Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Life of Thomas More, by Peter Ackroyd





Book Title: The Life of Thomas More
Author: Peter Ackroyd
Published By: Nan A. Talese 
Date Published: October 20th 1998
Genre: Biography 
Pages: 464
Recommended Age: Adult
Reviewed By: Me
Rating: B/4





This book is from my personal collection.

Summary:
This book tells the life of Thomas More, one the most noteworthy figures in history. He was a brilliant lawyer of his time, author of the classic novel Utopia, and a Catholic martyr and saint who was beheaded when he refused to follow King Henry VIII in severing ties from the Catholic Church.


My Thoughts:
I quite enjoyed this book. I liked that Peter Ackroyd would described the streets that young Thomas More walked from his house to the school he attended.  Ackroyd would bring Thomas More’s 15th/16th century world alive for his readers. Ackroyd even include passages from some of More’s letters and documents.

 What I didn't like was I found More’s writings hard to read.  It took me awhile but I finally figured out that he used the letter Y in place of the letter of I and V in the place of the letter U. There were some words I still couldn't figure out what they were. As a reader, I must take in account that spelling and grammar in the 16th century were not as advanced as it is these days.

For these reasons, I gave Peter Ackroyd’s The Life of Thomas More four stars and a grade of B.  If you enjoy reading biographies, I recommend reading The Life of Thomas More.  It is a very enlightening book.



Parents:
Language: Some
Adult Content: None
Violence: None





Sunday, March 17, 2013

Dorothy Day: a biography, by William D. Miller





Book Title: Dorothy Day: a Biography
Author: William D. Miller
Published By:  Harper & Row
Date Published: 1982
Genre: Biography
Pages: 527
Recommended Age: Adult
Read & Reviewed By: Me
Rating: B/4




I borrowed this book from the Sisters of Notre Dame Education Center’s library

Summary:
It is a comprehensive biography that chronicles the life of Dorothy Day, the co-founder of Catholic Worker.


My Thoughts:
I enjoyed the biography very much. I liked that it held nothing back. It told about her common law marriages, her short, but lawful marriage, her political arrests, her family conflicts. You name it, it all it was in Dorothy Day’s Biography.  William D. Miller did not leave anything out. The reader learns all about Dorothy’s faults, how she fought for human rights and lived in solidarity with the poor. At times, she even went against the Catholic Church to bring about change.

For these reasons I gave Dorothy Day’s biography four stars and a grade of B.  I truly recommend reading Dorothy Day: a Biography by William D. Miller.  You will be glad you did.  I won’t be surprised if you walk away from it having another person to admire.



Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: None
Violence: None