C
cenpress
Guest
Awwww, man!!! You gave it away!
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halmac1930
Guest
Taylor Caldwell wrote several great/good novels. They all have within a vital piece of historical times. Here are a few: Great Lion of God (Saint Paul), Dear and Glorius Physician (Saint Luke), A Pillar of Iron (Cicero) ,The Balance Wheel (20th Century politics), Grandmother and the Priests (Her grandmother’s stories about priests), The Captain and the Kings (comparable with Joseph Kenedy), The Listener (a place where people talk with GOD), Dialogues with the Devil (the fight between Satan and Jesus over planet earth).
There are several others however this selection has a bit of everything within. I have read all of them and at times memories jump out in conversation.
You might read Great Lion of GOD & Dear & Glorious Physician yourself. No doubt in my mind you will admire her writings. A Pillar of Iron, about Cicero the Roman lawyer, gives an insight into those bygone centuries and how politics remain virtuallyunchanged. GOOD LUCK.
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irena
Guest
Hello,
I would like to recommend Mrs. Mike by Benedict and NancyFreedman. It is more Canadian, though. It is about a young Irish-Catholic girl from Boston, early 1900’s, who travels to Canada to stay with an uncle. There she meets a Mountie and gets married and goes with him to the wildnerness. There is alot in this novel about love, suffering, perserverance…
This doesn’t qualify as American literature, but I think many of Rumer Godden’s novels are very Catholic. In THis House of Brede, about a career woman who becomes a nun. Very moving! She also wrote the Kitchen Madonna (
loved it!!!) about a young boy who sets out to make an icon of Our Lady for the family’s immigrant Slavic cook. The boy learns about reaching out to others and thinking about others more than himself. Another book that I was suprised to see how pro-Catholic was her novel, Pippa Passes. Unlike the other books I mentioned, I don’t recommend this for high school age children. It is about a young British ballet dancer who goes on a tour to Italy. The director of the ballet company, a woman, tries to seduce her ( 
) and uses her position of power to try and manipulate the young dancer. It is another woman, a Catholic woman from Britain living in Italy, that rescues Pippa from this situation and gives her refuge in her home.
A good novel that really shows Catholics in a good light is On the Fields of Glory by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It isn’t that long and boys might like it!!!
It is set in medieval Poland, about a young knight who prepares to go with King Jan Sobielski’s army to save Vienna from the Turks. He has a priest as his mentor and the priest is a really cool guy. This is also a love story, very Catholic and beautiful. All of Sienkiewicz’s novels (including Quo Vadis) are very Christian and Catholic, but some are very, very long! On the Fields of Glory isn’t that long, though, so might be good for high school students. It teaches real history, too!
I wish I could think of American books that teach Catholic values!!! The only thing that comes to mind is the Father Dowling mysteries, which I have never read so I can’t say either way if they are good!
I would like to recommend Mrs. Mike by Benedict and NancyFreedman. It is more Canadian, though. It is about a young Irish-Catholic girl from Boston, early 1900’s, who travels to Canada to stay with an uncle. There she meets a Mountie and gets married and goes with him to the wildnerness. There is alot in this novel about love, suffering, perserverance…
This doesn’t qualify as American literature, but I think many of Rumer Godden’s novels are very Catholic. In THis House of Brede, about a career woman who becomes a nun. Very moving! She also wrote the Kitchen Madonna (
loved it!!!) about a young boy who sets out to make an icon of Our Lady for the family’s immigrant Slavic cook. The boy learns about reaching out to others and thinking about others more than himself. Another book that I was suprised to see how pro-Catholic was her novel, Pippa Passes. Unlike the other books I mentioned, I don’t recommend this for high school age children. It is about a young British ballet dancer who goes on a tour to Italy. The director of the ballet company, a woman, tries to seduce her ( ) and uses her position of power to try and manipulate the young dancer. It is another woman, a Catholic woman from Britain living in Italy, that rescues Pippa from this situation and gives her refuge in her home.A good novel that really shows Catholics in a good light is On the Fields of Glory by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It isn’t that long and boys might like it!!!
It is set in medieval Poland, about a young knight who prepares to go with King Jan Sobielski’s army to save Vienna from the Turks. He has a priest as his mentor and the priest is a really cool guy. This is also a love story, very Catholic and beautiful. All of Sienkiewicz’s novels (including Quo Vadis) are very Christian and Catholic, but some are very, very long! On the Fields of Glory isn’t that long, though, so might be good for high school students. It teaches real history, too!I wish I could think of American books that teach Catholic values!!! The only thing that comes to mind is the Father Dowling mysteries, which I have never read so I can’t say either way if they are good!
R
rocklobster
Guest
Has anyone read Flowers for Algernon ? That’s a great book! I can’t believe I forgot to recommend it. :clapping:
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Karen1996
Guest
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines
The Missing by Thomas Eidson (100X better than the movie)
Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie by Kate Chopin (a book of her short stories), but I discourage her novel, The Awakening
Arms of Love by Carmen Marcoux (they probably won’t allow this in public schools, but it’s a beautiful book on chastity and pure love)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines
The Missing by Thomas Eidson (100X better than the movie)
Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie by Kate Chopin (a book of her short stories), but I discourage her novel, The Awakening
Arms of Love by Carmen Marcoux (they probably won’t allow this in public schools, but it’s a beautiful book on chastity and pure love)
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gam197
Guest
Someone mentioned Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes” . My 16 year old son had to read this and I felt there were too many passages that were sexually explcit. My son thought that the Christian Brothers were pretty cruel and that Irish were not good people. This book is for older students and then only with a real good teacher who can explain the Irish catholic history.
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LittleRose
Guest
I also teach 11th grade American Literature at a public school, however, I am required to teach certain texts, and I can choose optional texts from a list. I wish some of the texts suggested in this thread were on that list.
I will say that while “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a great novel, it is difficult to maintain students’ interest in it. I like the opportunities for discussion that “The Scarlet Letter” presents, especially with regard to moral and spiritual subjects, but it is a difficult read for most of my students, except for those in my honors sections. I enjoy teaching Gatsby, and this year I tried Huck Finn, which was universally enjoyed.
Though they are not on the list, I would love to teach some anti-utiopian literature such as 1984.
I have found that no matter which novels I teach, they provide opportunities for me to lead my students in discussions of what life lessons they can learn from the experiences of the characters. Do not shun novels simply because they are not Catholic, or because the characters do not follow Catholic values. Sometimes characters who do not follow Catholic values, such as Gatsby and Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter, and suffer consequences can provide interesting opportunities for students to learn positive lesssons. I find that usually my students are, with guidance, able to think critically about the books they read, when they understand them. You are a professional, a literary scholar, and a thinking Catholic. Choose novels that are accessible to your students, that fit the curricular requirements of your district and school site, take advantage of whatever teachable moments they provide in your classroom, and enjoy!
I will say that while “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a great novel, it is difficult to maintain students’ interest in it. I like the opportunities for discussion that “The Scarlet Letter” presents, especially with regard to moral and spiritual subjects, but it is a difficult read for most of my students, except for those in my honors sections. I enjoy teaching Gatsby, and this year I tried Huck Finn, which was universally enjoyed.
Though they are not on the list, I would love to teach some anti-utiopian literature such as 1984.
I have found that no matter which novels I teach, they provide opportunities for me to lead my students in discussions of what life lessons they can learn from the experiences of the characters. Do not shun novels simply because they are not Catholic, or because the characters do not follow Catholic values. Sometimes characters who do not follow Catholic values, such as Gatsby and Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter, and suffer consequences can provide interesting opportunities for students to learn positive lesssons. I find that usually my students are, with guidance, able to think critically about the books they read, when they understand them. You are a professional, a literary scholar, and a thinking Catholic. Choose novels that are accessible to your students, that fit the curricular requirements of your district and school site, take advantage of whatever teachable moments they provide in your classroom, and enjoy!
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gam197
Guest
Thoughts…These students are not going to read the lives of the saints. Yet, the English class is one of the most influential classes. The student’s numbers are high so it is difficult to have real discussion not that the school would even let you.
Getting good writing along with correct moral teaching across is crucial. I remember reading the Scarlet Letter in high school and simply thinking how could Christians treat this young women so badly-that was my main take. Read it later, a totally different view.
One or two written questions during class (not a test) may help reinforce what you are trying to teach. I remember one teacher doing this with Robin Hood asking “Is it ever justifiable to steal?” His answer being"No."
How to get across correct catholic history as it comes up in literature is a major challenge. Read “Tale of Two Cities” and never understood what really happened to the French Catholic Church and government till many,many years later… Small books like “Animal Farm” were easy to understand.
“Lord of the Flies” is a very difficult book but a history teacher told me he would use it to teach how when people loose or give up their value system(rules) revert to tribalism
A book on the effects of promiscuity if allowed is a must.
Getting good writing along with correct moral teaching across is crucial. I remember reading the Scarlet Letter in high school and simply thinking how could Christians treat this young women so badly-that was my main take. Read it later, a totally different view.
One or two written questions during class (not a test) may help reinforce what you are trying to teach. I remember one teacher doing this with Robin Hood asking “Is it ever justifiable to steal?” His answer being"No."
How to get across correct catholic history as it comes up in literature is a major challenge. Read “Tale of Two Cities” and never understood what really happened to the French Catholic Church and government till many,many years later… Small books like “Animal Farm” were easy to understand.
“Lord of the Flies” is a very difficult book but a history teacher told me he would use it to teach how when people loose or give up their value system(rules) revert to tribalism
A book on the effects of promiscuity if allowed is a must.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Thank you!!! I took the book out based on your post and enjoyed it thoroughly! I could NOT put it down!!!
A
Anonymous
Guest
I just finished Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Excellent book! I cannot believe I just got around to it!
Thanks for mentioning it!
Anon~
Thanks for mentioning it!
Anon~
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Kay_Cee
Guest
I decided to go to the source and ask my teenage daughter (straight A student).
Her recommendations:
Absolutely no Jack London (She calls him “extremely boring”). She also hated *Old Man and the Sea, *which she says was all description and little plot.
She liked *Tom Sawyer *but not *Huckleberry Finn. *
She did enjoy Brave New World , *The Crucible, *and Lord of the Flies.
Other authors she likes are all British.
Her recommendations:
Absolutely no Jack London (She calls him “extremely boring”). She also hated *Old Man and the Sea, *which she says was all description and little plot.
She liked *Tom Sawyer *but not *Huckleberry Finn. *
She did enjoy Brave New World , *The Crucible, *and Lord of the Flies.
Other authors she likes are all British.
C
cecelia
Guest
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (classic satire)
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; its universal theme may
resonate with today’s existential teenagers
Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens(selflessness, which is seldom seen today)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville(classic, the great American Novel)
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (you’ll be surprised at the student’s reaction to this book, and you’ll gain insight into their postmodern reaction sexual mores)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (the crippling effects of beauty on those who are eligible to meet the standard)
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; its universal theme may
resonate with today’s existential teenagers
Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens(selflessness, which is seldom seen today)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville(classic, the great American Novel)
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (you’ll be surprised at the student’s reaction to this book, and you’ll gain insight into their postmodern reaction sexual mores)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (the crippling effects of beauty on those who are eligible to meet the standard)
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SemperJase
Guest
Edgar Allen Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death.
One I haven’t seen mentioned yet that should be required reading for every student is Booker T Washington’s autobiography “Up From Slavery”. It the most inspiring biography I have ever read. You may want to use this as a follow up to Huckleberry Finn.
One I haven’t seen mentioned yet that should be required reading for every student is Booker T Washington’s autobiography “Up From Slavery”. It the most inspiring biography I have ever read. You may want to use this as a follow up to Huckleberry Finn.
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