Cecilia Galatolo
Reading is a great way to think, to grow interiorly, and to relax. Those who enjoy this hobby know very well that reading enriches our days and our lives.
Below are a few books—two new, and one older—that we believe are worth picking up… They will serve various needs of our readers through their diverse genres and purposes.
1) St. Joseph. Welcoming, Safeguarding, and Nurturing; (“San Giuseppe. Accogliere, custodire e nutrire) by Fabio Rosini (San Paolo Editore, 2021)
This book addresses the topic of fatherhood, starting with the figure of St. Joseph, and at the same time delves into the topic of motherhood, which is seen as fatherhood’s complementary vocation. The author, a well-known priest involved in the care of young people in Rome, points out the educational crisis that many families today are experiencing.
Rosini’s premise is: “The real reason for entering into this adventure is that our generation has not only lost its father and soured its mother… it has lost wisdom.”
This is not a book aimed at naming, one by one, the ills that plague our society, as if we could do nothing but take note and surrender. Starting with the thoughts, actions, and care that Joseph showed toward the Son entrusted to him, Rosini reminds us to rise up, like the “righteous man” of Nazareth, to rediscover the beauty of our responsibilities as parents. With his usual vivacity Fr. Fabio sets out to bring out what is already beautiful in each of us, certain that too much beauty goes to waste in the world. “I’m longing for moving the hearts of all these young people who treat themselves so poorly, by reminding them: how precious you are!”
A must-read because: Although the title would lead to think it to be a book for a Christian-only audience, it can help anyone to discover the beauty of fatherhood, besides helping parents to reflect on their responsibilities.
2) The Four Loves: Affection, Friendship, Eros, Charity; by C. S. Lewis (Jaka Book, first edition 1960)
This Lewis classic has all the makings of a philosophy textbook, although, unlike most of its pairs, it addresses a broad public and is easy to understand.
What is love? What types of love exist? People often identify love with eros, but, as the author points out, friendship is also a type of love. Yet, it is often believed that friendship simply means “spending time with someone” (thus confusing the lofty concept of friendship with the much more instinctive and less demanding concept of “camaraderie”).
This is a short essay that offers food for thought, and it does it with a rather witty and ironic style: it certainly won’t bore you!
A must-read because: it is for anyone who wishes to further grasp the universal concept of love, the essence of which is not always understood.
3) White Like Milk, Red Like Blood; by Alessandro D’Avenia (Mondadori, 2010)
And now a book for younger readers.
Leo believes he is in love with Beatrice, a slightly older girl who he discovers is battling leukemia. At first angry at this unjust fate, Leo learns to take on fragility and understand that loving is not synonymous with “burning” for someone, as he previously believed. To love is to care, and this is most easily found through the understanding of the transience of life. The book, however, is not about a young high school girl who is worn down by leukemia in the prime of her life; rather, it is about a disease that, while sowing suffering, becomes a means of giving life a whole new meaning.
Leo discovers that to love is not to lose one’s mind, but to find calm in a storm, a lifeline to help us make sense of chaos and to give us peace and security in the face of trials and tribulations.
Love pairs well with dedication, sacrifice, care, support, and overcoming one’s fears for the sake of another.
And such a love does not die because by its very nature, in all its sacredness, it overcomes the barriers of materiality and begins a path, similar to a relay race, that someone starts and someone else continues to travel.
A must-read because: it is a book to give to a young person in search of meaning.
