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

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.

Do Not Be Afraid: A Review of Shane Leslie’s Ghost Book

A real-life paranormal investigation in light of Church teaching and tradition

Navigating Deep Waters: Meditations for Caregivers Jeannie Ewing and Eileen Benthal

If you’re a care-giver for a chronically sick family member or friend, this book is for you and your healing.

Lessons In Leadership from the Saints by BJ Gonzalvo, Ph.D.

A book about different Saints to help inspire you to become both a leader and a saint.

All Things New by Erin McCole Cupp Breaking the Cycle and Raising a Joyful Family

A guide to self-aware parenting for those poorly parented

Saving Cinderella: What Feminists Get Wrong About Disney Princesses And How To Set It Right by Faith Moore

Love the Disney movies you grew up with but don’t know how to defend them in the face of the modern critics? This book is for you.

Me, Ruby & God; A Journal of Spiritual Growth by Linda Crowley

A beautiful memoir about the love of God and the love of a good dog.

Paul’s Prayers by Susan Anderson

A mother reveals with honesty and authenticity the difficulties of raising a child with autism and the struggles that child faces every minute of every day.

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.

Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary by Meggie K. Daly 

A scriptural meditation and a moving witness of how the rosary brought the author back to The Church.

August & September New Book Releases

Step into Fall with a Good Book

Girl Arise by By Claire Swinarski

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

Finding God Anew by Barbara Kudwa

After multiple divorces, a suicide, and a murder, Barbara Kudwa shares how she found peace through her faith in God.

Abolishing Abortion by Fr. Frank Pavone

An invaluable handbook for pro-life religious non-profits that want to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—without risking their tax-exempt status.

Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

In a post-apocolyptic world a small Catholic monastery fights to preserve civilization for the next age.

The Saving Power of Suffering By Father Jacob Powell

A Catholic guide to taking up our cross and following Jesus.

The Last Monks of Skellig Michael by Philip Kosloski

The Christian monastic roots of Star Wars’ Jedi Knights.

Heavenly Hosts: Eucharistic Miracles for Kids by Kathryn Griffin Swegart, O.F.S.

Teach your children about the real presence through these short bedtime stories.

My Life’s Journey by Dr. Margaret P. Price

One Caribbean woman’s faith-filled rise from village to global health leadership in an age of segregation & prejudice

Feel-Good Books For Pandemic Summer

Book Therapy to chase the blues away