The "Left Behind" books

[Cat]

Although I respect these series, I would argue that they do NOT fulfil the criteria that I listed. Perhaps you were referring to another post than mine?

First of all, these are fantasy, not popular novels. I personally don’t like fantasy literature very much, other than fairy tales. Many (not all) women and men share my tastes. We want to read novels about people–human beings, not elves, dwarves, hobbits, and other mythological beings. And we want to read novels with non-fantasy plots. The Left Behind novels are about modern-day people facing the unthinkable–being left behind. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue in the novels. But no dragons and no swordfights. That’s fantasy. Not all fiction is fantasy.

Both Tolkien and Lewis wrote their fantasy series at a reading level much higher than middle school. Also, the fact that both gentlemen were English means that their works include vocabulary, etc. that is unfamiliar to American readers. When I was growing up in the 70s, the English teachers considered the LOTR series appropriate college-level reading. Considering the decline in reading comprehension among American people, I would say that, sadly, we are probably even less likely to comprehend and appreciate Tolkien now than 40 years ago! The “Left Behind” series is written at a level that is comprehensible to a 6th grader.

To a certain extent, Lewis and Tolkien include romance in their novels. But again, this is not romance like most of us experience romance. We’re talking fantasy here! Star Trek, Dark Shadow, Snow White! We’re not talking about a human man and a human woman meeting and falling in love during a series of events.

Now please don’t think I’m criticizing Tolkien or Lewis. I think these are great pieces of fine literature, and for many, they are beach reads. But there are many more who would not consider LOTR or Narnia a “beach read.”

And that’s what I’m talking about–I’m talking about “beach reads.” That’s what Left Behind is–a beach read, something you bring to the airport to keep you entertained while sitting out a delay or a bump. It’s not by any stretch of the imagination “fine literature.”

I think Catholics are looking for “beach reads,” and not finding them. I’m guessing that there is resistance to Catholic publishing houses publishing “low-brow” literature instead of fine literature. And I think that’s wrong–I see nothing wrong with “beach reads,” good well-written novels with a Catholic/Christian worldview. Not all Christian reading has to be “fine literature.”

The Protestants have learned over the last 30 years that lots and lots of Christians want to read “beach reads.” There are entire sections of Protestant books stores devoted to “beach read” novels! Yes, there are Protestant fantasy novels, also, but there are many many novels like this: “Steve, an escapee from a fanatical fundamentalist family and now a rising young executive in a fast-paced software company, meets Elaine, a lovely divorced secretary who is struggling to recover from an abusive marriage and hold onto her fragile faith. Will Steve and Elaine be able, with the help of God, to work through the issues that both keep them apart and draw them together?”

There are no elves in Steve’s and Elaine’s world, just as there are no elves (at least that we can see) in our worlds. That’s why many of us prefer to read about Steve and Elaine rather than Aragorn and Arwen. Sorry!

I say that Catholics need to play catch-up here and make like the Protestants when it comes to fiction! Right now, Catholics make up a huge portion of the purchasers of the “Steve and Elaine” novels! So Catholic publishers aren’t accomplishing anything by refusing “beach reads” other than losing the money that Catholic readers are spending in PROTESTANT bookstores! Catholic publishers should look for some good Catholic novelists and jump on the bandwagon! I don’t they should be afraid that Catholics won’t read the novels–obviously Catholics ARE reading “Christian” novels as evidenced by the ca-ching in the Protestant bookstores!

 

[thequeen]

I was wondering if anyone could give me a brief synopsis of these books and what you opinions of them are. I used to work in a Christian book shop on a saturday morning when I was still in school and people would buy them by the truck load (most of these same people also found the sight of rosary beads offensive so the lady who owned the shop would keep the rosaries in a secret box especially for Catholics which was so kind of her) and I had/have many friends who’ve read them and absolutely love them. The slightly worrying thing is though is that they seem to take the books literally, almost as literally as they take the book of the Revelation to John, as if the end really will happen the way it does in Left Behind and that the Pope wouldnt be “saved” or “raptured” unless he submitted to the teachings of Luther. My friends who say this are all non-Catholic Christians and it seems they say these things as a result of discussing the Left Behind books and not the Bible itself. I dont know any Catholics who have read the books, which is why Im asking you guys for your opinion of them. I tried reading them for myself but I struggled to get through the first one because I simply couldnt get into it, but I do want to find out more about them and what they have to say because my non-Catholic Christian friends have rather anti-Catholic views and are slightly obsessed with the end times and I worry that it may be a result of reading these books.

Do not listen to them listen to the teachings of the magisterium of the Catholic Church and try and find some good Catholic books and novels to read

 

[mark_a]

Will folks that really don’t spend a lot of time tinking about the possibility of a rapture be left behind if and when it happens? Or is being rapture-obsessed a prerequisite for being raptured???

In rapture theology, would it be ok to think of Mary’s assumption as some type of “pre” rapture???

Should I spend my money on a “rapture suit” or will my clothes be “left behind”???

 

[Rascalking]

This catholic enjoyed them for what they were-fun, pop literature that is clean with the good guys winning at the end.

I’m got my MA in English-it’s not my “type” of literature at all, but who cares? It’s fun to read these.

 

[Lujack]

I feel the same way about “The Shack.” A poor work of fiction, and a bunch of hooey dressed up as theology. Yet some people go on and on as though it was actually inspired by God himself, or “herself,” as God presents the Trinity as a black woman, an Asian sprite/fairy as the Holy Spirit, and the traditional bearded carpenter as Jesus.

I found many errors and inconsistencies yet I know Catholics who think this book was just so wonderful and it “changed” their lives!!!

The Shack is far different from Left Behind; I haven’t read the Shack, but all the criticisms are that it is syrupy without much substance. Left Behind, on the other hand, is anti-everybody-who-isn’t-of-the-denomination-of-the-author, and it has some particularly ugly Jewish stereotype characters (of the “Jews are cheap! haha!” variety) and some equally ugly stereotypes of Catholics.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Will folks that really don’t spend a lot of time tinking about the possibility of a rapture be left behind if and when it happens? Or is being rapture-obsessed a prerequisite for being raptured???

In rapture theology, would it be ok to think of Mary’s assumption as some type of “pre” rapture???

Should I spend my money on a “rapture suit” or will my clothes be “left behind”???

“Rapture suit!” LOL Good question! I can’t remember if the Left Behind movies showed a bunch of clothing where the person was lifted up…I think not. So dress up because you never know when you might be raptured, and it would suck to be in paradise wearing a Jimmy Buffet t-shirt, board shorts and flip-flops! “What Not to Wear: Rapture Episode!”

 

[TMC]

Lewis’ sci-fi books are OK, too, but fail the criteria by being at a higher reading level and maybe not appropriate for kids. A Canticle for Leibowitz is a sci-fi book with a strong religious theme. I am not sure it meets all of the listed criteria - in part because it both honors and critiques religion and religous practices, and has some arguably questionable theology. I enjoyed it, though.

 

[Cat]

?? They do?

Who are these authors and what are their novels? Why aren’t they in the catalogues, or sold in the Catholic bookstores or at Catholic family conferences?

Flannery O’Connor doesn’t count. She wrote literary fiction, not “beach reads.”

 

[Cat]

Lewis’ sci-fi books are OK, too, but fail the criteria by being at a higher reading level and maybe not appropriate for kids. A Canticle for Leibowitz is a sci-fi book with a strong religious theme. I am not sure it meets all of the listed criteria - in part because it both honors and critiques religion and religous practices, and has some arguably questionable theology. I enjoyed it, though.

OK. I’ve read A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Now I would like you to check out this link to the Karen Kingsbury Website: karenkingsbury.com/

Karen Kingsbury writes romance novels for Protestants (and Catholics!). Her novels are immensely popular best-sellers.

The website lists her novels. You will see that you can click on any of the novels and download a chapter. I would greatly appreciate it if you would do that. Thank you. I hope that (name removed by moderator) will also do this, but of course, he/she will be comparing Kingsbury’s writing to Tolkien and Lewis rather than Miller.

I think you will see immediately that there is a gigantic difference between A Canticle for Leibowitz and any of Karen Kingsbury’s romance novels.

Actually, gigantic isn’t the best word. Humongoidalicious would be better. Or gargantuoso! Actually, there’s no comparison, other than to say that Kingsbury and Miller, Tolkein, and Lewis all use words, usually English words, in their writing. Other than that, there is no comparison. It’s like trying to compare apple pie with a pet cat. They’re two totally different enjoyable things.

I’ll be honest here–I really can’t imagine most young mothers sitting in their rocking chair nursing Baby #4 and reading a heavy-duty morality tale like A Canticle for Leibowitz at 3 in the morning. If you are a young mother who can do that, wow, you’re awesome!

But I can imagine many young mothers reading Kingsbury’s lightly-written, faith-filled romances while nursing a baby at 3 in the morning! .

And that’s the kind of novel that I think should be available through Catholic publishing houses specifically for Catholic readers. I think it’s really too bad that women who are looking for light Christian romance have to buy from Protestant publishing houses.

Yes, I know, Karen Kingsbury is hardly “literature.” It’s beach read stuff. And that’s fine. The thousands of people who buy her novels don’t seem to mind one bit!

 

[TMC]

OK. I’ve read A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Now I would like you to check out this link to the Karen Kingsbury Website: karenkingsbury.com/

Karen Kingsbury writes romance novels for Protestants (and Catholics!). Her novels are immensely popular best-sellers.

The website lists her novels. You will see that you can click on any of the novels and download a chapter. I would greatly appreciate it if you would do that. Thank you. I hope that (name removed by moderator) will also do this, but of course, he/she will be comparing Kingsbury’s writing to Tolkien and Lewis rather than Miller.

I think you will see immediately that there is a gigantic difference between A Canticle for Leibowitz and any of Karen Kingsbury’s romance novels.

Actually, gigantic isn’t the best word. Humongoidalicious would be better. Or gargantuoso! Actually, there’s no comparison, other than to say that Kingsbury and Miller, Tolkein, and Lewis all use words, usually English words, in their writing. Other than that, there is no comparison. It’s like trying to compare apple pie with a pet cat. They’re two totally different enjoyable things.

I’ll be honest here–I really can’t imagine most young mothers sitting in their rocking chair nursing Baby #4 and reading a heavy-duty morality tale like A Canticle for Leibowitz at 3 in the morning. If you are a young mother who can do that, wow, you’re awesome!

But I can imagine many young mothers reading Kingsbury’s lightly-written, faith-filled romances while nursing a baby at 3 in the morning! .

And that’s the kind of novel that I think should be available through Catholic publishing houses specifically for Catholic readers. I think it’s really too bad that women who are looking for light Christian romance have to buy from Protestant publishing houses.

Yes, I know, Karen Kingsbury is hardly “literature.” It’s beach read stuff. And that’s fine. The thousands of people who buy her novels don’t seem to mind one bit!

I agree that there are times and places for different kinds of books. Sorry, I don’t have any other light reading recommendations, and I’m not really into the romancey genre. I do have one more sci-fi (but not so light) suggestion - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel. It is about a priest who is also a linguist and goes with an expedition to an alien inhabited planet. It is a fairly easy read, but has some deep and subtle messages about life, faith and religion. It is not fluff, but it is the kind of thing I would have read when up with my kids in the wee hours - although I didn’t (and still don’t) have the equipment to nurse them.

 

[Cat]

I certainly respect your preference for higher literature.

But SOMEONE in the U.S. must be buying all the millions and millions of “lowest common denominator novels” and making their authors wealthy and their publishing houses happy!

I think you’re probably in the minority, at least in the U.S. Many of us enjoy “lowest common denominator” novels. We might read a high-brow classic once in a while, but most of us lounge around with popular “beach reads.”

The authors you mentioned are NOT writing Christian light fiction. (Most of them aren’t writing anything because they’re long-dead.)

I’m not sure that you understand what I’m referring to when I say “Christian beach reads.” I hope you’ll check out that website that I linked in my post above because that will make it clear to you what I’m talking about.

You might throw up when you read the sample chapter, but hey, that’s what Protestant Christians are buying in vast quantities and reading with great zest! And, incidentally, these novels are also being purchased in great quantities by CATHOLIC Christians, especially women, mainly because there are no novels like this in the Catholic bookstores.

The Left Behind series is a form of Christian beach reads. The reason why Left Behind became a huge best-seller is that it has a broader appeal than Karen Kingsbury’s works. Kingsbury’s target audience is women of faith, mainly evangelical Protestant women, while LaHaye and Jenkins target both men and women of all ages and from all walks of life and all faiths. Lots of non-Christians read the Left Behind series and enjoyed it.

I think that the Catholic publishers need to get hopping and FIND some authors like Karen Kingsbury, or LaHaye and Jenkins, and publish the beach read novels that those Catholic authors write, even though they are definitely “lowest common denominator” literature.

As I said before, I can understand why the Catholic publishing houses are understandably nervous about publishing and promoting a “beach read.” Inevitably, some Catholic, probably someone prominent like Father Korapi, will insist that there’s too much sex in the novel, or too much violence, or that the novel has too much “churchese” or too little churchese, or that couples shouldn’t kiss until their wedding night. Or the Catholic critic will claim that the “beach read” is literary trash and that good Catholics should spend their time reading something of greater value.

And of course, it’s not likely that any of these Catholic “beach reads” will receive the Imprimatur from any bishop! I just can’t imagine our bishop (or any bishop) reading a romance novel!

But the money is the same, whether it comes from readers who prefer G.K. Chesterton, or from readers who like Barbara Cartland. And there is no “sin” in preferring “lesser” literature. Many people who are highly intelligent still enjoy relaxing with something simple and “redneck”–think about the immense popularity of NASCAR. There are a lot of successful, educated, and very intelligent people who love NASCAR. I personally can’t stand it, but I respect those who do like it. I think that Catholics need to be careful not to be literary snobs and thus drive Catholics away to Protestant novels. It’s silly. We should be publishing and reading CATHOLIC beach reads! Why don’t we?

 

[Lujack]

I also read Lord of the Rings at a pretty young age (eight; I had read the Hobbit at seven). Chronicles of Narnia are a little easier, but I would put them both comfortably at a high school/eighth grade reading level.

I’m not sure that I honestly understand what a Catholic beach read would be (or a Protestant beach read for that matter). A book is a book, isn’t it? Wouldn’t any kind of good fiction be a suitable “beach read” for a Catholic as long as it isn’t immoral?

 

[bluerose]

I agree with Cat; not many “beach reads” that have a predominantly Catholic “flavor” to them (my definition of a beach read: a book that would probably never make it onto a required reading list at school! )

That said, there are only two authors that I can think of who come even remotely close to a Catholic “beach read”–Mary Higgins Clark and Aimee and David Thurlo. MHC, as most people know, is the reigning Queen of Suspense (make that romantic suspense) and her novels are almost always about a woman in peril who is Catholic (goes to Mass, hobnobs with bishops who are old family friends, etc.–best example is “While My Pretty One Sleeps”.) The Thurlos have no fewer than three series that they author and the one I like most is the Sister Agatha mystery series: A contemplative nun in a cloistered convent in northern New Mexico who rides a motorcycle with her sidekick dog, Pax, in the sidecar (when she isn’t driving the convent’s “Anti-Chrysler”) and solves murder mysteries–not your average sleuth!

They are published by mainstream publishers (Simon & Schuster and St. Martin’s Press, respectively) and enjoy a wide readership, which should give hope to Catholic authors trying find an audience (me!) However, the fact is that the Karen Kingsburys, Janette Okes, Beverly Lewises and Dee Hendersons have huge Christian publishing houses behind them–Bethany House, Anchor Publishing, Multnomah, etc.–whose strict publishing guidelines almost specifically exclude a Catholic worldview.

It would be wonderful if a Catholic publishing house would take up the challenge to provide popular fiction with a definite Catholic flavor… the real challenge being finding authors up to the challenge to write such fiction. It’s a risk, but I believe the audience is there.

 

[jediliz]

funny story about the left behind series…

9 years ago my parents and I and my sister’s family were staying at a state park. When we were getting ready to pack up, we were picking up our stuff in our cabins and under the couch in one cabin, we found a copy of one of the Left Behind books…someone had left behind. We left it there.

The books don’t interest me and it saddens me that some take them literally and seriously.

 

[Cat]

funny story about the left behind series…

9 years ago my parents and I and my sister’s family were staying at a state park. When we were getting ready to pack up, we were picking up our stuff in our cabins and under the couch in one cabin, we found a copy of one of the Left Behind books…someone had left behind. We left it there.

The books don’t interest me and it saddens me that some take them literally and seriously.

That’s funny!

 

[Cat]

I agree with Cat; not many “beach reads” that have a predominantly Catholic “flavor” to them (my definition of a beach read: a book that would probably never make it onto a required reading list at school! )

It would be wonderful if a Catholic publishing house would take up the challenge to provide popular fiction with a definite Catholic flavor… the real challenge being finding authors up to the challenge to write such fiction. It’s a risk, but I believe the audience is there.

Hear, hear! Good thoughtful post.

I spent the first 47 years of my life as an evangelical Protestant. I’ve been Catholic for 7 years this Easter.

There is a big difference between Catholics and Protestants when it comes to reading. Yes, the statements to follow are generalizations, but I think there’s a lot of truth in the following observations.

Protestants read a lot. I said, A LOT! Much of what they read is “Christian.” Many Christians in evangelical churches read very little “secular” work (I know Protestants who don’t allow a secular newspaper or magazine in their home), and spend most of their book money and reading time on overtly Christian authors. It may sound narrow, but honestly it isn’t because there are a lot of really good Protestant Christian authors who write well about interesting things!

I personally love Dr. James Dobson’s books (all non-fiction), and I have read every book he has ever written. I also loved reading Joyce Landorf back before her life fell apart; her books were beautiful. I also love reading anything by Chuck Colson.

My husband has read everything that Frank Peretti, a Protestant Christian fiction author, has ever written.

At the moment, my childhood friend (we grew up in the same church), John Ortberg, is writing big sellers; people love his books with good reason. John is a very smart man and writes well about topics that interest people.

Protestants often have large libraries in their homes with huge collections of Christian books, and they actually read them. We do–we have thousands of books, and a large number of these books are “Christian” books.

Many Protestant churches have a bookstore or at least a book rack where people can purchase Christian books. I’ve never seen this in any Catholic Church.

Many Protestant churches have a lending library. And most pastors have huge personal libraries and willingly loan out their books to their congregation members who are interested.

Often Protestant churches will select a book and do a Wednesday night study on this book for a semester or year. I was involved in these book studies for many decades, from the time I was a teenager.

And pastors will often do a series of Sunday sermons using a book to supplement their Bible-based sermons. But priests, as we know, are required to homilize about the Bible readings, and they can’t turn Mass into a “series on Chuck Swindoll’s latest best-seller.” Can you imagine?! The bishop would spank a priest who tried this, and with good reason!

Catholics do not read much of anything Catholic. Most Catholics can’t name one Catholic book other than the Bible and the Catechism, and most Catholics can’t name one Catholic author other than the Pope or maybe Bishop Fulton Sheen. And I fear that most Catholics aren’t really interested in reading Catholic books, either non-fiction or fiction. They MIGHT be interested in reading Catholic books about sex, except that these books, unlike Protestant sex manuals, reiterate Catholic teachings about birth control, and many Catholics don’t want to hear this or read about it.

Catholics read secular work. They don’t share the fears of Protestants over “worldly” reading material. That’s good for their mental development, but it’s bad news for Catholic publishers who don’t have a market for their books! After all, if Catholics don’t buy “Catholic” books, Protestants certainly aren’t going to buy them!

Another angle is that Protestants have a tendency to make men and women into celebrities. Protestants, at least evangelical Protestants, do not spend a lot of time “in the world,” so they don’t idolize the celebrities that everyone else idolizes. Many evangelicals have no idea who many of the popular movie stars, musicians, and authors are; to this day, my husband is shocked at my total lack of knowledge of the rock musicians of the 70s and 80s! I didn’t listen to them back when I was a teenager–I listened to “Christian” musicians like Evie Tournquist, Keith Green, and Sandi Patty!

Evangelical Protestants don’t actually “idolize” anyone, but they do put people on pedestals and admire them, and the people on those pedestals are generally other evangelicals. Many Protestants become “groupies” of various Christian musicians, authors, speakers, pastors, radio personalities, etc.

Meanwhile, Catholics don’t do this, and that’s a good thing! I think Catholics are afraid of getting burned by adulating a human celebrity. Just today, we learned that our Father Corapi conference is cancelled because of some kind of unsavory problems–sigh. I think Catholics prefer not to take a chance. They pay no attention to Catholic celebs. And that’s another thing that makes it very difficult for a Catholic author to promote their books. While hundreds, even thousands of Protestant women (and Catholic women, too!) come out to a Beth Moore booksigning, only a few dozen people come to a booksigning by a Catholic author. Most Catholics have probably never heard of that Catholic author or his/her book(s).

So I conclude that it is currently difficult to sell “Catholic” books to Catholics. The “culture” of “Christian/Catholic” reading just doesn’t exist.

I wish that could change.

 

[tomarin]

There is a big difference between Catholics and Protestants when it comes to reading. Yes, the statements to follow are generalizations, but I think there’s a lot of truth in the following observations.

Protestants read a lot. I said, A LOT!

This is a really fascinating post, Cat, about something to which I’ve never given much thought. It sounds like what your observations add up to is that there’s a specifically Protestant literary culture or community that has no equivalent in American Catholicism.

Lately when I’ve been browsing books on Amazon I’ve discovered that there are a lot of very non-fuddy duddy (that is, practical, non-scholarly, yet thoughtful) books apparently written by ministers essentially about how to lead a Christian life (for example, there appears to be an enormous sub-genre of books on how to let God’s plan for you become evident in your life), and these books often have a huge following based on the numbers of reviews posted. This is like a parallel universe that I wasn’t aware of until recently; nobody in the secular world notices it or discusses it. But having become aware of it, I’m somewhat in awe of the size and scope of it. (Maybe religion isn’t dying out in America, it’s just being ignored by the tastemaker class?)

 

[tomarin]

I’m not sure that I honestly understand what a Catholic beach read would be (or a Protestant beach read for that matter). A book is a book, isn’t it? Wouldn’t any kind of good fiction be a suitable “beach read” for a Catholic as long as it isn’t immoral?

The contradiction as I see it is that religion is by definition not light, it’s heavy, therefore it’s not suitable for escapist reading? The closest thing I can imagine is a mystery series with a priest or religious as protagonist, since people don’t generally take genre writing seriously.

 

[tomarin]

Although I respect these series, I would argue that they do NOT fulfil the criteria that I listed. Perhaps you were referring to another post than mine?

First of all, these are fantasy, not popular novels.

Wow, another great post (I’m reading the thread backward). But you miss the point somewhat, I think. The Catholic objection to the Left Behind series is not that Catholics may read it, but that they read it without knowing that they’re injesting a bunch of bad theology in the bargain. At least that’s why I became alarmed when an aquaintaince of mine told me she was reading the books and really enjoying them. That’s in part why I went to Olsen’s book. “Left Behind” contains all these millenialist assumptions read into the Book of Revelations but the Catholics who read it go in naively thinking they’re getting something mainstream and harmeless.

But I wholeheartedly understand and accept your point that there is no Catholic equivalent to the Protestant Christian publishing empire, for whatever reason. (I suspect it’s a subphenomenon within the overall collapse of a distinctly Catholic “culture” in America since the 1950’s.)

This is very much a footnote to the above, but I disagree somewhat that LOTR is literature with a capital “L.” I think it’s genre writing of a very high order. For a good example of (Catholic) Christian literature I would point to something like Shusako Endo’s “Silence.”

 

[Cat]

This is a really fascinating post, Cat, about something to which I’ve never given much thought. It sounds like what your observations add up to is that there’s a specifically Protestant literary culture or community that has no equivalent in American Catholicism.

Lately when I’ve been browsing books on Amazon I’ve discovered that there are a lot of very non-fuddy duddy (that is, practical, non-scholarly, yet thoughtful) books apparently written by ministers essentially about how to lead a Christian life (for example, there appears to be an enormous sub-genre of books on how to let God’s plan for you become evident in your life), and these books often have a huge following based on the numbers of reviews posted. This is like a parallel universe that I wasn’t aware of until recently; nobody in the secular world notices it or discusses it. But having become aware of it, I’m somewhat in awe of the size and scope of it. (Maybe religion isn’t dying out in America, it’s just being ignored by the tastemaker class?)

Yes, what you are saying is a very accurate description of Protestantism in the U.S.

I would recommend that everyone on this thread visit a Protestant bookstore and check out the “fiction” section, which will take up a sizeable portion of the store. You’ll see first-hand what I’m fumbling around trying to describe. Protestants read lots, and what they read is “Christian” by “Christian writers.” Catholics do not read “Christian/Catholic” books by “Christian/Catholic” authors.

I think this is what makes it difficult for Catholic publishers to stay in business, and it certainly explains why they are hesitant to take a risk and publish a “Catholic romance” novel or a “Catholic mystery/thriller” novel.

There are somebooks in the Catholic “world,” but they just don’t seem to gain the huge following that the Protestant books get. I think that this is because Catholics do not tend to put any human being on a pedestal. We don’t see “soloists” in the Mass. If a priest gives good homilies, people don’t generally avoid all the other Mass times to be able to attend his Masses–we just go to whichever Mass we normally attend and if we get the “good speaker,” we’re happy, and if we get someone who is dull to listen to, we’re still happy, because the focus of the Mass is Jesus, not a “preacher.”

Even the saints don’t get to be saints until they have gone through years of scrutiny by the authorities at the Vatican.

I think this is a good thing. I’m personally kind of glad to see that there aren’t very many Catholic “celebs.” I’ve attended a Beth Moore seminar, and I found it very hard to watch the fawning adulation that Ms. Moore was given by her many adoring fans. I have no problem at all with fandom when it comes to movie stars, athletes, etc., but I do have a bit of a problem with being a groupie of a Christian speaker, singer, preacher, writer, etc.

Although I have to admit with a bit of shame–if my (Catholic) novel is published, I would really love to go on that promotional tour and sign books and hear people say, “I loved your book!” I have several novels published for young people (see the website in my signature), and I love it when skaters or their parents ask me to autograph their copies of my books. But for me, it’s not so much about “me” as it is about meeting people–I’m really interested in people and love talking. I’ll strike up conversations with complete strangers that look interesting.

BTW, I hope you don’t mind if I pass along a link to a Catholic-written fiction book (mystery-thriller) that I am ordering because I think it looks really good and I like the sample chapter. The book is called Bleeder. amazon.com/Bleeder-Mystery-John-J-Desjarlais/dp/1933184566 Has anyone here read it and care to give us an opinion?