Before and Again (St. Martin’s Press, 2018), the newest novel from best-selling author and Boston College alumna Barbara Delinsky, begins with a horrifying moment. While driving on an unfamiliar road, Mackenzie Cooper misses a stop sign. The resulting car accident kills her five-year-old daughter, and in the aftermath Mackenzie also loses her marriage, family, friends, and—thanks to intense media coverage—her privacy. According to the publisher: “Before and Again is a story of the relationships we find ourselves in—mothers and daughters, spouses and siblings, true companions and fair-weather friends—and what kind of sacrifices we are or aren’t willing to make to sustain them through good times and bad.” Publishers Weekly calls Before and Again “deeply moving” and “a rewarding, emotionally intense novel.” Delinsky writes character-driven novels about marriage, parenthood, siblings, and friendship. She has had 22 books on the New York Times best sellers list, and her novels have been published in more than 25 languages worldwide.
Before and Again
“Make the Most of Your 20s”
Society’s “30 is the new 20” mantra is a disservice to the country’s 50 million twentysomethings, according to clinical psychologist Meg Jay, author of the best-selling book The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter–And How to Make the Most of Them Now. Drawing on more than 10 years of work with hundreds of twentysomething clients and students, Jay contends that a young person’s 20s is the most transformative period of their adult lives and should not be trivialized as a benign decade of delayed adolescence. Jay will present “How to Make the Most of Your 20s,” on Mar. 14 in McGuinn Auditorium at 6 p.m. The event is presented by Capstone, Cornerstone, the Carroll School of Management Dean’s Office, and CSOM’s Fulton Leadership Society. Watch her TED talk, “Why 30 is not the new 20,” which has more than 10 million views.
Religion in the White House
Kenneth L. Woodward, who was the religion editor at Newsweek magazine for nearly 40 years, will present the 2nd Annual Wolfe Lecture on Religion and American Politics on Mar. 14 in Gasson Hall, room 305, beginning at 6 p.m. In his talk, titled “Religion in the White House,” Woodward will discuss how most of the assumptions about the relationships between religion and politics are wrong. He will argue that no connection can be found between any American president’s religious faith, or lack of it, and his foreign or domestic policy. Then he will examine the so-called “religious vote,” particularly the Evangelical vote in the 2016 election. Woodward is the author of four books, including Getting Religion: Faith, Culture, and Politics from the Age of Eisenhower to the Ascent of Trump. RSVP: Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.
“Ideas from the Catholic Press”
Crux editor John L. Allen Jr., a journalist highly regarded for his coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, and Matt Malone, S.J., president and editor in chief of America Media, will be the panelists for “Revitalizing Our Church: Ideas from the Catholic Press” a Church in the 21st Century Center event being held on March 12 at 7 p.m. in Devlin Hall, room 110. The panelists will consider the question of how can the Church be a more effective institution and restore its credibility among the faithful? Jack Dunn, associate vice president for University Communications, will serve as moderator. RSVP requested. More from BC News.
Posted in Guest Authors
Tagged Catholic Church, Church in the 21st Century Center, journalism, media
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Understanding Gaudete et Exsultate
In his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis calls on Christians to fully embrace their baptismal call to live the Gospel. Franciscan friar and author Daniel P. Horan, a Boston College alumnus, has written a book to guide readers through Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation. Reading, Praying, Living Pope Francis’s Rejoice and Be Glad (Liturgical Press, 2019) offers helpful commentary, additional context, and expert insight. The publisher calls Fr. Horan’s book “the most extensive and helpful commentary on Gaudete et Exsultate available anywhere.” Fr. Horan teaches at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and is the author of several books, including God is Not Fair and Other Reasons for Gratitude and The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Influence of His Life, Thought, and Writing.
Going haywire
Jerry Haywire is a new book by Boston College alumnus Ryan Morgan (writing under the pen name Forrester C. Fox). Jerry Haywire tells the story of sports agent Maddox Malone whose greed and fast-paced career eventually catch up with him. Faced with problems at work and at home, Maddox begins to question all of his assumptions. Jerry Haywire is Morgan’s first novel.
Flann O’Brien exhibit at Burns Library
The John J. Burns Library at Boston College is highlighting Irish novelist, playwright, and satirist Flann O’Brien in an exhibit on display now through June 8. “Genius of Genre: The Pen Names and Personas of Flann O’Brien” will examine O’Brien, [the pseudonym of Brian O’Nolan (1911-1966)], through the library’s unrivaled collection of the writer’s papers and personal library. The Burns collection comprises 30 boxes of material, plus a number of artifacts, including a hat, briefcase, wallet, passport, and Underwood typewriter. Students from BC faculty member Joseph Nugent’s course, “From Page to Pod: Making Literature Public,” are creating podcast and iBook projects to accompany the exhibit. Read more in the BC Libraries newsletter.
Little Man
A little boy learns that making mistakes is an important part of being human and that laughing at those mistakes is what helps a little boy grow into a little man, in a new book by Boston College alumnus Matt Clemente. Currently a doctoral student at BC, Clemente also teaches in BC’s Woods College of Advancing Studies. His book, Little Man’s Misadventures, is illustrated by his brother, R.L. Clemente.
Posted in Alumni Authors, Boston College Authors
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The Challenge of “Us” in Ecological Times
Theologian Elizabeth A. Johnson, C.S.J., a professor emerita at Fordham University, will present the 18th Annual Prophetic Voices Lecture on Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in Fulton Hall, room 511. In her talk, titled “The Challenge of ‘Us’ in Ecological Times,” Sr. Johnson will explore the basis for kinship in the community of creation. Sr. Johnson is the author of numerous articles and books, including Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril. RSVP: Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.
Fiction Days
Writer, critic, and essayist Carmen Maria Machado will speak on campus Feb. 27 as part of the University’s Fiction Days. The talk will focus on her debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, Guernica, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. Machado’s memoir House in Indiana is forthcoming this year. The event will take place in Gasson Hall, room 100 at 7 p.m. Sponsor: Lowell Humanities Series.
Posted in Guest Authors, Lowell Humanities Series
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