There's an expression I call "holy card face." Head gently tilted, eyes weirdly vacant and aimed at objects just out of view, and the eyebrows coming in hot. Holy card face derives from portrayals of the saints as smooth, clean, and pastel. But this schmaltzy model does us no favors when the whole point of canonizing saints is to witness real human men and women (sometimes even children) living real-life holiness. As our dear Pope Benedict XVI says, "The saints are the great luminous wake of God passing through history—here is truly light from light!" Here are some books about saints that I have found to be edifying and schmaltz-free.
Sixty Saints for Boys: Originally published in 1948, this collection features short bios of 60 male saints told with the twinkle of humor and adventure. The author hoped that "no child reading them will ever suppose that holiness is less interesting than bad behavior." I have loved rereading these stories as an adult.
Blessed Miguel Pro: This book is where I learned that, as a child, Miguel Pro ran up a tab at the local candy store for a whole month before his parents found out. How can you not want to learn more about him?
Mothers of the Saints: This is one of my favorite books of all time, where I first read about St Zélie Martin and St Margaret of Scotland. It is now out of print, but no worries—you can usually find used copies. I love the very simple, no-frills biographies of about a dozen women who reared future saints or were canonized themselves. The real gem in this book is the end of each chapter, where the author lists several "For Your Life" bullet points of practical applications drawn from these women's lives. I love giving this book as a gift for wedding or baby showers.
The Colony: The Harrowing True Story Of The Exiles Of Molokai: This account comes from a more secular perspective, but the narrative nonfiction presentation is rich with research and heartbreaking detail. It mainly focuses on the leper colony as a whole, but I learned a lot about St Damien and St Marianne Cope.
Therese by Dorothy Day: The first time I read St Thérèse's autobiogrpahy, Story of a Soul, it just didn't click for me. Then I read this unpretentious biography by Dorothy Day that explained Thérèse and her little way in more modern language, as well as the story of Dorothy's own conversion that was inspired by Thérèse. I love this book about a saint by another holy woman, and it helped me reread and treasure Story of a Soul.
Sixty Saints for Girls: The 1962 companion to Sixty Saints for Boys, with the same wit and charm. I read this volume a million times when I was a kid and beyond.
The Incorruptibles: Did you know there are more than 100 saints, beati, and venerables whose bodies are incorrupt? This classic presents their stories and cases, which represent a miraculous sign of the body's goodness and destiny for resurrection. (The author is also from New Orleans!)
Drinking With the Saints: You can't be schmaltzy while you're mixing up a Prompt Succor Punch, now can you? This collection features a year's worth of saints and feasts paired with cocktails inspired by their lives and stories.
Saint John Paul The Great: His Five Loves: Our co-author Jason Evert gave the world an incredible gift in this rich biography of our beloved JPII as he really was. If you you're weary of Karol Wojtyla being reduced to quote graphics, read this to meet the flesh and blood champion of hope. You can find more of Jason's work here.
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