Teenage Book Recommend?

A reader writes:

I’m one of the refugees from Mark’s blog.  I’ve really enjoyed your blog as well, even some of your more "bizarre" stories (what the heck is a "chupacabra" anyway? Reminds me of my children’s favorite magic word "abachugaba"….but I digress.)

My question for you has to do with my teen.  She’s 18, and doesn’t have the strongest faith.  She is "interested" in a 19 yo boy, who doesn’t have ANY faith, but is open to Catholicism (and is baptized, btw).  Do you have any ideas for a book or two to keep on hand should any real questions come up?   He’s rather immature, so the Catechism isn’t going to cut it yet.  One of my favorite books for info about what Catholics believe is "The Faith Explained" by Fr. Leo Trese, but again, this isn’t for someone to cut their teeth on.

In regard to your first question, a chupacabra is a legendary create credited with sucking the blood from goats and other small livestock (e.g., chickens). The name is Spanish for "goat sucker" (chupa="it sucks" cabra="goat"). I don’t believe in chupacabras, but I have a taste for X-File-like material and find it interesting to entertain the question of whether some of the creatures mentioned on the blog might be part of the things inspiring the chupacabra legend.

As to your second question, I don’t know of how much help I can be. Not being married (unfortunatly), I don’t have any kids of that age (or any age) and so I haven’t researched the books that might be good for them. In the age that we’re talking about, though, they may be ready for easier-to-read books written for adults. I might give him a book of conversion stories like Surprised by Truth.

Other suggestions, folks?

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

20 thoughts on “Teenage Book Recommend?”

  1. I highly recommend getting the two Catholic comedy albums that teach the faith using popular songs from the radio. http://www.nickalexander.com
    Okay, okay, I’m Nick Alexander, the guy who did these albums, and I apologize for promoting my own product. I don’t mean to self-promote… but I believe in the power of these CDs, and I’ve seen it work.

  3. I like Peter Kreeft’s Yes or No? Straight Answers to Tough Questions about Christianity. It’s mere-Christian in orientation rather than specifically Catholic (though Kreeft is Catholic, of course), but good stuff and very easy to read because of its dialogue format. I’ve given it to numerous teenaged and older (and younger) readers and had good results.

  4. I’ve been recommending one of two books to those who are “searching”, but not necessarily ready for the summa. “The Great Divorce” and “Mere Christianity”, both by C.S Lewis. One is literature, and so it would teach them something without being boring, and the other is a practical defense of Christianity.
    You can’t go wrong with Lewis.

  5. I’m not sure why you assume that he’s immature beyond the fact that he’s 19. I’m only 20 and I can attest that if you’re interested in the subject matter that it won’t really matter how ‘old’ you are if you enjoy what you’re reading.
    That said, if he’s not interested it doesn’t really matter how ‘light’ the reading you get him is. Intellectually, the Surprised by Truth series I found a little lacking (I haven’t read the first one, but my Aunt sent me the second one for some reason I’m still not sure of and I read through it and found it uninspiring.) I think that C.S. Lewis is a good bet (something like ‘Mere Christianity’) because while he is very readable, he also has an intellectual breadth about him that is very convincing.
    I don’t know this kid, but for me atleast, a cookie cutter book that did nothing but make emotional appeals wouldn’t do much in the way of convincing me.

  6. For a simple presentation of Catholicism, Peter Kreeft’s “Catholic Christianity” is good. It takes the Catechism and explains it. For a smaller little Catechism, you might get “Jesus, the Catechism, and Me” by Father Robert Levis.

  7. I agree with Jimmy and Steven; both are excellent ideas.
    May God be with you. Hopefully you will find something in the faith that really resonates with each of them, something to start with and build on, like the Church’s perspective on suffering (Jimmy sets a very moving example of this in “Surprised by Truth”), or on sexuality (if this comes up, I’d recommend Christopher West’s book “Good News About Sex & Marriage”).

  8. When I was around that age, I read Fr. Hardon’s question and answer catechism. Very helpful. I also learned the tenets of the faith indirectly by reading books on other Catholic topics (spiritual life, prayer, Christian living). Certainly anything that is derived from Theology of the Body would be great.
    That young guy Jason Everett is fantastic and energetic. Also Christopher West has good material. These books will help establish basic principles of nature and metaphysics which will make the faith more personal. At that age, the pressing questions for me were who am I and why am I here? Oh wait… they are still pressing questions. haha.

  9. We’re on a Mission from God by Mary Beth Bonacci. The book assumes the reader is a teenaged Catholic who is of good will but pretty much clueless about what the church teaches and why…

  10. I just started a book called “Did Adam and Eve Have Bellybuttons and 199 other questions from Catholic teenagers” by Matthew Pinto. I’m 36, but I’m already thinking about the questions my kids will ask someday. It’s witty, and very orthodox.

  12. Karl Keating always recommends Theology for Beginners and/or Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed on the Catholic Answers Radio show. These books changed my life and I think they would be perfect for your situation.

  13. Sheed’s A Map of Life is also excellent and it’s even easier than Theology for Beginners and Theology and Sanity. It’s in print from Ignatius Press and it’s in the EWTN Document Library.

  14. Marty beat me to it! I’ve given Amy Welbourns’ Prove It! books to my 16 y.o. niece, who is smart but doen’t apply herself, & she’s reading them. I read through them aftre I purchased them & liked the format quite a lot. Also, Steve Wood has some resources on his Family Life Center website that might be helpful.

  15. How about an internet message board suggestion?
    Of course, there’s http://www.catholic.com and their forums. Also, and I can’t recommend them enough, there’s http://www.phatmass.com. Phatmass is excellent for young and totally orthodox Catholic Christianity.
    As for books, I would definitely suggest C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity as an introduction.

  16. The chupacabras have become an obsession with me. I keep checking your blog for chupacabras. I google for more zany chupacabra sightings. I email friends about chupacabras. I’m currently trying to figure out how to work chupacabras into my novel in progress. Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful unhealthy obsession.

  18. This is a story that takes the reader back in time to the empire of Genghis Khan. The story follows a single warrior’s life and his struggles. It is incredible and a must-read!

  20. i would not recommend phatmass.com. You could definately use it for information, but if you join, try and keep your comments to a minimum because it is run by a bunch of kids. It’s very high-school-like. Almost like life teen. It is easy to honestly ask questions you are unsure of about faith and get attacked and then when you react or question, if you do not go with what they want, you can be banned. It’s almost cult-like. You would think it was a great place to go and discuss your faith, but really, they can be brutal on that site. They try to make it look all cool and inviting, but it’s a clique — totally.

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