A variety of new books offer educational value, spiritual nourishment and holiday fun to readers. Here are a few recent offerings.

Religious values of patriotic Americans
The Spiritual Journey of George Washington, by Janice T. Connell. Hatherleigh Press (Long Island City, N.Y., 2007) 224 pp. $15.95.

Grace Under Fire: Letters of Faith in Times of War, edited by Andrew Carroll. Doubleday (New York, 2007) 149 pp. $16.95.

"The Spiritual Journey of George Washington" by Janice Connell and "Grace Under Fire," edited by Andrew Carroll, deal with the religious values of patriotic Americans. The first focuses on George Washington and the second on armed services personnel during wartime.

Connell presents Washington as a man of profound spiritual depth. She devotes 13 pages to the exact text of "The Rules of Civility," which he copied by hand when he was 13. The rules include directives against coughing loudly, dozing during conversations, killing lice in public and spitting into the fireplace. Although Connell compares the rules to "Ignatian discipline designed to form the authentic spiritual man," the injunctions actually focus on manners expected in the 18th century.

The author also devotes 16 full pages to quoting a set of handwritten prayers believed to be in Washington's handwriting, surmising that he used the text for daily prayer.

Although the first president always referred to God as "Providence," Connell claims that "God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, was the light of his (Washington's) life." When the Founding Father on rare occasions used the word "Christian," it was in the context of either decency or morality. The author, however, suggests that Washington was so deeply imbued with Catholic/Anglican imagery that he would have readily accepted a vision of Mary, who, according to oral tradition, appeared to him, accompanied by a angel who foretold that the Union would last as long as "the stars remain and the heavens send down dew upon the earth."

Throughout the book, Connell reads her own interpretations into the factual and quasi-factual material presented as evidence of Washington's ongoing religious depth and development. Admittedly, George Washington was a brave, admirable, Christian man, but the author confuses Catholic belief and spirituality with the ideals of stoicism, Promethean deeds, honor and reputation --- clearly the values of an 18th-century gentleman.

Carroll, the editor of "Grace Under Fire," began the Legacy Project, an organization that collects personal wartime correspondence, in 1998. The book contains letters from the Revolutionary War to the war on terrorism. Carroll's intent is to reveal the devotion, courage, honor, faith and resilience of individual combatants who have borne the "burdens of Job" and are models of perseverance for all of us who face smaller daily battles against "despair, sin and doubt."

Many men feel like cogs in a huge wheel and express shock over the death of friends, and terrible guilt over killing enemies. A pilot writes how hard it was to sing about "peace on earth" when he might kill thousands the next day. However, most letters reveal great trust in God and show energetic chaplains holding services all hours of the day. A sailor describes men of different faiths joining him in the Seder meal and of his hope that the United Nations would some day achieve peace.

The most striking aspect of the letters is the transformation of many combatants through the experience of war: spiritual growth resulting from long periods of reflection, near-death experiences, confrontations with fear and even captivity. One chaplain reports that soldiers facing death "lose all the trivia of modern society," and "face to face with the bare essentials of what is human," are humanized by suffering.

In one letter, a soldier flying over Iraq realizes that he is looking at the birthplace of civilization. Readers might be led to wonder if the fate of civilization might now be threatened at its very place of origin and also to reflect throughout the book on how many wars and casualties our country has experienced in its relatively short history.

---Sister Mona Castelazo, CSJ

Lively anthologies of Catholic reading
One Hundred Great Catholic Books: From the Early Centuries to the Present, by Don Brophy. BlueBridge (New York, 2007). 222 pp., $16.

The Best Catholic Writing 2007, edited by Jim Manney, foreword by Brian Doyle. Loyola Press (Chicago, 2007). 241 pp., $14.95.

The Best American Spiritual Writing 2007, edited by Philip Zaleski, introduction by Harvey Cox. Houghton Mifflin (New York, 2007). 306 pp., $14.

Three new collections of short selections, each with a slightly different focus, have been released this year.

"One Hundred Great Catholic Books: From the Early Centuries to the Present" is the book I plan to buy for my college-educated nephews and nieces. A generation educated in public schools and secular universities knows literature and philosophy but is unfamiliar with Catholic culture. This book can lead them through the centuries, identifying who "the greats" are and why.

The 100 most important Catholic books were chosen by Don Brophy, a former editor for Catholic book publisher Paulist Press. Brophy wrote the two-page descriptions of each book. In a final short essay he briefly describes 50 more books that nearly made the list. You could not ask for a more intelligent, accessible and informed guide than Brophy. Here is a witty, knowledgeable friend.

For younger Catholics a book like this can quickly clear up who certain famous names are and why they are famous. It puts in context, for example, writers like Sts. Thomas More, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux.

Even well-read Catholics might hesitate to attempt less accessible writers such as Meister Eckhart and Hildegard of Bingen. Brophy gives good advice on where to begin.

Brophy is also helpful in suggesting the one book out of an author's body of work that he believes should be read before any other. For the late Father Henri Nouwen, he recommends "The Wounded Healer," while for the prolific Father Andrew M. Greeley he suggests "The Great Mysteries."

Most of the books he recommends are from the 20th century, which makes the reading list less daunting. Younger readers may be surprised to find that many great contemporary writers were grounded in a Catholic worldview. The 20th-century writers include English novelists J.R.R. Tolkien and Graham Greene, of course, but also economist E.F. Schumacher, essayist Annie Dillard, short story writer Andre Dubus and American novelist Alice McDermott.

This is a charming and valuable book.

"The Best Catholic Writing 2007" is edited by Jim Manney with a moving foreword and final selection by writer and editor Brian Doyle. Manney, a senior editor at Loyola Press, covers the range of contemporary American Catholic writing, including a few good poets among the many fine essays. I particularly enjoyed Robert Ellsberg's thoughts on editing the late Father Nouwen, Jim Cullen's essay on Bruce Springsteen as the greatest Catholic poet of our time, and Therese J. Borchard's impassioned blog entry on the suffering of depression.

Official speeches are rarely honored as good writing, but Manney includes two in this collection: Pope Benedict XVI's address at Auschwitz and a brief Easter sermon by Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury.

"The Best American Spiritual Writing 2007," edited by Philip Zaleski, includes selections by writers from many American religious traditions. I especially was taken by Robert Louis Wilken's thoughts on the late Jaroslav Pelikan and Garry Wills' fine essay, "What Jesus Did."

The collection includes Marilynne Robinson's scathing dissection of what she calls Richard Dawkins' "hysterical scientism." It was a pleasure to read her cogent attack on Dawkins' flimsy arguments in his mean-spirited best-seller, "The God Delusion."

Finally, Dara Myers' essay on an Indian holy woman's cult followers and the healing of a skeptic's broken heart is an essay that I will long remember for its compassion and humor. There is plenty in this book, but I think it is worth buying for these four pieces alone.

---Maureen Daly

Old treasures, new insights about Christmas
A Family Christmas, selected and introduced by Caroline Kennedy. Hyperion Books (New York, 2007). 332 pp. $26.95.

Christmas: A Candid History, by Bruce David Forbes. University of California Press (Berkeley, Calif., 2007). 179 pp. $19.95.

Christmas thoughts from Truman Capote and St. Augustine might seem like a strange combination. However "A Family Christmas," selected and introduced by Caroline Kennedy, uses these writers and many others to create an eclectic but compelling treasury of reflections and ideas about Christmas.

Kennedy begins her book with an endearing letter she wrote to Santa Claus in 1962. This is followed by a well-informed introduction that includes information on the history of Christmas.

And she explains, rather poignantly, why this collection can be a treasure for families. "The liturgy and literature teach us that Christmas encompasses the miraculous and the tragic, the profound and the ridiculous, and always represents the connection to something larger than ourselves. If we are open to the gifts of understanding, hope and faith in others and in God, the spirit of Christmas can help make real the way we want to live our lives."

The book truly is a smorgasbord of Christmas writings. It includes song lyrics, poetry, essays and even a Supreme Court decision regarding the display of a Christmas creche in Pawtucket, R.I.

This hardcover collection also includes a ribbon bookmark so that readers can mark their place or note a favorite spot.

Various themes are marked as "sort of" chapters. One is dedicated to Santa Claus while another focuses on manger scenes. A lovely chapter is called "Christmas in Wartime" and seems appropriate for this holiday season.

Throughout the book it is obvious that Kennedy loves Christmas and the written word. She has selected many great works to acknowledge a great feast.

"Christmas: A Candid History" by Bruce David Forbes is a very readable and enjoyable book that chronicles the history of Christmas.

The author "tells the story of Christmas --- from its pre-Christian roots, through the birth of Jesus, to the holiday's spread across Europe into the Americas and beyond."

It is a scholarly work that includes 25 pages of notes and an annotated bibliography. Yet the author has a style that makes learning about this holiday interesting and even a little fun.

He also offers some profound thoughts about religious celebrations and their meanings. For example, when discussing Christmas in relationship to light, he offers a great reflection. He writes, "In a way, the approach of winter is a little like walking into death, hoping we will emerge on the other side."

His study of the Christmas narratives in the Gospels of Luke and Mark also offer a lot of food for thought. And the book is chock-full of historical information about Christmas.

Many of these facts should make the reader look at the holiday with new eyes. If one thinks of an old-fashioned New England Christmas, one also should be reminded that Christmas was outlawed in the colonies for many years.

Forbes' book also makes one take a serious look at how Christmas is celebrated today and how much of that is affected by marketing strategies and advertising.

This book has a great, almost comical cover. However, within the pages is a serious study on how and why people celebrate on Dec. 25.

---Peggy Weber

The reviewers: Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Mona Castelazo has taught English for many years in Los Angeles. She is the author of "Under the Skyflower Tree: Reflections of a Nun-Entity," published by iUniverse in 2005. Maureen Daly is a former book review editor for Catholic News Service. Peggy Weber is a columnist and reporter for The Catholic Observer, newspaper of the Diocese of Springfield, Mass. She also is the author of "A Time for Making Memories: Lent 2008 for Families" from Twenty-Third Publications.