A learned, yet profoundly readable, consideration of the continued applicability of the teachings of Saint Francis.
Sweeney surveys the ways in which contemporary readers can experience God through the teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi.
In today’s troubled sociopolitical climate, it may seem odd to find solace in the teachings of a 13th-century Christian mystic. Yet, as the author convincingly argues, Saint Francis of Assisi lived during an equally tumultuous era and believed far too many were “slaves to money and power and persona” and needed a “way to escape” by experiencing God. Sweeney describes God not just as humanity’s creator, but also as a “Lover” and “Friend,” as he outlines the ways in which Francis suggests we can “find love and joy” by connecting with the divine. The author highlights Francis’ well-known affinity for animals, emphasizing his dedication to setting captives free versus keeping them in cages (a liberatory message that has widespread applications in one’s relationship with other living beings). Sweeney also discusses channeling emotions into action, noting that “We may love the calm, but we need storms” to prompt us to look outside of ourselves. The author challenges traditional gender norms, noting Francis’ belief that friars ought to organize themselves as “mothers” and “children” as they take “turns caring for one another with a motherly love.” While Francis is among the most popular saints in Catholicism, the author is adamant that the book is not a theological treatise; he selected Francis as a subject because of his popularity with agnostics, Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. The text frequently ties the teachings of Francis to those of Zen Buddhist philosophers and other thinkers, spanning Rumi to James Baldwin. This emphasis on the universality of Francis’ ideas makes this thoughtful work accessible and free of proselytization while also contextualizing the saint within his own historical and religious context. Sweeney, the author of more than three dozen books on spirituality, backs this work with a selection of scholarly endnotes.
A learned, yet profoundly readable, consideration of the continued applicability of the teachings of Saint Francis.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781966608059
Page Count: 178
Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasure for fans of old-school historical narratives.
Avuncular observations on matters historical from the late popularizer of the past.
McCullough made a fine career of storytelling his way through past events and the great men (and occasional woman) of long-ago American history. In that regard, to say nothing of his eschewing modern technology in favor of the typewriter (“I love the way the bell rings every time I swing the carriage lever”), he might be thought of as belonging to a past age himself. In this set of occasional pieces, including various speeches and genial essays on what to read and how to write, he strikes a strong tone as an old-fashioned moralist: “Indifference to history isn’t just ignorant, it’s rude,” he thunders. “It’s a form of ingratitude.” There are some charming reminiscences in here. One concerns cajoling his way into a meeting with Arthur Schlesinger in order to pitch a speech to presidential candidate John F. Kennedy: Where Richard Nixon “has no character and no convictions,” he opined, Kennedy “is appealing to our best instincts.” McCullough allows that it wasn’t the strongest of ideas, but Schlesinger told him to write up a speech anyway, and when it got to Kennedy, “he gave a speech in which there was one paragraph that had once sentence written by me.” Some of McCullough’s appreciations here are of writers who are not much read these days, such as Herman Wouk and Paul Horgan; a long piece concerns a president who’s been largely lost in the shuffle too, Harry Truman, whose decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan McCullough defends. At his best here, McCullough uses history as a way to orient thinking about the present, and with luck to good ends: “I am a short-range pessimist and a long-range optimist. I sincerely believe that we may be on the way to a very different and far better time.”
A pleasure for fans of old-school historical narratives.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781668098998
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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