The Top Five St. Thérèse Books

I am a St Thérèse book connoisseur, partly by choice and partly because everyone gives me gifts related to St. Thérèse because I was named after her.

Now that I have worked in the Daughters of St. Paul publishing house, Pauline Books, I know that all St. Thérèse books are definitely not created equal. Any publisher worth a grain of salt will tell you that any book with St. Thérèse’s face on it sells. Unfortunately, this means that the market is flooded with books about the little saint, and not all of them are good.

So, since I am slowly becoming an expert in all things Thérèse, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite books over the years.

Here are my top choices:

The Story of A Soul: This is obvious, painfully obvious. But I know there are some Catholics out there who have not read her autobiography. Shame on you! Get to it. You may need to get past some of the dated language, and her at times schmaltzy style but underneath that is a real treasure of the Church.

Shirt of Flame: A Year With Saint Therese of Lisieux by Heather King: I love everything Heather King writes but when she wrote a book about my favorite saint, I knew I was in for a treat. St. Thérèse seems to attract the least-likely admirers and I think Heather would agree that she is one of them. A self-described alcoholic, and convert to the faith, Heather is not exactly the typical St. Thérèse groupie, but it is precisely this fact that makes the book earthy, gritty and oh so good.

My Vocation is Love by Jean Lafrance: If you want to read the best books about St. Thérèse, you have to look to her homeland. This is a recent book that was republished by my sisters and it is a spiritual biography, a true wealth of wisdom on the saint of little things.

The Way of Trust and Love by Jacques Philipe: I eat up everything that Jacques Philippe writes about anything. This man’s books are truly gems. So when my favorite French priest wrote about the Little Flower, I snatched up the book faster than I gobble down Trappistine chocolate. If you love St. Thérèse and want to grow in trust in the Lord, read this book.

I Believe in Love by Fr. Jean C. J. D’Elbee: Yet another French priest who captures the soul of St. Thérèse’s Little Way and communicates it with simplicity. I LOVE this book. After I read it, I bought more and sent them to my friends. Yes, it is that kind of book.

That’s all folks, check them out! And feel free to add your favorites in the comments,

Oh and if you want to better absorb what you read, buy a real paper book. Recent studies have confirmed what we all knew in our gut – reading on a screen is not as effective for comprehension as reading the real thing.

Real books rule!