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Media Boulevard for May
Recommendations with a theme of Hope…
Books:
Adults:
How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long---and sometimes even dark?
Get Goodness, Virtue Is the Power to Do Good by Michael Hickey
Miracle for Jen by Linda Barrick
Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor
Adults and Teens:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
For Young Readers:
The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden
Picture Books:
I Hope You Can Dance by Buddy Jackson
Movies:
Adults:
Good Will Hunting
Children:
Up
Book Recommendations…
Adults and Teens with a theme of Hope:
How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long---and sometimes even dark?
- One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
by Ann Voskamp
For Young Readers:
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Picture Books with on finding hope:
- Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus
- The Little Tern, by Brooke Newman
Movies:
Shawshank Redemption – Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free! Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Seabiscuit- A small horse, Seabiscuit had an inauspicious start to his racing career, but became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression.
Miracle - American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice.
Book Recommendations…
Adults and Teens:
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
A masterful and utterly original novel that is a story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound. Using the threads of all of our best stories, Yann Martel has woven a glorious spiritual adventure that makes us question what it means to be alive, and to believe.
For Young Readers:
365 Fun Facts for Catholic Kids, by Bernadette McCarver Snyder
Picture Books:
A Walk through Our Church, by Gertrud Mueller Nelson
Movies:
The Lorax
A wonderful movie for children that reinforces the enduring power of hope and how one person can make a difference, can bring about change…
The Passion Of The Christ
We do not recommend this film for young children because the violence is too graphic, too explicit for young hearts. The story gives us an opportunity to relive the last 12 hours of our Lord’s life on earth and it is a powerful experience.
Book Recommendations…
Adults:
The Other Side of Chaos: Breaking Through When Life is Breaking Down by Margaret Silf
The WOW Factor: Bringing the Catholic Faith to Life by Rev. William J. O’Malley
Teens:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
For Young Readers:
Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo
Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Picture Books:
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Emilie Buckwald
Hail Mary by Sabrina Bus
Our Father by Sabrina Bus
Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Heaven is for Real for Kids by Todd Burpo
The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt
News Article:
New York Times 1/1/2012 The Joy of Quiet – Trying to Escape the Constant Stream of Information by Pico Iyer
Music to Inspire…
Quiet Your Mind by Zac Brown
Blessed by Martine McBride
Movie Fun:
Groundhog Day – NOT staying stuck in the Rut but getting it right!
Pinocchio - Listen to your conscience
The Bronze Bow:
In this Newbery Medal-winning novel, Daniel bar Jamin is fired by only one passion: to avenge his father's death by crucifixion by driving the Roman legions from his land of Israel. He joins an outlaw band and leads a dangerous life of spying, plotting, and impatiently waiting to seek revenge. Headstrong Daniel is devoid of tenderness and forgiveness, heading down a destructive path toward disaster until he hears the lessons taught by Jesus of Nazareth. With a brand new cover, young readers won't be able to pass up this timeless tale.
The Tale of Three Trees:
For three little trees who dream of what they will be someday - a holder of treasure, a fine ship, a hilltop beacon pointing to God - life proves to have something rather different in store. They are disappointed that their lives are so mundane. And, as the years pass, "the three trees nearly forgot their dreams." Yet each eventually gets its wish, although not in the way it had foreseen. When that happens, each discovers that things turned out just the way they should have. This is a moving and eloquent story. Its illustrations are simple yet powerful. Readers will be reminded that God has plans for every one of his creations, that He never loses sight any of us. Children will learn that when they don't get what they want, it may be because something even better is in store for them. Adults will understand the concept of true happiness coming when we align our will with God's.
The Giver:
Jonas lives in a "perfect" world where war, disease, and suffering have all been eradicated. Everything is in order; everything is under control. The people have no worries or cares. The Community strives for "sameness," in which everyone and everything are the same and equal. To help the Community function as a cohesive unit, each member is assigned a position in society. When Jonas turns twelve, the Community selects him to be the new "Receiver of Memories." Only the "Giver" knows the truth and memories of the past, and now he must pass these memories on to Jonas.
The Giver is a wonderful book. Lois Lowry skillfully crafted an intriguing and profoundly thoughtful story. She subtly creates an uneasy feeling that something is wrong with this "perfect world." The Community's advisors intend to establish security within utopian society, but they really establish a stifling dystopia. To protect people from the risks of making poor or wrong decisions in life, the advisors plan and dictate the lives of the people. The advisors isolate the Community from the rest of the world (also known as "Elsewhere) and give the burden of holding the memories of the past to a single member of society: the "Receiver." Therefore, the Community lives only in the present, and the people have a narrow perspective of life because they only know their community and way of life. They are naive; they do not gain knowledge or wisdom from the memories. While receiving the memories, Jonas learns a different and better way to live and realizes what he and the Community have been missing. He decides that something must be done to change the current conditions and enlighten his community.
Book Recommendations…
Adults:
- 10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn
- Seeing with Our Souls by Joan Chittister, O.S.B.
- Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr. This book is a collection of many of his writings, sermons, and letters showing his commitment to nonviolence.
For young readers with a theme of forgiveness:
- Gershon's Monster: A Story for the New Year. A children's picture book by Eric A. Kimmel tells the story of a man who encounters a sea monster and learns about the importance of forgiveness. The story is a powerful one about forgiveness and repentance from the perspective of the Jewish faith.
- The Hundred Dresses. A children's fiction novel by Eleanor Estes tells the story of an impoverished girl who undergoes extensive teasing and bullying by school classmates. The tormented girl makes a final gesture of kindness that captures the power and importance of forgiveness.
- Shiloh. A children's fiction book by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor tells the story of the friendship between a poor boy and a mistreated dog set in rural West Virginia. The boy's kindness to the dog and forgiveness toward the dog's cruel owner helps to bring about a change in the lives of all involved. The book not only examines the struggle between good and evil but also explores the importance of love and forgiveness.
Movie Recommendations with a theme of forgiveness…
Les Miserables
Dead Man Walking
Karate Kid II
Tales of Despereaux
Beauty and the Beast