Book or novel to share with young, open-minded woman?

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A co-worker (I’m actually her boss) that I have worked with for the past 3-4 years is taking a new job and will be leaving. She is a kind person who has a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm. She is not a Christian – like many young people she’s very open-minded and thinks there’s truth in “all religions”.

I don’t know whether I’m going to give her anything or perhaps just wish her well, but she is a big reader, and so the thought had occurred to me of giving her a book to read that might plant some seeds to point her toward Christ.

So do you have any recommendations for such a person? I don’t think in this case that a full-blown apologetics book would be the thing. I’m thinking maybe more of a novel or just a good story that could help preach the Gospel to her in a less overt manner…

Thanks for your thoughts and recommendations in advance.
 
I’m not sure if this would be too heavily on the apologetics side, but … Mere Christianity by CS Lewis was like a beautiful “two by four” to the head for me 🙂

Novel-wise, Tolkien’s works, Lord of the Rings trilogy, and even moreso The Silmarillion are written from a Christian, specifically Catholic, worldview.

The *Narnia *series by Lewis is also very much written from a Christian worldview, as is his lesser-known space triology: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.
 
I love the book “A Song For Nagasaki”.

It details the journey of a Japanese scientist who lost his family in the bombing of Nagasaki. You get an incredible insight into the Japanese version of events about the war and also read about this scientist as he becomes a Japanese “male Mother Teresa” type figure (ie: in the level of respect he gained and his words of wisdom). This same person became a Catholic and you read about his struggles and questions along the way.

It was written by an Australian priest who spent some time in Japan.
 
I would recommend books by former atheist and now Christian Lee Strobel. He is an investigative reporter and presents facts to back up the truths of a Creator and Jesus Christ.

His books are extremely fascinating and helped to bring me back to Jesus.

I would especially recommend -

“The Case for a Creator”

“The Case for Christ”

The Case for Faith"

God Love You,

Ellis
 
Take a look at Mary Doria Russell’s works. She has one about WW II, and a series of two that are science fiction. I enjoyed all three, and they are Catholic in perspective.
 
Story of a Soul non-fiction

Island of the World by Michael O’Brien fiction
 
How about the Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton. it reads like a novel but is a spiritual autobiography and is very famous. The writing is highly regarded ni the secular world. How about G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown stories. they are very famous and you can present it to her as detective mysteries that engage the reader in phylosophical ideas.
 
Also, how about some of Graham Greene 's novels. or Walker Percy’s the Moviegoer. the Moviegoer won the Pulitzer I think, but any way it is highly regarded in the secular world/
 
A well-written spiritual odyssey that minght appeal to the general reader: My Life With the Saints by Father James Martin.
 
Look at CS Lewis’ fiction books for adults. These contain powerful allegories that are suited to adult lives and sensibilities.

Till We Have Faces–a historical novel in a pagan setting, retelling the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

The space trilogy:

Out of the Silent Planet
Perelandria
That Hideous Strength

Of these, the last is the most complex and the hardest to find the Christian thread from a non-Chrisitan perspecitive, and it really helps if you have read one of the other books first. I think one of the other two would be better.
 
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