50-day course of guided personal prayer which can also be used in group setting for adults and students.  Extensive list of resources for prayer.  Recommended by Brother Jerry Vincent, FSC

Too Much of a Good Thing by Dan Kindlon, Ph.D. (New York: Hyperion, 2001) hardcover, 267 pages, $23.95.ISBN 0-7868-6727-2

The subtitle of this book addresses the difficulty administrators and teachers often have with the parents of students: “Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age.”   Dr. Kindlon begins by identifying the desire of many Baby Boomer parents to protect their children from “failure, adversity, and pain” and the subsequent problems created by their overprotection.  He uses the “seven deadly sins” to point out modern “deadly syndromes” of young people today (pride/self-centeredness, envy/driven, gluttony/eating disorders…). And he concludes with “techniques and tools,” including practical advice on chores and rules.  The book is based on research in nine schools across the country (the Parenting Practices at the Millennium study).  Teachers and administrators will probably find themselves relating to students’ stories in the book and wanting to show the book to parents.  Recommended by Brother Richard Kovatch, FSC

Respecting the Man the Boy Will Become by James M. Kelly, C.F.X. (Louisville: Butler, 1998) hardcover, 215 pages. ISBN 1-884532-30-6 Books may be ordered from St. Xavier High School Development Office @ 502-637-8485

Bro. James Kelly is a Xaverian Brother who has served as principal of St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and currently is President and CEO of the school.  He has compiled 70 of the monthly letters he has written to the parents of the students at St. Xavier into a delightful collection of  2-3 page reflections for parents of high school boys.  His subtitle is “A Parent’s Guide to Loving, Teaching, and Raising Teenaged Sons," and his title is taken from the Rule of the Xaverian Brothers.  He writes from personal experience on very real topics from the usual alcohol, cars, and sex to the pain of getting cut from a team or the need for parents to put on a “united front.”  And he writes with warmth, wisdom, and humor.  Parents will relate to one story after another.  Principals will have wonderful examples of the kinds of letters they might be writing to the parents of their students.  Recommended by Brother Richard Kovatch, FSC

Old School by Tobias Wolff (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003) hard cover, 195 pages, $22.00.  ISBN 0-375-40146-6

            The broadcast (September, ‘04) of a movie remake of John Knowles’ popular novel, A Separate Peace, attests to the popularity of coming-of-age stories.  One might ask how many more of these novels can the reading public take.  The answer is at least one more:  Tobias Wolff’s new novel, Old School.  What distinguishes this work from others in the genre is the world he has created in a John F. Kennedy-era boys’ prep school in New England.  It is a world, not filled so much with schoolboy pranks, adolescent angst and jealousies, first loves, and personal or family tragedies.  Instead, the school is one in which its students love writing; a world in which they are taught and encouraged to explore, discuss and appreciate the works of Flaubert and Whitman, Fitzgerald and Pound, Shakespeare and Hawthorne, Dickens and Faulkner.  Boys not only compete against each other in academics and sports; they compete through writing contests for the prize of a private audience with famous visiting authors such as Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway.

            In this setting Wolff explores issues that occupy students and faculty:  elitism, popularity, melioration, competition, prejudice, integrity (personal and literary), the creative process, failure and forgiveness. Through the protagonist’s thoughts, the author discreetly presents his own critiques of writers and their works.  Even though the ending awkwardly shifts its focus from the protagonist to one of his teachers, the novel’s style is as unadorned as Hemingway’s, his characters as interesting as Faulkner’s.  This novel is for those who love good writing, either their own or that of well-known authors.  This novel is for anyone who looks fondly on his/her schooldays and appreciates being influenced by outstanding teachers.  Old School is a novel for those who love words and ideas and the fascinating interplay of the two.                     Recommended by Brother Paul Fitzgerald

Bleachers by John Grisham. (Doubleday Books, September, 2003) Hardcover, 176 pages, $19.95  ISBN: 0385511612

It was my pleasure to read John Grisham’s latest novel with the very scholastic name of Bleachers. In it he tells the story of a high school coach who is dying and how he had affected the lives of members of his teams. I strongly recommend all teachers read it, especially all Lasallian Colleagues, for it teaches lessons we all need to learn, even if we are not associated with football.

Coach Rake produced teams that were unbeaten in a decade or more—but at what a price! He was either loved or hated by the players. He was totally obsessed with winning. In the end this obsession resulted in his assault of one of his players and the death of another.

At various times in this story, Grisham reveals some startling abuses within high school programs, some of which I am all too familiar: the budget for football is greater than the budget for all other sports, including sports for girls; coaches feeling free to take students out of classes for training or errands. It is the classic case of the tail wagging the dog, of a total lack of proper perspective in education. St. La Salle never had to deal with this problem during his lifetime, but I know how he would have handled it if it had presented itself. Recommended by Brother Ephrem Hebert, FSC