The Heart of Perfection

March 4, 2019
Campbell (My Sisters the Saints), a journalist and former speechwriter for George W. Bush, balances confessional anecdotes with persuasive modern interpretations of the lives of the saints in this enjoyable testimony. Campbell links theological teachings about perfection with the psychological concept of perfectionist behavior. They are not the same thing, she writes, but can help readers to think about connections between Christian teachings and the psychology of perfection. She does this through insightful readings of the lives of seven saints whom she characterizes as “recovering perfectionists.” For each, she uncovers the real human who became a timeless role model through spiritual hard work, and also speaks about how those experiences relate to her daily life raising and homeschooling twins. Patience is demonstrated by Saint Jane de Chantal, a “Type-A seventeenth-century French wife, mother, widow, and nun... and also unlikely patron of saint of gentleness,” and discernment by an “impetuous” Saint Ignatius, known as the “mystic of moods and thoughts.” Campbell is a fluid writer, making her histories and personal anecdotes blend seamlessly, as when she compares her love for the ocean (which she now sees in her kids) as a metaphor for the leap of faith. For Catholics who want to live their religious convictions more fully, Campbell is a good guide to everyday practice, and perfectionists of any religious persuasion will also benefit from this gratifying work. Agent: Lisa Jackson, Alive Literary.

April 1, 2019

Reflecting on her efforts to live a life of spiritual perfection along with her parenting mistakes, journalist and author Campbell (The New Faithful) provides examples from the lives of several saints in learning how to let go. For Campbell, letting go means no longer being an overachiever, reducing her obsessive guilt about living a proper life (and what determines such), negotiating a work-life balance, and minimizing her strident efforts to be a people pleaser. Drawing inspiration from saints such as Jane de Chantal, Alphonsus Liguori, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis of Assisi, and Benedict of Nursia, the author interweaves biblical scripture with stories from her own life as a wife, mother, and author. From these saintly examples, and from the standpoint of a recovering perfectionist, Campbell makes the case that God's love cannot be earned. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is used to emphasize the importance of surrendering to God's will and abandoning the desire for perfectionism. VERDICT Recommended for public libraries with collections supporting spiritual journeys and parenting.--Karen Venturella Malnati, Union Cty. Coll. Libs, Cranford, NJ

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2019
Campbell (My Sisters the Saints, 2012) is a self-acknowledged perfectionist, though she admits that until she became a mother, her perfectionism?and its central role in her lifelong struggle to trust God?had remained hidden. But she then realized that perfectionism wasn't just a problem for other people. It was a problem for me ?indeed, particularly a problem for women. Yet men are not exempt, being prey to social perfectionism. And both sexes are potential victims of spiritual perfectionism rooted in the lie that we can earn God's love and work our way to heaven. The extended meditation on perfectionism and grace that follows includes examinations of the lives of various saints who also wrestled with problems of perfection, including Therese, Francis, Ignatius, and others. Interspersed among her profiles of them are thematically related examples from her own life and that of her family. Part hagiography, part self-help, Campbell's latest is a useful guide for perfectionists and others to the rigors of humility and the joy of grace.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)