Tomorrow I’ll be featuring an interview with Hallie Lord, editor of “Style, Sex, and Substance”, and on Friday I’ll be giving away a copy of the book signed by all ten contributors! Subscribe through feed reader or email to ensure you don’t miss out.
This review was written by my wonderful wife, Kathleen. You might remember her great review of Abby Johnson’s book, Unplanned, in which I noted how far she’s come as a reader and a writer. When we first got married, Kathleen told me–and I quote–that “when I think about books, I want to throw up.”
Little did she know that bibliophilia is contagious. She’s now a reader, a writer, a blog-lurker, and she’s written another great review. Consider me a very proud husband.
Style, Sex, and Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things That Really Matter
Edited by Hallie Lord
“There is not a one-size-fits-all template for being a good Catholic.” – Jennifer Fulwiler
As a young wife, and stay-at-home mom of three kids, I knew I would relate to Hallie Lord’s new book, Style, Sex, and Substance. And that was true–it was packed with relevant content. But I was surprised to relate even to the chapter on singleness by Anna Mitchell, which had plenty of its own nuggets. This one especially hit me:
“I won’t sugarcoat the frustration that comes from waiting for a vocation to be realized. I am at least consoled in knowing that my ideas for the ideal life are not as good as God’s.”
Anna was talking specifically about her discernment process, and choosing between marriage, a convent, or the single life. But her words taught me many lessons even as a married woman. They were a good reminder that ultimately God is a capable conductor, even when we want to steal the baton.
This is just one example of how applicable Style, Sex, and Substance would be for all women, whatever her age or state in life. Through the gifted contributors, an 18-year-old high school graduate would get just as much out of this book as a 40-year-old nun who long ago professed her vows.
The consistent theme of the book is how to discern your true vocation, to find that place where God has uniquely called you to be. And that’s not a vocation for the future but for the present. As Rebecca Ryskind Teti points out in her chapter on work, “God gives us the grace to do what we must right now.”
At times I found myself in tears at the deep emotional truths I was reading, feeling as though that particular author had written the words on the page just for me. But there were also plenty of laughs (you try reading Simcha Fisher without chuckling.)
Along with the topics of vocation and discernment, the ten excellent writers explore subjects such as prayer, friendships, motherhood, and, as the title suggests, style. If you follow any Catholic woman’s blogs, then you might already be familiar with several of the contributors–and if you don’t, you’ll be subscribing to several after finishing the book.
While any Catholic woman would enjoy Style, Sex, and Substance, it would be a great read for a small group study. Each chapter concludes with six thought-provoking questions to incite discussion within a group of friends. In fact because each chapter is written by a different author, I found there really is no need to read the book straight through from beginning to end. Whether alone or in a group, you could just as easily skip from chapter two, to nine, then back to five if you so wished.
Ultimately, this book is an excellent, easy read that should be enjoyed by Catholic women from all walks of life. So consider buying a handful of copies–one for you, some for your friends–and together discover the things that really matter.
And if that rave review doesn’t convince you to buy the book, perhaps these pictures will:
Tomorrow I’ll be featuring an interview with Hallie Lord, editor of “Style, Sex, and Substance”, and on Friday I’ll be giving away a copy of the book signed by all ten contributors! Subscribe through feed reader or email to ensure you don’t miss out.