#OpenBook for March 2025

 Welcome to #OpenBook. I'm joining up with Carolyn Astfalk who hosts an #OpenBook Linkup on CatholicMom.com. Here's what I've been reading this past month. The dates indicate when I finished the books. Thanks for stopping by!

 

2-9-25 Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism - Barry M. Prizant - I honestly don't recall where I saw this book mentioned, but my oldest son (age 23) is on the spectrum and I still find learning about autism to be interesting and helpful. This book looks at the "why" behind so-called autistic behaviors such as repeating certain phrases, talking at length about what they are currently enthusiastic about, and meltdowns. It was very enlightening. I recommend it for anyone with a child on the spectrum or who works in education. 

2-10-25 Biblical Heroes: Stories of Faith and Courage - Mark Hart - I really enjoyed this book aimed at middle-schoolers. Hart introduces children Abel, Isaac, Joseph, Miriam, Ruth, David, Josiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther, Mary, The "Loaves and Fishes" kid, and Timothy. Each chapter starts with an anecdote from the author's life showing how he screwed up in some case when he was young. He then shares the story about the scriptural person as well as lessons young people can learn from them. This was an informative, interesting, and practical book that would be great in a religion class.   

2-12-25 The Angel of Second Street - Barbara Tifft Blakey - This was an enjoyable story set in 1880s Eureka, CA. Ida Dempsey is an orphan raised in comfort by her aunt and uncle. Her main desire is to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all who need to hear it, especially the prostitutes on Second Street and the Chinese in her community. Her love interest, Blaine, is eager to support her, but her family is against it, and his family wants him to have nothing to do with her. (Read for a book review publication). 

 

2-16-25 The Heirloomist - Shana Novak - I believe I heard about this book in Country Living, where Novak writes a column by the same name. She takes photos of people's treasured objects and tells the stories behind their meaning. This features 100 such objects and stories. Some of them made me cry. It also made me think about the objects I treasure and the stories behind them.

2-27-25 The Shop Down the Lane - Leslie Gould - This is a delightful Amish story in the vein of You've Got Mail (the wonderful movie featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan). Lois Yoder and Moses Lantz had history together when they were young, but they haven't seen each other in five years. Now, Moses has bought out the shop Lois works in and they do nothing but get on each other's nerves. However, they both join a birding circle letter under assumed names and begin a correspondence, growing quite fond of each other, at least until they plan to meet and Moses doesn't show up because he realizes who his new friend actually is. (Read for a book review publication)

2-23-25 How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists - Ellen Hendriksen, Ph.D. - I've struggled with a very poor sense of self-worth most of my life. My interior voice is downright cruel. This book wasn't going to fix me, but I felt seen reading it. There is a certain comfort to knowing I'm not alone and I now know more about the reasons for this tendency. The author herself suffers from the same problem and wrote it because it was the book she needed.

2-24-25 A Beautiful Second Act: Saints and Soul Sisters Who Taught Me to Age with Grace - Maria Morera Johnson - The author was retired from teaching, had an empty nest, and needed a sense of purpose. She went searching for saints and other strong women who had a meaningful second act of life. She shares her own very interesting story along with highlighting the lives of women such as Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur, Marie Curie, Dorothy Day, St. Jeanne Jugan, Dolores Hart, and more. It's a fascinating book, one that brings some hope to women of a certain age (such as me) who wonder if life still has any promise or possibility.

 2-27-25 Legends of Gold - Mary Connealy - One of the downsides of being a book reviewer is that sometimes I get handed the second book in a series and I feel completely lost in the story. This is one of those books. That being said, it features an adult orphan whose family appears out of the blue, a tender romance, and a treasure hunt, so it was an interesting story set in 1874 California. If you are interested, I suggest reading Whispers of Fortune first. (Read for a book review publication)

3-2-25 The Heart of Winter - Jonathan Evison - This is a beautiful, honest novel about the life of marriage, with all of its ups and downs. In the present day, Abe and Ruth Winter are 90 and 87 and facing Ruth's cancer diagnosis. They have three children eager to help in their own ways, but Abe and Ruth are struggling to hold on to their independence and their dignity. Interspersed through that contemporary tale are scenes from their life together, from their unlikely courtship through all the ups and downs of life. I loved this book and highly recommend it. 

 

3-3-25 God's Superheroes Amazing Catholic Men Vol II and God's Superheroes Amazing Catholic Women Vol II - Mary Bajda - I loved the first set of these books and was so exited to see there was a new set. Each book features 36 holy individuals. I love learning about saints / blesseds / venerables that I haven't heard about before and these books feature many of those. These books are geared to preteens / teens, but adults can appreciate them as well.

Since spring of 2019, I have been making my way through the Great Books Curriculum of Thomas Aquinas College (I'm currently working on the readings for junior year). 

2-16-25 Paradise Lost - John Milton - This is one of the great books that I would venture to say most people have heard of, even if they haven't read it. It tells the story of Lucifer's refusal to serve, the battle in heaven, the creation of Adam and Eve, the first sin, and the promise of a Savior. Milton, who was blind, dictated it over the course of five winters before it was published in 1667. An updated version was published in 1674. Milton subscribed to the Arian heresy, that the Son of God was first among creatures, but he wrote this epic poem to tell a story, not argue doctrine. In general, I am not a big fan of epic poetry. It just so happened that as I was reading this, the creation story was included in the liturgical readings for each day, so I was getting a double dose of it! In my opinion, the Bible tells it better, but there is a reason this is a classic and Milton did an admirable and creative job of expanding the tale. 

2-23-25 Le Cid - Pierre Corneille - This is a play first performed in Paris in 1636 or 1637. According to the introduction, it was a "big hit combining youthful love, heroic daring, tender lyricism, and violent declaration." It reflected conflict between two modes of life - individualism and refinement of court. I think like most plays, this would be better seen performed than read. 

 

My fourteen-year-old daughter and I read the following book this month:

 

3-3-25 Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine - This retelling of Cinderella features a twist - the young Ella was given a "gift" at birth of obedience and has to do whatever someone tells her to do. I had seen the movie years ago but had never read the book. We both enjoyed it!

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A Beautiful Second Act

 

I turned fifty a couple of months ago, and while I accept my age and the grey hair and hormonal changes that go with it, I admit I cried quite a few tears over my birthday. Fifty. It’s a big number. I couldn’t help but look back at my life, both at what I have accomplished and what I’ve failed to do. I also thought about the future. Is there anything to look forward to? Do I still have anything to offer the world? That’s why I jumped at the chance to read a review copy of A Beautiful Second Act: Saints and Soul Sisters Who Taught Me How to Age with Grace by Maria Morera Johnson.

Johnson was retired from teaching, had an empty nest, and needed a sense of purpose. She started to search for saints and other strong women who “embraced the second half of life with courage, making the world a better place in the process.”

The women Johnson profiles include Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur, Marie Curie, Mother Teresa, Grandma Moses, Dorothy Day, Dolores Hart, St. Jeanne Jugan, St. Faustina, and more. You will learn about scientists, leaders, artists, social justice warriors, caregivers, and more whose lives took a surprising turn, leading to a meaningful second act.

Each chapter features a personal story from Johnson, who has had a very interesting life, and the lessons she learned from the two women profiled. The author comes across as a dear friend you’d love to sit down and share a meal with while discussing life. She, along with the women she highlights in this book, all have a lot to teach us about growing old with grace and embracing whatever path God puts us on in this stage of life. A Beautiful Second Act offers some hope that maybe there is something to look forward to after all.

If you are interested, CatholicMom.com is offering a book club centered on A Beautiful Second Act. Learn more here: https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/join-catholic-moms-beautiful-second-act-book-club.

 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking a link help support this site. Thank you!

Neurodiversity is Not a Threat

 I published this article on Today's Catholic Homeschooling, but I feel it is worth sharing here as well.

 

On February 13, 2025, the White House issued an executive order: Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission. While the order does include some helpful initiatives, such as investigating environmental toxins, its characterization of neurodiversity, in particular ADHD and autism, is deeply flawed and insulting to all those who live with or parent those with these neurodifferences. The following is an excerpt from the order:

Autism spectrum disorder now affects 1 in 36 children in the United States — a staggering increase from rates of 1 to 4 out of 10,000 children identified with the condition during the 1980s.  Eighteen percent of late adolescents and young adults have fatty liver disease, close to 30 percent of adolescents are prediabetic, and more than 40 percent of adolescents are overweight or obese.

These health burdens have continued to increase alongside the increased prescription of medication.  For example, in the case of Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, over 3.4 million children are now on medication for the disorder — up from 3.2 million children in 2019-2020 — and the number of children being diagnosed with the condition continues to rise.  

This poses a dire threat to the American people and our way of life.

Those with autism and ADHD are not a threat to the American people. Instead, they are people who see the world differently and bring a different perspective to the table. Are there challenges? Certainly. But those challenges often come from trying to fit into a world that doesn’t value their gifts or thinks there is only one correct way to function. They have unique God-given gifts and have much to contribute when they are nurtured and accepted for who they are.

In response to this order, The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network states:

Autism is a developmental disability—and disability is a natural part of human diversity. Autism is something we are born with, and that shouldn’t be changed. Autistic children should get the support they need to grow up into happy, self-determined autistic adults. For many people, diagnosis is the first step towards accessing those supports. Increased diagnosis is a positive thing; it indicates the many, often multiply-marginalized, autistic people who are gaining access to autism diagnoses and receiving the supports they need. 

Those with ADHD often emphasize both the gifts and challenges. ADDitude Magazine shares:

ADDitude readers tell us they wouldn’t trade away their ADHD traits if they could. They insist that their ADHD brains are unique, creative, unbridled, and often inspired. And they aren’t wrong.

Of course, every strength has its weakness. Curiosity is challenged by distractibility. Spontaneity is challenged by impulsivity.

Those of us who homeschool often do so because our children are neurodivergent in some way. For whatever reason, they didn’t fit well into the structure of the traditional school system. We have learned that understanding and accommodations can go a long way in helping our children thrive.

As Catholics, we are called to be pro-life, to recognize the inherent dignity in every person, regardless of their abilities from conception to natural death. 

Neurodiversity has existed long before it had a name or official diagnosis. Unfortunately, people who were different in previous generations were often simply treated poorly and discriminated against. We must stand up against those who consider people with neurodiversity as less worthy than others or as problems to be fixed. Neurodiversity is not a threat.  

 Image from Freepik.com

Embrace Your Creativity - "The Work of Our Hands" Free on Kindle through Monday

 

I had the pleasure of going to a writer's retreat sponsored by CatholicMom.com this past weekend where I had the opportunity to meet many lovely women who also write for CatholicMom. One of them mentioned that she had read The Work of Our Hands and enjoyed it. I thanked her and mentioned that I was surprised because it was a book I truly loved writing but sold very poorly (25 copies over the past five years). She said, wisely, that we have no control over the fruit our work bears. Our job is to simply put it out there.

The few people that have read this book seemed to have enjoyed it, however, so I am offering it for free the next few days. Here is the official book description:

Do you think of yourself as being a creative person? All too often we compartmentalize creativity, making it the realm of artists, musicians, and writers. In reality, we are all called to be creative in some way. God is the great Creator. Scripture tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. As such, that creativity is an innate part of what it means to be human. We are all invited to contribute to the ongoing story of creation.

Written from a Roman Catholic perspective, this 31-day devotional invite you to reflect on the universal God-given gift of creativity and the ways that you can embrace that gift in your own life. 

 

Download The Work of Our Hands today at Amazon.