Colum McCann’s new novel is structured like the wings of a bird, with two narrative arcs constantly moving toward and then away from each other.
Kevin Spinale
Kevin Spinale, S.J., a Jesuit priest, is an assistant professor in the Curriculum and Teaching Division of the Fordham University Graduate School of Education.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Thoughts on the Magdalene, Part 2
Another look at the story of Mary Magdalene and interpretations of her throughout history.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
There’s something about Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene’s actual history, as Margaret Arnold tells us, is much richer than we think. The tradition’s appropriation of Mary Magdalene is much more intricate and complex—as the saint herself is complex.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Unpacking ‘St. Peter’s B-List’: Poems on faith, laughter, guilt, anguish and hope
The new selection of the Catholic Book Club is a collection of poems about the saints.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
The Catholic Book Club: From ‘Catholic Modern’ to ‘Say Nothing’
Kevin Spinale, S.J., the moderator of the Catholic Book Club, led discussions of two very different books this spring and summer. The first, ‘Catholic Modern,’ by James Chappel, is a heady look at how the church remade itself at a time of social and political upheaval. The second, ‘Say Nothing,’ by Patrick Radden Keefe, is a gripping account of some of the key players in the period in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
A Children’s Crusade: Patrick Radden Keefe’s ‘Say Nothing’
The Troubles in Northern Ireland were fought mainly by children—young men and women from Northern Ireland and young British soldiers from other parts of the United Kingdom.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Enshrining the family: Final thoughts on ‘Catholic Modern’
Last thoughts on an intriguing book about how the Catholic Church confronted the realities of the 20th century in Europe.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Anti-communism, anti-fascism, and Catholic modernism
Reflections on chapters 2 & 3 of ‘Catholic Modern’
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
A church remade in the midst of modernity
The Catholic Book Club’s new selection studies the Catholic Church’s ecclesial response to modernity over the last century.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Robert Caro tells us how he does it
In his new book about his work, Robert Caro explains why it takes so many years to research and write his books.