Fr. William B. Neenan, SJ., the beloved Boston College Jesuit who died last summer, was known for many things, including a list of book titles he annually compiled that became known as The Dean’s List of Recommended Reading.

Long cherished among BC students and faculty, the Boston College Chronicle reports that Fr. Neenan completed one last list for 2014. 

The 27 titles on each year’s list included fiction and non-fiction works, some of them well-known historical, literary or popular titles (The Great Gatsby; Mary, Queen of Scots; Lord of the Flies; Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; The Greatest Generation), others somewhat more obscure. Boston College-affiliated authors also made regular appearances on the list, which was first published in Boston College Biweekly (the Chronicle’s predecessor) in September of 1983. 
 

Read the list here. 

Matt Emerson's essays have appeared in a number of publications, including America, Commonweal, and the Wall Street Journal. The Catholic Press Association named his September 2012 essay "Help Their Unbelief," published in America, as the "best essay" in the category of national general interest magazine for 2012. He is the author of the book Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press 2016).Articles:Fruitful Searching (Jan. 5-12, 2015)Preambles for Faith (May 13, 2013)Help Their Unbelief (Sept. 10, 2012)Posts at The Ignatian Educator