The world first came to know Thérèse of Lisieux through the distribution of her personal spiritual memoirs, which she wrote during her final few years under obedience from her mother superior. In these notebooks, she combined a detailed narrative of her life with profound spiritual insights that we now call "the Little Way." As death closed in, she hoped the little notebooks could offer some help to her fellow Carmelites. She never imagined her journals would be read by millions and translated into dozens of languages.
The Story of a Soul is non-negotiable Thérèse reading, but these are several other books that I have treasured for helping me understand her more meaningfully.
The Story of a Soul: This one is non-negotiable! Know before you begin that Thérèse is French, and it shows here in the language and sentence structure. Don't be discouraged if you find yourself failing to connect right away—feel free to read Dorothy Day's biography first (as I did; see below).
Therese (Dorothy Day): The first time I read 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.
St Thérèse: Her Last Conversations: Thank God Thérèse's sister transcribed her final dialogues from her deathbed—this book is where we find her famous phrase, "I will spend my Heaven doing good on earth." It is deeply moving to read her own final words and fiat to whatever God asked.
I Believe in Love: This is a series of personal retreat meditations originally written by Fr. Jean C. J. d'Elbée; his accessible analysis truly plumbs the depths of the Little Way with clarity and power. I have reread this so many times.
Thérèse and Lisieux: A gorgeous coffee table hard cover that features incredible photographs of the places and people significant to Thérèse's France, her family life, and her spirituality. This book makes an excellent gift for someone with a special devotion to the Little Flower.
The Story of a Family: The Home of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: When Colin gave me this book one Christmas, I admit that the sappy cover design turned me off. I am a design snob, it turns out. I could only dread the goody-two-shoes syrup that awaited me on the pages. When I finally cracked it open with a sigh, I didn't put it down again for a week. I'm talking a one-handed week, y'all. Now, I am admittedly predisposed to love anything related to Thérèse, so this extremely thorough biography of her family appealed to me right away. What I really loved about this book, though, wasn't the part devoted specifically to Thérèse. The first few chapters delved into the life stories of both Zélie and Thérèse's father, Louis, referencing their personal letters and journals in a way that made it possible for a lazy American working mom to feel connected to two of the holiest people who ever ate baguettes.
A Family of Saints: The Martins of Lisieux: This is the updated edition of the book above.
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