March 21st: Self righteousness: an obstacle to growth
March 18, 2020
Opening Our Eyes to Our Common Humanity
March 20, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic drives us indoors to hunker down with loved ones, what better time to pick up a book. Brett Cassim of Metropolitan Book Suppliers/ The Book Emporium Ltd shares with Catholic News his recommendations.
1) Left to tell Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust—Immaculee Ilibagiza. Find the audiobook Free with 30-day trial here.
Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss.
2) Long Walk to Freedom —Nelson Mandela. Read for free here:
Nelson Mandela was one of the great moral and political leaders of his time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. After his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela was at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is still revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.
Long Walk to Freedom is his moving and exhilarating autobiography, destined to take its place among the finest memoirs of history’s greatest figures. Here for the first time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela told the extraordinary story of his life—an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph.
3) Animal Farm —George Orwell. Read free online here and here.
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on August 17, 1945. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy.
4) Inner City Girl —Colleen Smith-Dennis. Read for free here: (Click on Free Preview)
Martina does the unthinkable: a poor girl from the inner-city gains entry into one of the most prestigious high schools in the country. Milverton High, situated on a hill with its picturesque surroundings, students from the upper echelons of society and teachers who do not necessarily understand, contrasts with the poverty, hunger and family problems which Martina encounters. But Martina is not about to succumb to ridicule, rejection, and poverty. Milverton High! Here she comes—defying all the odds!
