Genre

Nonfiction

Audience

Highschool & Up

Author’s Worldview

Catholic

Year Published

2013

Themes

Prayer, Sainthood, Humility, art, artist, ambition, grace

 

Reviewed by

A.R.K. Watson

Compiled from a hand-written fragmented notebook found among her possessions, O’Connor never intended this journal as anything more than a personal reflection or prayer diary for her own spiritual exercise. Incredibly short, horrid grammar, stream of consciousness sentence fragments – and yet this should be required reading for any Christian artist, entrepreneur or possessor of deep-seated ambition. All of the writing flaws make this book fascinating and encouraging, and despite them the text is clear and understandable. For artists and anyone with a secret ambition, it is encouraging to see how unsure of her own talent Flannery O’Connor was.

Subscribe to Our FREE Email & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1

At the time she was studying at The Iowa Writer’s Workshop. She had just turned twenty-one and had her first story, The Geranium, accepted for publication. She wrote this journal sporadically for about a year and half starting in 1946. Through these entries we gain an intimate window in the mind of one of America’s great writers at a time when is young and unproven even – no – especially to herself.

Structurally, the book follows the four parts of a prayer: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. Reading along becomes itself an act of prayer, with O’Connor leading us through a meditation on each of these stages, with focus on a vocation in the arts. However, the way O’Connor writes about her writing vocation is general enough that anyone with a dearly held personal ambition will find these prayers relatable.

She models how to marry personal craft and ambition with humility, submission to God and a personal path to sainthood. Though the book is not a picture of grammatical perfection by any means, it is very clear and easy to understand. Reading it felt like I was sitting on O’Connor’s front porch while she shared her worries with me as though I were a good friend. Much like her novels, there is a self-deprecating humor that runs throughout. The last entry even ends with her calling herself out for being a glutton for eating Scotch Oatmeal cookies that day, though she never specifies the number. In one entry, she’ll write a soul-shattering prayer, and the next day her entry will be about how embarrassed she is that she ever wrote something so pretentious.

Pretentious or not, it is all beautiful and encouraging. The following excerpt I found so moving that I wrote it down and hung it up above my writing desk. I cannot think of a better way of summarizing my review than to end with her words.

Subscribe to Our FREE Email & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1

4/14/1947

“I must write down that I am to be an artist. Not in the sense of aesthetic frippery but in the sense of aesthetic craftsmanship; otherwise I will feel my loneliness continually- like this today. The word craftsmanship takes care of the work angle and the word aesthetic, the truth angle…It will be a life of struggle with no consummation. When something is finished, it cannot be possessed. Nothing can be possessed but the struggle. All our lives are consumed in possessing struggle but only when the struggle is cherished and directed to a final consummation outside of this life is it of any value. I want to be the best artist it is possible for me to be, under God… Dear God please help me to be an artist, please let it lead to you.”


Join Here for FREE to Never Miss a Deal

Find new favorites & Support Catholic Authors

Freedom & Responsibility in “Citizen of the Galaxy” by Robert Heinlein

One of the masters of science fiction delivers a story exploring the limits of freedom and the ongoing battle against fallen human nature.

Girl Arise by By Claire Swinarski

A Catholic take on feminism, going beyond the political talking points and approaching women on a personal level.

August & September New Book Releases

Step into Fall with a Good Book

Wanderings of an Ordinary Pilgrim by Tim Bete

Poetry that will take you deeper into Scripture and help you see the extraordinary in the simple.

How Can You Still Be Catholic? By Christopher Sparks

There are many good apologetics books out there but this book teaches you how to speak to the heart as much as the head.

The Fisherman’s Tomb; The Story of the Vatican’s Secret Search by John O’Neill

The untold true story of the greatest treasure hunt of the century, all done under the noses of the Nazi invasion.

The Mission of Joan Of Arc by Philip Kosloski, Alexandre Nascimento, and Jesse Hansen

Voyage Comics’ dynamic interpretation of the Life of Joan of Arc is based on the play written by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

The Catholic Origins of Dracula & Women’s Suffrage 

Did you know that Bram Stoker’s wife was a Catholic & he considered converting himself at one time?

The Doha Experiment by Gary Wasserman

For a Catholic reader, the Doha Experiment offers a unique opportunity to understand both the Jewish mind and the Qatari culture.

Seeking Allah Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

When a Muslim man asks God to show him who he is, he is unprepared for the answer.

Feel-Good Books For Pandemic Summer

Book Therapy to chase the blues away

Books for Lent

Deepen your Lenten reflection with these stories of repentance and forgiveness

Transgender Ideology & Gender Dysphoria: A Catholic response by Dr. Jake Thibault

A pastoral, academic overview of one of today’s most controversial issues: transgenderism.

Night by Ellie Wiesel

One of the most famous and horrifying first-hand accounts of the Holocaust

Secrets of Successful Financial Planning by Dan Gallagher

“Where the heart is, there will your treasure be.” Uncover what is most important to you regarding your money.

Calling All Booklovers! – Editor Positions Open

Do you love reading books and getting other people to read them? Join our team and make your mark on today’s Catholic literary revival.

Pilgrim River: A Spiritual Memoir by Kenneth Garcia 

“I see a small-time scholar and a semi-autistic loner, a flawed man who has persistently sought the Holy. The Quiet One.”

An Exorcist Tells His Story by Fr. Gabriele Amorth

Do not be afraid. The Vatican’s top exorcist shares stories of his day job that prove God’s power over evil.

Best Books of 2022

Our favorite book finds of the year!