let-the-great-world-spin200_3
Image

Every few months, online editor Tim Reidy sits down with a colleague or friend of the magazine to discuss a book that may hold a special interest for America readers. Usually a novel, the books are chosen based their artistry and the ways in which–implicitly or explicitly–they address Catholic themes.  

In the first installment, the America Book Club took up Andrew O’Hagan’s Be Near Me, a novel about an Oxford-educated Catholic priest who settles down in a working class Scottish town.

Listen to Tim’s discussion of Be Near Me with James Keane, S.J.

Next up was Brooklyn, Colm Toibin’s story of a young Irish woman’s journey to adulthood in an unfamiliar country. 

Listen to our conversation about Brooklyn.

The most recent edition of the book club considered the 2009 National Book Award Winner, Let the Great World Spin. Inspired by Philip Petit’s famous tight-rope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, Colum McCann’s is told from multiple perpectives and explores themes of beauty, coincidence and grace.

Listen to Kevin Spinale, S.J., discuss Let the Great World Spin.

Have an idea for our next book? Email Tim Reidy.

This article appears in March 15 2010.

Tim Reidy joined America’s staff in October 2006 and served as online editor for several years before moving into his current role as the deputy editor in chief. Tim oversees America’s newsroom, directing its daily news coverage as well as working with the editorial leadership team to plan each print issue. Tim also edits the magazine’s Ideas section, where he contributes book reviews and essays. Before joining America, he worked at the Hartford Courant, a newspaper in Connecticut, and Commonweal magazine. In addition to writing for America, he has contributed to The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and the Princeton Alumni Weekly. He has been interviewed about the Catholic Church on WNYC in New York, ABC, Bloomberg TV and other media outlets. Tim also serves on the board of directors of Jesuit Refugee Service USA. He lives in Bronxville, N.Y., with his wife and two children.