, authoritative, discriminating; intellectually daunting and vastly 4

5 suggestive. This book is a banquet of argument so provocative, important and inviting that the master himself would find it irresistible. What wouldn t I give to watch Lewis dig in! -James Como, Author, Branches to Heaven: The Geniuses of C.S. Lewis 5