I just finished reading “Left to Tell” by Imaculee Ilibagiza, about her suviving the Rwandan Holocaust huddled in a bathroom for 3 months with seven women. Ohh, so powerful, you can’t imagine! If you think you’re suffering, try what she went through. I highly recommend it, could hardly put it down. Another good one I read recently is “The Promise: God’s Purpose and Plan for when Life Hurts” by Fr. Jonathan Morris. Mother Angelica’s biography by Raymond Arroyo is also very good. It’s called “Mother Angelica”. The next one Im going to read is “Spirituall Progress” by Fr. THomas D. Williams.
Finally, if you can find them, everyone should read the five volumes of “Poem of the Man God”, by Maria Valtorta. Some people say that you shouldn’t read them because they were on the banned book list at some point, but my understanding is that they were only on there for a while because they were initially published without crediting the author, and once they re-published them with the author identified, the Vatiacan took them off the list. Some of it can be a little hard to get through, because she tends to go off on these little rapturous soliloquies from time to time, but the story is phenomenal and ever so gripping. Maria Valtorta was a bedridden invalid who claimed that Jesus would come to her and show her his life story and asked her to write it all down. It fills in all the details left out of the gospels, and brings out His humanity, as well as the personalities of all the Apostles and other characters we’ve come to know. You feel like you’re right there with them, in the Holy Land, feeling their pain and angst, and laughing along with them in their adventures. I saw absolutely nothing that contradicted the Gospels. As a matter of fact, it filled in and explained so much, it brought the entirety of the Gospels to life and made it so much more meaningful. I especially loved Peter’s personality. He had quite the sense of humor, and was a rather curmudgeonly old soul. And the account of the crucifixion everyone should read for Lent.
Sorry to run on, but I love to read and hope you find some of these books as uplifting as I did. Just go to Amazon and browse their religious section. The reviews people write are very helpful in choosing a book.
