Summer Reading List

I'd like to recommend an addition to any single lady's summer reading list (well, to anyone's, really!) by the name of Now and Not Yet:  Making Sense of the Single Life in the Twenty-First Century by Jennifer A. Marshall of The Heritage Foundation.  I saw her book on the shelf at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., and bought it on impulse.  (Sidenote: there was an incredibly good-looking clerk working that day, so I was praying he wasn't reading the title, but I think he got a glance).

From the introduction: 

As increasing numbers of women and men spend more of their lives unmarried, the topic of singleness demands greater theological and sociological attention.  A complex set of cultural and economic factors has contributed to the trend of marrying later and to the disappearance of well-marked routes that once led clearly to marriage...The central focus of this book is the part of the puzzle that we as single women are responsible for: tending to the spiritual and practical aspects of our own day-today lives.  Single women must live in the world as it meets them today, and many are simply trying to figure out how to seek contentment now as well as pursue dreams not yet realized.  This book is by, about, and for women who find themselves in that unexpected place. 

Why I like the book:  With chapters and sub-chapters titled: "Crocker Versus Friedan: When Neither Betty Will Do," Me: Intimdating?" and "Men: Co-Heirs of the Kingdom, Co-Victims of the Chaos," what's not to love?  Marshall is able to address address deep, theological questions about vocations as well as practical concerns such as how buying our own real estate, pursuing career opportunities, and furthering our education can feel like we're waving a white flag of surrender to the prospect of marriage.   In the end, I still do not know if and when I will arrive at "Destination Marriage," as she calls it, nor do I know what lies beyond that train stop should I pass through it.  However, I do feel comforted that my questions are being asked by others, and that someone cared enough to acknowledge them.  Sisters, I hope you take comfort in this book, too.   And who knows...maybe the handsome clerk is asking the same questions, too!