St. Paul!

Now you would think that a Daughter of St. Paul would be able to tell you where to find a book about her spiritual father and patron saint, right? Well, up until a short while ago I would probably have responded, “good luck!” It seems I’ve been on the look out for a good biography of St. Paul since forever, but in spite of the fact that I basically live in a book store, I couldn’t seem to find anything that wasn’t academic, dry, outdated or just too over my head. Sure, you can always find shelves of books on St. Paul in the Scripture study section (after all, he did write 14 letters in the New Testament) but a decent biography? One that inspired devotion and made me want to be related to him?

Well, I’m writing this to tell you that all is not lost. I did find one! Last year we published Paul, Least of the Apostles, and I grabbed a copy as soon as we put it on display! It was easy to get into the story and I found it an extremely readable biography and one that I could confidently pass on to anyone. You’ll be happy to know that no degree in Scripture or Theology is needed to understand and enjoy this book. Alain Decoux is a French journalist and historian and writes this popular biography for the average reader (that would be most of us!). He has a smooth way of connecting past and present by giving details of the actual places Paul visited in a way that makes you feel as though you’re there and it’s real and you’re part of it. It has great pictures, too – both of the archeological sites and masterpiece artwork of Paul.

All in all, it comes highly recommended by one of his Daughters who has been looking a good long time for a book on him worth getting excited about.