Fearlessby Sonja Corbitt (Ave Maria Press / Alban Books, £11.99). The author, a popular Catholic speaker, has written a frank and personal “Catholic Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare” – in other words, how to conquer your demons (literally). She reminds readers that they are engaged in everyday battles against sin and temptation, sometimes through their own fault, but often provoked by the ancient enemy of Christ: Satan. Using Scripture and the traditional spiritual practices of the Church, Corbitt shows us how to conquer the fear and anxiety that spiritual attacks often bring and how to live in the loving freedom of faith.
Mystical Theologian: the Work of Vladimir Losskyby Aidan Nichols OP (Gracewing, £14.99). Fr Aidan Nichols has written an excellent introduction to the Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958). Although born in Germany, Lossky came from a cultured Russian family. As Nichols shows, he was highly influential in the development of Orthodox theology after the Russian Revolution. This study argues for the substantial spiritual teaching offered by Lossky in his major work, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. A book worth exploring for all those interested in the link between East and West.
Humanitarians at War by Gerald Steinacher (Oxford University Press, £25). Subtitled “The Red Cross in the Shadow of the Holocaust”, this well-researched book describes the ambiguous role played by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) during the war, when it defended former Nazis at the Nuremberg trials and gave travel papers to many of Hitler’s highly placed subordinates. Choosing to remain silent about the Holocaust during the war was to cast a long shadow over this supposedly humanitarian organisation. As the author shows, the ICRC was rather more successful in its tracing service among dispersed families and refugees.
The Harbour Withinby Sister Consilio (Hachette Ireland, £14.99). Subtitled “A Book of Simple Spirituality”, this book by a Sister of Mercy who started the Cuan Mhuire rehabilitation centres for homeless men, provides reflections on how to live a Christian life within one’s daily circumstances, suitable for everyone. Combining anecdotes from her own life and upbringing, Sister Consilio provides a seven-day guide to living prayerfully and peacefully in which her own deep faith shines through – a faith that, during 50 years’ work at her five centres, has helped more than 75,000 people whose lives have been devastated by addiction.
The Undoing Projectby Michael Lewis (Allen Lane, £25). This fascinating study follows the lives of two brilliant men: Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Independently, they were each interested in how the human mind works when forming judgments and making decisions. In 1969 they met at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and commenced their collaborative partnership, which lasted for 40 years. The ideas the two men generated have influenced medicine, sport, finance and many other areas.
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