One Hundred Great Catholic Books: From the Early Centuries to the Present [Paperback]

Don Brophy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

Succinct and thoughtful, this collection of 100 classics of past and present Catholic literature covers topics ranging from biography, spirituality, theology, and poetry to history, mystical writings, and fiction. Each of the chronologically arranged entries introduces one book in its historical context, provides information about the author, and gives a clear and focused summary of its content. Whether readers are looking for an overview of Catholic thought and writing across the centuries or want to begin discovering these classics for themselves, this book offers an illuminating gateway to some of the great achievements of the human heart and mind.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brophy, who assembles short, 300-word reviews of the best books ever written by Catholics, asserts that people are Catholic, books are not. As a longtime editor at the Catholic book publisher Paulist Press and author of The Story of Catholics in America, he is eminently qualified for the job and carries it out beautifully. In the introduction, Brophy spells out what qualifies a book for his list. First, it must have nourished Catholic Christians and many other seekers over the centuries. Second, the book must be of interest to general readers, meaning that professional theologians like Karl Rahner were disqualified. Reviews are arranged chronologically, beginning with the Sayings and Stories of the Desert Fathers and ending with Paul Elie's contemporary classic, The Life You Save May Be Your Own. Brophy acknowledges the arbitrariness of his endeavor, but it's a judicious collection. Some choices will be familiar to readers while others will be unexpected; for example, some readers may not know that Black Elk (the Sioux spiritual leader) was a Catholic convert. Brophy approaches his reviews as a believer, so that in the end any person of faith who is passionate about books will find a kind of spiritual catechism. (Oct.)
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Review

"The succinct considerations address the historical or contemporary context of the work, explain the significance of the author, and contain a brief synopsis of the actual title."  —Library Journal

"For Catholics who have forgotten, or never discovered, treasured books of their own tradition, Don Brophy deserves applause for his brief but knowing introductions to a hundred of them."  —Kenneth L. Woodward, author, Making Saints

"This is the work of a man who loves both books and the Catholic tradition. Don Brophy speaks to head and heart in this gentle guide to Catholic books, with choices both classic and surprising." —Jane Redmont, author, When in Doubt, Sing

"This is the most congenial history of Catholic thought one could ever hope to find. On every page, I found some new connection to be made or an intriguing insight to be savored."  —Phyllis Tickle, author, The Divine Hours

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bluebridge (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933346086
• ISBN-13: 978-1933346083
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Brophy grew up in Connecticut and lives in New York City. For more than thirty years he served as an editor and managing editor of Paulist Press. He is the author of One Hundred Great Catholic Books and Catherine of Siena: A Passionate Life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Assortment of Books By Catholics, December 7, 2007

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Hundred Great Catholic Books: From the Early Centuries to the Present (Paperback)

The Catholic Church fascinates many people. This is not a new phenomenon. It fascinated people in the past and no doubt will continue to do so. On the one hand it is an authoritarian, hierarchical Church with many rules and regulations. On the other, it's also the same Church that has produced some of the world's greatest writers, artists, musicians, and forward thinking people. James Joyce's famous expression "Here Comes Everybody" from FINNEGAN'S WAKE applies to the Catholic Church. Catholic thought is far more diverse than many realize and when this is discovered, a new level of fascination with the Church often emerges.
Don Brophy's ONE HUNDRED GREAT CATHOLIC BOOKS includes titles which demonstrate the diversity of Catholicism and what is often called "the Catholic imagination." His list of great books includes what any reader should expect to find, titles such as THE CONFESSIONS of St. Augustine, Pope John XXIII's JOURNAL OF A SOUL, St. Benedict's RULE, Dante's DIVINE COMEDY, Thomas Merton's SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN, Georges Bernanos's DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, and Dorothy Day's THE LONG LONELINESS to name a sampling. While his selections of what could be termed Catholic "classics" are what should be expected, he also has some interesting contemporary choices. Sr. Helen Prejean's DEAD MAN WALKING, Robert Ellsberg's ALL SAINTS, and Gustavo Gutierrez's WE DRINK FROM OUR OWN WELLS immediately come to mind. Some are surprising. Thomas Cahill's HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION and Alice McDermott's CHARMING BILLY would not be immediate choices of mine, but certainly both make sense. Some are controversial selections. My guess is that more than a few eyebrows are raised when authors such as Richard McBrien and James Carroll are included. However, the point is to show the variety of thought that is so much a part of Catholicism, and this Brophy does well.
Each selection is given a short summary the merits of the book and why it was selected. It's a perfect guide for a Catholic reading group or for anyone who wants to see that the Catholic Church is far broader than it's often portrayed to be.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Introduction to Catholic Thought, October 3, 2007

By 

Patrice Fagnant-macarthur (Springfield, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Hundred Great Catholic Books: From the Early Centuries to the Present (Paperback)

What if you had a dear friend who was able to recommend one hundred great books in the Catholic tradition for you to read? That is the service Don Brophy provides in "One Hundred Great Catholic Books." What makes a book "Catholic?" For Brophy's purposes, the primary criteria was that the author be Catholic because as he correctly states, "people are Catholic, books are not." In a couple of instances, Brophy does include books whose authors were not Catholic because they wrote about Catholics or collaborated with Catholics.

Of course, there is a danger whenever one tries to make a list of one hundred great anything. There are always going to me some favorites that are left out and some included that people feel shouldn't be. Brophy is to be given credit for taking on the challenge. In addition, he includes a list of fifty other books at the end that come highly recommended as well. Brophy has chosen wisely, including most of the great classics of spirituality such as St. Augustine's "Confessions," "The Cloud of Unknowing," St. Teresa's "The Interior Castle," and St. Therese's "Story of a Soul." He has attempted to also include a broad spectrum of works, including history, apologetics, autobiography, and fiction. In these entries, one becomes acquainted with works by Flannery O'Connor, J.R.R. Tolkien, Maria Montessori, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. For each book, Brophy provides a two-page synopsis and indication of why this book was important. One can learn much about Catholic thought simply by reading these capsules. Hopefully, however, " One Hundred Great Catholic Books" will inspire you to go out and actually read some of these classics. A reader ambitious enough to read all of them would have a strong understanding of Catholic thought.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars great disappointments, May 20, 2010

By 

William P. Tasin - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Hundred Great Catholic Books: From the Early Centuries to the Present (Paperback)

Great Disappointments

What a loser! The first few recommended books are all great
classics, St. Augustine, Dante, Chesterton etc. Then Don Brophy
lists all kinds of wacko's , many anti-catholic or just kooks.
I can think of a huge number of great books I have read that are
Catholic, apparently the author must shop at the lower level discount
bookstore. He does not know what Catholicism is and one has to wonder
how he even got the book published.