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Br. Finnbar McEvoy's avatar

I think Augustine’s metaphor of midwifery for teaching is captivating—I see a connection to our term ‘concept’ to indicate that something is known, apprehended by our mind. I also connect to Augustine’s words about Mary, “she conceived the Word in her heart before she conceived Him in her body.”

Augustine’s imagery of midwifery and the image of nursing from

The first book you mention leads me to see the goal of teaching is to wean the pupil off of you and capable of receiving nourishment elsewhere.

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Gretchen's avatar

A few of my favorites that I read this year are A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis (I read this one all the way back in February; it honestly doesn't feel like I read in this year); Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis by Bishop Robert Barron; The Eucharist Is Really Jesus: How Christ’s Body and Blood Are the Key to Everything We Believe by Joe Heschmeyer; and the whole Winnie the Pooh series by A.A. Milne.

Congrats on your book!!! I'm excited to get it from my library and read it!!

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Andrew Teeple's avatar

Congratulations on your book launch! I ordered your book for the library where I work as well -- still waiting for the vendor to send our copies, but the book already has a list of holds!

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Leah Libresco Sargeant's avatar

I’m so delighted to hear it!

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Laura M. Fabrycky's avatar

Love that library pic! Congrats on it **all**, Leah! Grateful for all you lift up here. Glory, that excerpt from Doireann Ní Ghríofa.... whew...

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D. Owen Stene's avatar

One of my 'year's best book' (it is difficult to name one best)

The Body God Gives - A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory, by Robert S. Smith (Lexham Academic 2025). A more thorough, lucid, and well sourced book on this topic I have not seen.

To go along with this, was The Trouble with Gender - Sex Facts, Gender Fictions by Alex Byrne

Forgive me if I add The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium, by Martin Gurri, The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West by Alexander C. Karp & Nicholas W. Zamiska, Let There Be Water: Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World by Seth M. Siegel, and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley.

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Leah Libresco Sargeant's avatar

I saw The Body God Gives got a Christianity Today citation, too!

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Zina Gomez-Liss's avatar

My friend Melanie Bettinelli and I saw Doireann speak at Boston College recently! It was glorious. Really.

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Leah Libresco Sargeant's avatar

I picked up the book because of Melanie!

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