The Commander

company commanderThe Carroll School of Management’s Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics will host a talk and book signing by Major Russell Lewis MC, former British Army Infantry Officer and author of Company Commander.  The event, to be held March 18 at 6:30 p.m. in Walsh Function Room, is part of the center’s Clough Colloquium Series, which recognizes individuals who have made important contributions as ethical leaders in their fields. Maj. Lewis was awarded a Military Cross for his leadership and gallantry. His operational experience includes tours of Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq. In 2008, he commanded B Company, 2 PARA, a group of 200 soldiers from the British Army’s legendary Parachute Regiment, in Afghanistan. Company Commander is a compelling first-person account of his company’s brutal six month fight against a determined and aggressive enemy.
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A reading by Graver

endofthepointBoston College English Professor Elizabeth Graver will read from her new novel The End of the Point on Mar. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the O’Neill Library Reading Room at Boston College. She also will share stories about the research she did for the book, which examines the powerful legacy of family and place and explores what we are born into, what we pass down, preserve, cast off or willingly set free.  The End of the Point (which was cited in Bookmarks last month) has been reviewed by the Boston Globe. A New York Times review is expected this Sunday. Graver, who was interviewed by Leonard Lopate for the NPR affiliate in New York, will be featured on Channel 5 Boston’s “Chronicle” news magazine show this Friday.
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How to read the Bible

bible and believerRenowned biblical scholar Father Daniel Harrington, SJ, a professor in BC’s School of Theology and Ministry, is one of three scholars who contributed to The Bible and the Believer. The co-authors, representing three faith traditions, illustrate how to read the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament critically and religiously.
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US Catholic book review

spiritual practicesUS Catholic magazine has published a review of Catholic Spiritual Practices: A Treasury of Old and New, whose “contributors remind us of the spiritual wealth available to us through our Catholic faith tradition and instruct us in its practical application to our lives.” The book, part of the Church in the 21st Century Center Book Series, was co-edited by School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Colleen Griffith and Professor Thomas Groome. It also was featured in BC Bookmarks and the Boston College Chronicle back in October.
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Heart of the team

dannywoodheadBoston College alumna Rachel Gregorio has illustrated the Boston sports-themed children’s book, Danny Woodhead: A Football Dream Come True. The story, about the big contribution made by a football team’s smallest player, is inspired by New England Patriots running back Danny Woodhead. This is the third collaboration between Gregorio and author Jon Goode, who also worked on children’s books connected to former Boston Celtic Glen Davis and former Boston Red Sox Jonathan Papelbon.
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A hero’s tale

welles bookA new children’s book, titled The Man in the Red Bandanna, tells the story of BC alumnus Welles Crowther, who heroically gave his life while saving others in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The book was written by Welles’ sister Honor Crowther Fagan, also a graduate of BC. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust.
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The need to go out and play

Free Play bookThe importance of free, unstructured play is woefully underestimated by parents and educators, according to a new book by Boston College developmental psychologist Peter Gray. In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, March 2013), Gray shows how the hunter-gatherer way—where children spend their days in mixed-age groups, engaging in self-directed play and exploration—leads to the development of socially, intellectually, and emotionally healthy adults. Says Gray: “Over the past 50 years—as children’s opportunities for free play and exploration have declined—there has been a dramatic rise in anxiety, depression, and suicide in young people, who have not had the opportunity that free play provides to find meaning and joy in life.” Read more
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The End of the Point

endofthepointA new book by acclaimed novelist and Boston College English Professor Elizabeth Graver will be released next week by HarperCollins. Set in a fictional summer community on Buzzards Bay from 1942 through 1999, The End of the Point traces one family’s journey through the second half of the 20th century. It examines the powerful legacy of family and place and explores what we are born into, what we pass down, preserve, cast off or willingly set free. The End of the Point has garnered advance praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and Booklist, which states: “With a style and voice reminiscent of William Trevor and Graham Swift, Graver’s powerfully evocative portrait of a family strained by events both large and small celebrates the indelible influence certain places can exert over the people who love them.” Graver is set to launch a book tour which will include a reading at Boston College on March 14. Learn more.
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Book launch: New Voices in Catholic Theology

new voices bookThe Church in the 21st Century Center will host a book launch event Feb. 27 for the newest title in its book series, New Voices in Catholic Theology, which celebrates the work of scholars who trained under Rev. Michael J. Buckley, SJ at Boston College. The book, edited by Anna Bonta Moreland and Joseph Curran, covers topics as varied as social justice, divine providence, the trinity, religious pluralism, interreligious dialogue, dissent and Vatican II. School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Dominic Doyle is one of the contributors. According to the publisher: This book serves as both an introduction to much of the best original work being done in theology today, and a reminder of Fr. Buckley’s rich influence as a teacher and mentor. The book launch will be held in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons beginning at 5:30 p.m. Co-sponsor: Theology Department.
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Meeting Jesus with Fr. Jim Martin

frmartinbookPopular author and speaker Rev. James Martin, SJ will be appearing at a Boston College event in New York City Feb. 28. Fr. Martin, whose new book is Together on Retreat: Meeting Jesus in Prayer, will speak at a ticket-only event at NYC’s St. Ignatius Church. Check the Alumni Association for details. Fr. Martin, known to television viewers as the “chaplain” of “The Colbert Report,” is author of the bestseller The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything and award-winning My Life with the Saints. Co-sponsor: The Church in the 21st Century Center.
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