Seeing Culture Through Catholic Eyes: 50 Writers, Thinkers, and Firebrands Who Challenge and Change Us

Enjoy this book. Add it to your library. Treat it like its own little library, and enjoy the edification and education, challenge, and joy of reading Jim’s informed cultural commentary on so many of our greatest writers, thinkers, and firebrands.--from the Introduction by James Martin, SJ

America columnist and Catholic cultural and literary critic, James T. Keane, brings together fifty varied voices--including some underappreciated ones--and reflects on their cultural, political, literary, and religious influence. His smart, accessible style brings thought leaders into conversation with a Catholic sensibility, opening unexpected insights into our current moment.

Among these fifty figures are John Kennedy Toole, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Dorothy Day, Jon Hassler, Mary Karr, Martin Amis, Toni Morrison, Graham Greene, Shusaku Endo, Andre Dubus III, Iris Murdoch, Colm Tóibín, J.F. Powers, Salman Rushdie, Mary Gordon, Wendell Berry, Thich Nhat Hanh, Sigrid Undset, Alice McDermott, and John Irving.

Reading Culture through Catholic Eyes combines Keane’s breadth of knowledge of literary and cultural voices with a deep background in Catholic theology and spirituality. For general readers who appreciate lively and relevant writing, this book is a must-have.

James T. Keane is a Senior Editor at America Media in New York, overseeing book reviews and the magazine’s ＂Faith and Reason＂ section; he also writes a weekly books column for America. He previously served as an editor at Orbis Books in Maryknoll, N.Y.

Keane’s writing has also appeared in Philadelphia Weekly, U.S. Catholic, Popoli, BustedHalo, Maryknoll Magazine and Hypothetical Review. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, and has taught literature and theology at Fordham University and the University of San Francisco. A native of Los Angeles, he lives in Hell’s Kitchen in New York.

His recent book publications include Avery Dulles: Essential Writings from America Magazine (editor), James Martin: Essential Writings (editor), The Way of Suffering (editor) and The Way of Forgiveness (editor). He has received multiple Catholic Press Association Awards for his writing and editing, including, mostly recently, 2022 awards for ＂Best Regular Column＂ and ＂Best Book Review Section.＂