5 New Catholic Books for Women

Barb Szyszkiewicz introduces five new Catholic books that celebrate womanhood.

Many of the books we recommend here at Catholic Mom are intended for a Catholic audience. Today I'm introducing five new books written particularly for women. You don't need to be a mom to enjoy these; only one is specifically about motherhood. But each of these books celebrates womanhood in a special way.

Bring your swagger

It's pretty rare that I come across a book with a chapter titled "Bring your swagger," but retired Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw encourages her readers to do exactly that. In EXPECT MORE! Dare to Stand Up and Stand Out, McGraw draws life lessons from the basketball court. This book is a quick shot in the arm of confidence and strength in all aspects of life.

Not just for hoops fans, but it helps to have some knowledge of basketball (just because it comes up a lot); new from Ave Maria Press. Recommended for: athletes (including armchair athletes), graduating seniors (high school and college), women starting a new job, women who work in male-dominated fields.

You've got mail

Chloe Langr's Letters to Women: Embracing the Feminine Genius in Everyday Life is written as a series of encouraging notes, by various authors, to women in all ages and stages of life. Inspired by St. John Paul II's Letter to Women, Langr's book, new from Tan Books, brings the voices of faithful Catholic women to help readers explore God's plan for their lives, "the way he is uniquely calling them to live out their own feminine genius" (6). 

Topics of these letters include dating, marriage, adoption, fertility, working moms, kids at Mass, sharing faith, belonging, infant/child loss, at-home moms, creativity, wardrobe, and more! Langr introduces each letter, then follows up with questions for reflection, questions for conversation, and a prayer to the Holy Spirit. Recommended for: women starting a new phase in their lives, women who feel "stuck" in the phase they're in right now, women needing a boost of encouragement.

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Bold is beautiful

Be Bold in the Broken: How I Found My Courage and Purpose in God's Unconditional Love by Mary Lenaburg is an honest look at self-acceptance and the consequences of unhealthy ways of dealing with our need to fit in. I found myself nodding “yes” to so much of what the author says in this book. Mary and I are polar opposites in terms of personality, but I could see myself in quite a few of the personal anecdotes she shared. Mary has a real gift for sharing the real stuff: the sad, the funny, the cringe-worthy -- and making the reader feel like she's not alone. New from Ave Maria Press.

Recommended for: women who feel like they just don’t fit and question what they’re even doing here; women struggling with friendships.

Reclaim femininity

Kimberly Cook's Motherhood Redeemed: How Radical Feminism Betrayed Maternal Love takes a look at the history of the feminist movement and its impact on how women view motherhood, beauty, work, and relationships. Kim tells not only the story of the feminist movement  (beginning in the mid-nineteenth century) but the story of her own journey into and out of feminism. She discusses Church teaching on marriage and family life, the example of holy women, and the meaning of true femininity and true masculinity. The third section of the book, "The Dignity of Women," is particularly strong.

New from Tan Books. Recommended for: women who want to celebrate their call to motherhood.

Write all about it

Emily Wilson Hussem recently published The Go Bravely Companion Journal: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be. If you enjoyed Go Bravely (which I reviewed in 2018), this journal takes the ideas from each chapter of the book and expands on them, providing a short reflection by a Go Bravely reader, then a page or so discussing the chapter's topic, and three or four reflection questions with about 1/2 page of writing space between each. Each chapter in the journal closes with a prayer, then a one-line quote from Scripture, a saint, or a famous woman. 

Like Go Bravely, the Go Bravely Companion Journal (new from Ave Maria Press) is beautifully designed, with embellishments on each page and lettered quotes. Recommended for: young women (mid-teens and up), graduating seniors, women starting on a new adventure.

Copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz
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