Books about saints are nearly as numerous as the holy role models themselves, but this version by Craughwell (The Wisdom of the Popes) is a surprisingly welcome addition. Cleverly organized with updated categories like "Saints for the Workplace" and "Saints for Social Action," this volume is full of well-told stories and interesting tidbits about saints, some lesser known and others with ecclesiastical star power. Craughwell has identified saints for single moms, lapsed Catholics and financial professionals, as well as for contemporary concerns and causes like wholesome Web surfing and ending abortion and racial injustice. He has also done his homework, going well beyond saccharine hagiography and painting his subjects with texture, detail and background. His choices include familiar favorites like St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, and St. Jude, patron of impossible cases, along with newcomers like St. Maximilian Kolbe, who died at Auschwitz when he offered to take the place of a prisoner who was to be executed. Craughwell also clears up a misunderstanding dating to 1969 about the status of St. Christopher, assuring readers that the patron of travelers did indeed exist and that he remains a saint according to the Catholic Church. Anyone fascinated by the lives of holy people will enjoy paging through this compendium, which, with its calendar of saints' feasts, makes an excellent resource for home and classroom use. (Dec.)
Forecast:This will be an alternate selection of both the BOMC and the History Book Club in March, which may help put the tiny publisher Stampley on the map.
