The Lily Trilogy

This summer I had the opportunity to read the Lily Trilogy by Catholic author Sherry Boas.    The trilogy portrays the life of Lily, a Down Syndrome child whose story as she grows into adulthood is entwined with the lives of her aunt, adoptive sister, and niece.   

I happen to have a 12 year old son, my sixth-born, who had a major stroke soon after birth and is moderately developmentally delayed because of this.   In spite of his challenges, and some medical crises and worries during his early years, he has been a joy to our family and has brought many graces.   Though Aidan is a different person than Lily, and my life is very different from the lives of the characters in the books, I felt many twinges of recognition as I read. 

The first book, Until Lily, tells about Bev, an old lady in a nursing home. We find out through flashbacks that she was a career woman who chose to be childless, but had motherhood thrust upon her when her sister dies of cancer, leaving her with her own three children. The youngest, still a preschooler, is Lily, who has Down Syndrome. Bev does not want Lily, but reluctantly, like Simon of Cyrene, shoulders the cross because it was her sister's dying plea.

Because of the way the story unfolds, we see how in her later life, the very burden she often resented has become a great blessing to her. Lily is a faithful visitor to the nursing home, a friend to many of the other occupants, one of the last solaces in her aunt's life. Bev fully realizes the irony, that the child she wanted her sister to abort has become the great comfort of her life, and she tells about her dependence on Lily with wry, unsentimental terseness.

In the two subsequent books of the trilogy, Wherever Lily Goes and Life Entwined with Lily's, we become part of the lives of Lily's older sister Terry, who like Lily was adopted by Bev in childhood after the death of her mother, and then of Terry's daughter, Beth. Terry is feeling trapped and bored by a stagnant marriage, but indirectly through Lily her faith and love for her husband take on a new lease of life, literally. Beth is battling some difficult issues from her past. Through the intertwining of their lives with Lily's, we are able to see the small, subtle touches of grace that end up having decisive impacts on their lives.

Lily is a strong, funny, and unique character in her own right, but she also becomes somewhat of a symbol, of the ordinariness and humility of grace in the lives of others.    


The books are told in first person, present tense, which seems well suited to this particular trio of stories.    Present events recall moments from the past, which allows for a flexibility that adds significance to everything that happens. Theis brings out the significance of little things, epiphanies that would otherwise slide by, and often seem to do in our daily lives.   Again and again I was reminded of how small things, small decisions, small acts of love, can have a ripple effect on the lives of other people, even though we are not always around to see the whole picture. 

Perhaps because of her own experience mothering a Down Syndrome child, Sherry Boas manages to be realistic in an understated, vivid way about the small but piercing aggravations as well as the small, ordinary graces. She also manages, by showing the influence of Lily's life across three generations of women, to show the big picture that is not always evident when you are chasing down a toilet-resistant six year old, or worrying about a mentally disabled adult who is late arriving and never remembers to bring her cell phone on the bus with her.

I am very glad I got the chance to read these books; beyond my identification with the circumstances and themes of the trilogy, I found them to be a well-written, deeply Catholic take on some of the issues and difficulties of our modern times. The books deal with situations from adoption to single motherhood to abortion to troubled marriages; not with a view to pat answers, but with an eye for realistic detail and grace in the little things.

I think a non-Christian could read them and get a better understanding of the value of every life, and I think Catholics with some doubts about the tricky issues could get much good out of them.   I would also recommend them to anyone looking for thoughtful, interesting Catholic fiction, and particularly for parents dealing with special needs.   I think older teenagers and college students would enjoy these books, as well. 



You can find out more, including information on author Sherry Boas and on how to get the books here. 

Review: Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last

I truly enjoy discovering new authors and new books. I just finished reading Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last by Paolo A. Belzoni (Kindle version). Belisarius is published by the small, yet wonderful, Catholic press Arx Publishing.

In a nutshell, I loved it. This is a great one to read yourself, especially if you like historical fiction. You can also give it to just about any high school student. You could give it to a middle school student as well but please know ahead of time that there are graphic war scenes and it does touch on the fact that some characters, well, lack character. That is to say some of the males are womanizers and some of the females have a past.

However, a book written with only perfect characters is worthless. How do we learn from their mistakes if they don't make them? How do we learn that we too can be heroes if the book's hero is too far beyond our grasp?

Belisarius does possess great humility and piety with just a few stumbles. However, he is not without trials. He gets into far too many scraps as a youngster but learns self control and to use his fighting skill for good. He rises up from a simple farm boy to a great general in the Roman army. He meets failure on the battle field but perseveres and learns from his mistakes. He is met with temptation, yet stands strong. He is a model for us and for our children that with tenacity, hard work and dedication combined with strong Catholic principles you can achieve greatness for the Kingdom.

In addition to being a good, uplifting story, Belisarius can be tied into your history studies. The story begins in 504 AD as the Roman Empire is struggling with the Barbarians on one front and the Persians attacking on another. We follow Belisarius from childhood to manhood and we see how he changes history through his skill and dedication. He is considered by historians to be one of "The Last of the Romans".

We're studying the Middle Ages this upcoming school year. We'll begin in September with the 6th Century. We plan to read a large variety of historical fiction to accompany our studies and Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last is, fittingly enough by it's title, first on the reading list.

I did have one quibble and it wasn't even about the story. The cover of the book is quite lovely but to me it says, "This is a book for younger children." In my opinion, this is a book for high school to adult. Other than that, and a few minor editing errors, I truly loved this book. It's a story worth reading. Now, if it was available on audio that would be really sweet!

Note that this is the first in a series of three books so you don't get a nice clean ending. The third in the series is currently being written. I hope to get to Belisarius--Book II: Glory of the Romans soon. Very soon.

Cross post from: Maureen Wittmann

Support a Catholic Speaker Month! Mike Aquilina

Fallible Blogma has put together a wonderful project that I'm very delighted to participate in: Support a Catholic Speaker Month. Here's what the project organizers have to say about it:

The goal is to create a rising Catholic tide on the internet that lifts all boats (websites, speakers, and all those who participate). This giant, sudden influx of Catholic material and interlinking between Catholic websites should get some attention and raise awareness about all of these great Catholic speakers while also promoting the many wonderful Catholic blogs out there that perhaps you haven’t heard of yet either.

I think this is a fabulous idea, in part because we all need to be frequently reminded of what bonds us together - a passion for Christ's truth and a strong desire to share it with others. We need to focus on the truth we hold in common partly because the devil wishes to divide us - and sometimes accomplishes it through the most non-essential differences - like differences of taste or personality (which are gifts from God intended to enrich our lives and the world not divide us and keep us from accomplishing His will). This message of unity is the same message that has been beautifully articulated in a quote I came across many years ago when it was taken on as the motto of Catholic Information Network and which is popularly attributed to St. Augustine:

"In essentials unity, in doubtful matters, liberty, in all things, charity."

I've long been a fan of Mike Aquilina's work - especially through his books and blog - and I think the quote is one he'd heartily agree with. I was privileged to have a chat with him in preparation for this interview and asked him about this unity of truth and charity and how he came to understand it in his own life. He said that studying the Fathers of the Church (and appreciating their differences as well as what they held in common) and having children (he's a homeschool dad of six!) were primary influences.

Mike's blog, the Way of the Fathers, is always a pleasure to read, especially for those who have an interest in history, and I've always enjoyed his quirky sense of humor present there. He's a prolific writer and editor, though we only have a few of his books reviewed here on Love2learn (so far):

The Fathers of the Church
Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols
Love in the Little Things: Tales of Family Life

This last book is a particular favorite of mine and speaks well to his potential as a speaker on parenting and family life in addition to his areas of expertise in history and theology. I think he'd make a great speaker for homeschool conferences as well as ones aimed at wider Catholic audiences. He also speaks on the angels.

He's a big part of an excellent new project for children on Saint Perpetua. The Story of Saint Perpetua (from the Catholic Heroes of the Faith series) is a short animated film on the early Christian martyr and her companions. You can read a detailed review on Love2learn. As mentioned in the review, Mike is also featured in a companion documentary on Saint Perpetua, The Passion of Saint Perpetua: Martyr of the Faith, which is excellent.

Mike has co-hosted a number of EWTN programs with Scott Hahn and is the vice-president of The Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Mike is a passionate and faith-filled speaker with a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm to share with others, as evidenced by the free radio clips and talks available on his website.

You can visit the following websites for more information on Mike Aquilina and his projects and interests:

Mike Aquilina's Website

The Way of the Fathers Blog

Catholics, Homeschooling, and Copyright Infringement

Have you ever photocopied homeschool materials without a second thought? Or perhaps you've done it with the full knowledge that you were violating copyright laws but thought, "It's no big deal. It's only a few copies."

This is a real problem in the Catholic and homeschooling communities. I've had the opportunity over the years to talk to publishers about this at length and it hurts their businesses and their ability to continue to bring you quality materials.

To learn more, I'd like to share with you this video and accompanying website as well as an article I wrote on the topic several years ago.



Homeschool Copyright Awareness: What is Educational Fair Use

To Photocopy or Not to Photocopy

Michael Dubruiel, RIP

Michael Dubruiel, author and champion of all things Catholic, was called home yesterday morning. He collapsed at the gym and could not be revived. Michael leaves behind his dear wife Amy Welborn and two beautiful, young children.

I had the great pleasure of working with Michael off and on over the years when he was an editor at Our Sunday Visitor. He was a joy to work with and always had an encouraging word for his fellow writers and editors.

First and foremost we can help the Dubruiel family through the gift of prayer. Please pray for Michael's eternal soul as well as for strength, faith, and love for Amy, the children, and the rest of the family.

You can also help another way. Amy wrote at her blog:

Many thanks for all of the prayers and notes. It is overwhelming. Many have asked what they can do of a material or concrete nature. All I can say is to simply buy his books. Not from me, because I am in no position to fill orders, but from anywhere else. He long ago promised God that he would give all the royalties of The How To Book of the Mass to the children’s college funds, which he did faithfully. It is in good shape because of that. Buy them, read them, and give them away to others. Spread the Word. That is what he was all about.

We will post reviews of Michael's and Amy's books as they come in. Just about any title you purchase from these two authors are guaranteed to be more than worthy of your book shelf space. Gosh, I've found The How-To Book of the Mass worth the cash to purchase in bulk and give away.

You can find their titles just about anyplace that sells quality Catholic books from Adoremus Books to Our Sunday Visitor to Catholic Company to Amazon.com and more.

Additional Information:

Danielle Bean is taking up a collection at Faith and Family Live to help with funeral expenses and other needs. If you have trouble with that site, you can try donating here.

Reviews of Michael and Amy's books (Check back as more are added - these are the ones already on the Love2learn site, but we've had offers to review some of the others. Please remember that we are only an informational site and don't sell the materials ourselves.):

The Church's Most Powerful Novenas by Michael Dubruiel

The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life by Michael Dubruiel

Prove It! The Catholic Teen Bible by Amy Welborn

here. now. a catholic guide to the good life by Amy Welborn

de-coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code by Amy Welborn

Please feel free to leave links to other reviews in the comments and we'll bring them up here.

UPDATE: The best place to purchase Michaels' books for the sake of helping the family is directly through Our Sunday Visitor, who are doubling the expected proceeds from each book in order to help the family.

Catholic History Texts on Sale

All Ye Lands and From Sea to Shining Sea (from the Catholic Textbook Project) are both currently on sale at Ignatius Press for approximately half price! Check out Ignatius.com and click on "Sale Items".

Ann Ball, Rest in Peace

Ann Ball, author of many Catholic books for children, as well as the book that first introduced me to Blessed Miguel Pro, passed away on Sunday night.

Here are a few of our Love2learn Reviews of her books:

Holy Names of Jesus: Devotions, Litanies, Meditations

Young Faces of Holiness

A Litany of Saints

Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th Century Martyr

Catholic Traditions in Crafts

Catholic Bible Stories for Children

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

UPDATE: Catholic News Agency Article

Review: Catholic Reluctantly

Reviewed by Mary G.

Sophia Institute Press has just published the first in a fascinating new series created by a team of young Catholic authors. This series, John Paul 2 High, is written specifically for Catholic teens and the series purports to tell stories with problems and solutions that Catholic teens may encounter in their high school years. My 16 year-old daughter and I have read the first in the series and are very impressed with the story, the writing and the overall intent of the series.

So here’s the story-line of the first book, Catholic Reluctantly. A Catholic school opened by parents is about to increase their enrollment by 40 percent – two new students are about to join the other five students in the run-down halls of John Paul 2 High School. The students are all quite different: academically, socially and ethnically. In fact, the only thing that links the teens is that they’re all at least nominally Catholic.

First, we meet Allie, a beautiful girl coming from the 10th grade of the nearby public school, whose mother wants to protect her from a scary event that happened at the large public school. Next is George, an athletic, handsome teen who has also been recently removed from a larger 10th grade class at a Catholic high school; his biggest upset as the book starts is that he won’t be able to wrestle at this itty-bitty school. Celia is an almost too-sweet, very Catholic girl who has known George all her life; her dad is the driving force behind the school. J.P. is a joke-cracking, prank-doing 9th grader whose mom is also one of the teachers. Liz, who can’t seem to understand how she ever landed at JP 2 High, is the daughter of the science teacher and a 9th grader who is trying to live a “real” high school life in spite of this minimal enrollment body of students. Brian is a preppy, brilliant 9th grade student who has been homeschooled in the past. The last of the students, and the newest, is James – he’s a rigoristic home-taught 11th grade student who has some socializing issues.

This first book brings these seven students together – with the teachers and parents who want the school to succeed – with clashes of personality and teen-issues throughout the book. The past keeps haunting all the characters and the future looks none too bright as the school building is as shaky as the people involved. By the end of the book, you’re hoping for the lasting success of the school and that it can grow to be self-sufficient.

The book reads very well; it’s a definite page-turner with lots of surprises and events that keep the reader going. Because it’s trying to be realistic, this book doesn’t solve all the problems and mysteries within the 300+ pages. You’re meant to end the book, shaking your head, wondering “but what about...”

By the way, “Christian M. Frank” is a team of young Catholic writers – the penname comes from the fact that some of the authors went to Christendom and some went to Franciscan University (and the M. is for the Blessed Mother). Regina Doman, noted author of Shadow of the Bear and Black as Night, is the overall series editor and part of the team of authors working on these books. Doman’s writing experience shines through; what could become a tangled batch of words ends as a cohesive whole under her editorship.

My daughter and I are looking forward to the next volume in the series, Vengeance, Sort Of due out shortly. Catholic Reluctantly is available directly from Sophia Press, or can be purchased from Amazon and other retail book outlets. For further information about this first book, the series or the team writing the books, please check their website, http://www.johnpaul2high.com/ .