Turning Points: How Thirteen Remarkable Men and Women Heard God's Call and Responded to It

by Russell Shaw

This book examines how thirteen extraordinary men and women from apostolic times to the present—most of them canonized saints—came to see how God wanted them to organize their lives and, seeing that, set out to shape their lives accordingly.

It adopts a new and illuminating approach to a familiar literary genre—the lives of the saints and what the turning points were in their dedicating themselves to God. Instead of concentrating on the question of vocation, the book situates the thirteen notable men and women in the context of their lives as a whole and profiles them in this broader framework.

Turning Points probes the stories of highly motivated individuals who in a variety of ways committed their lives to wholeheartedly following Christ, and it discusses a number of issues as timely for the Church now as they were then. It is engagingly written for all who are interested in serious religious ideas, as well as in the inspiring stories of thirteen outstanding people whose lives shed fresh light on living the faith in their times—and our own.

Among those whose stories are told are Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Thomas More, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint John Henry Newman, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, Caryll Houselander, and Dorothy Day.

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2025

About the author

Russell Shaw is a widely published author and journalist who has written twenty previous books, including To Hunt, To Shoot, To Entertain: Clericalism and the Catholic Laity and Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church. For 18 years, Shaw directed media relations for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the United States Catholic Conference. From 1987 to 1997 he oversaw media relations for the Knights of Columbus. Since resigning from that position, he has worked full time as a freelance writer.

Reviews

[Jeff Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Read to Inspire

As I read these stories of very flawed people and how God used them I knew I had a chance to also be His spokesman. The book shows you how God uses each individual despite their own unique personality and flaws for a specific purpose for their time.

[Rachel Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively succinct collection of stories of extraordinary Catholics. Each story left me wanting to know more but also feeling like I had a better understanding of the life of the individual. Several of the books mentioned throughout this book are now on my to read list!