An Open Book July #openbook

Today I am joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading or working on this past month.

Now available from FQP! Enkindle in Me by Erin Lewis (Chalice Series #2).

Synopsis: The world wants him. But God wants him more.
Dropped back into the real world with a newfound faith following a lengthy prison sentence, 23-year-old Dallas Malone is bombarded by the tantalizations of secular society and all the changes that seem to have occurred overnight. His Catholic faith burns deep inside him, but now he must live it out amidst morally bankrupt co-workers and without the support of his best friend. Struggling to get back on his feet and prove himself, Dallas’s wounds are becoming scars, and he knows he’s not the same person he used to be. When he meets Samantha, enchanting and headed for trouble, his natural protective instinct is inflamed while past demons of failure chip away at what he thought he knew was a true calling from God enkindled in his heart. Can Dallas forgive himself and heal from his past mistakes to discern the life path God has laid out for him as a man?

Five for Sorrow Ten for Joy by Rumer Godden

Synopsis: The Sisters of Béthanie, a French order of Dominican nuns, dedicate themselves to caring for the outcasts of society – criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts. Lise, an English girl who, after the liberation of Paris, was employed in one of the city’s smartest brothels and rose to become a successful madame, finds herself joining the Sisters. Master storyteller Rumer Godden weaves a deeply moving tale of Lise’s prison sentence, her conversion, and the agonizing work among women whose traumatic experiences often outstrip even her own.

My review: This is an outstanding story. However, I didn’t really care for the author’s navigation of flashbacks. It was confusing at times and brought me out of the story. The religious sisters are not one- dimensionally good or bad: they are portrayed as human beings. Overall, though, a great story with believable characters. Recommend.

In this House of Brede by Rumer Godden

Synopsis: ‘The motto was Pax but the word was set in a circle of thorns. Peace, but what a strange peace, made of unremitting toil and effort . . .’

Bruised by tragedy, Philippa Talbot leaves behind a successful career with the civil service for a new calling: to join an enclosed order of Benedictine nuns. In this small community of fewer than one hundred women, she soon discovers all the human frailties: jealousy, love, despair. But each crisis of heart and conscience is guided by the compassion and intelligence of the Abbess and by the Sisters’ shared bond of faith and ritual. Away from the world, and yet at one with it, Philippa must learn to forgive and forget her past . . .

My review: On my To-Read Shelf.

The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town

by Ron Franscell

Synopsis: Casper, Wyoming:1973. Eleven-year-old Amy Burridge rides with her eighteen-year-old sister, Becky, to the grocery store. When they finish their shopping, Becky’s car gets a flat tire. Two men politely offer them a ride home. But they were anything but Good Samaritans. The girls would suffer unspeakable crimes at the hands of these men before being thrown from a bridge into the North Platte River. One miraculously survived. The other did not.ppYears later, author and journalist Ron Franscell―who lived in Casper at the time of the crime, and was a friend to Amy and Becky―can’t forget Wyoming’s most shocking story of abduction, rape, and murder. Neither could Becky, the surviving sister. The two men who violated her and Amy were sentenced to life in prison, but the demons of her past kept haunting Becky…until she met her fate years later at the same bridge where she’d lost her sister.

My review: This was a compelling story of how two girls were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The author, a neighbor of the girls, also spent a lot of time on the history of the area, which took me out of the story. Recommend.

The Pope’s Cabinet: Pius XII’s Secret War for Saving the Jews by Johan Ickx

Synopsis: For the first time since World War II, the newly opened archives of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State reveal the crucial role Pius XII and the Holy See played in efforts to save Jews from capture and death during the war. Drawing from never-before-seen documents―letters, photographs, drawings, and newspaper articles―Johan Ickx answers questions that have swirled for decades, and through key topics and short stories, he discloses what really occurred, which is quite contrary to the dominant narrative.

Although numerous accounts exist on the subject, here you will find the authoritative untold history of the Church’s efforts, inspired by Pope Pius XII, to save the innocent. You will see records of the tireless efforts of cabinet members in heated back-room meetings to resist Nazi expansion and evidence of Pius XII’s diplomatic attempts to curb the Third Reich policies without filters or embellishments.

You will learn about Pius XII’s:

Condemnations of totalitarianism and interventions for victimsMethods for saving thousands of Jews from discovery and deportationSecret friendship with President Roosevelt to quell the rise of barbaric dictatorshipSupport for the Roman Escape Line to help the most persecutedRejection of Marshal Pétain’s racial lawsOrganization of emergency baptisms to shield thousands of Jews from deportationThe origin of Pope Pius XII’s doctrine on the Jews

You will read the shocking details of Nazi persecution of Christians and attacks on the Cross, along with how the Nazis misconstrued the Holy Father’s writings. You will find out about the appalling actions of Slovakia’s Nazi government and how Pius XII repeatedly denounced them. Moreover, you will see Pius XII’s anguished restraint in remaining outwardly impartial to avoid detection and retaliation against the Jews―while working tirelessly to arrange hiding places and visas for Jews in Poland, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and the Holy Land.

Pope Pius XII shines as an example of “soft diplomacy at its hardest” in the darkest times of Nazi-occupied Europe. You will be captivated by the network of heroic individuals, including secret informants of the pope, who risked or gave their lives to rescue others. It is through their firsthand accounts, as unveiled in these documents, that we know today the true story of what happened.

My review: Overall, this is a captivating read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical books, but most importantly, I recommend this book to anyone who seeks to learn the truth about Pope Pius XII and the Jews. It’s a long read (402 pages, small print), but overall it’s compelling testimony to Holy Father’s intervention for Jews. The Pope’s Cabinet and his network of underground collaborators shone a bright light during the darkest times in Nazi-occupied Europe.