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Booked for Life
'Whatever I have learned,' writes Karl Keating, 'I have learned from masters of the craft.' In this memoir, the father of the modern Catholic apologetics movement traces his life s work through the wisdom he has borrowed from twenty-five books written by masters both famous and obscure. In delightful prose bearing Karl s trademark erudition, precision, and wit, Booked for Life mixes anecdote and reflection with theological observations and prescriptions from nearly forty years engaged in defense of the Faith.
239 pages, Hardcover
Published November 17, 2017
About the author
Karl Keating
33 books43 followersKarl Keating (b. 1950), a prominent Catholic apologist and author, is the founder and president of Catholic Answers, a lay apostolate of Catholic apologetics and evangelization.
He received his undergraduate degree in Applied Math at UCSD in 1972 and went on to get a J.D. at the University of San Diego. He worked as an attorney practicing civil law in the early 1980s.
Leaving Mass one Sunday, he found anti-Catholic tracts on the windshields of the cars in the church parking lot. He wrote his own tract in reply and distributed copies of it at the Fundamentalist church responsible for the anti-Catholic tract. That was the start of what has become the country’s largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization.
Catholic Answers was incorporated in 1982, and in 1988 Karl left the practice of law and went into apostolic work full time. That year marked the publication of his Catholicism and Fundamentalism, the first book to deal extensively with challenges posed by “Bible Christians.” Other books followed: What Catholics Really Believe, Nothing But the Truth, The Usual Suspects, and Controversies. He is at work on several more titles.
For nine years Karl served as the editor of This Rock. He has been a columnist for the National Catholic Register and the Canadian Catholic Review and has written for many other publications. Each Tuesday he answers questions on “Catholic Answers Live.” His avocations include backpacking (his favorite locales are the High Sierra and the Grand Canyon) and flying.
He received his undergraduate degree in Applied Math at UCSD in 1972 and went on to get a J.D. at the University of San Diego. He worked as an attorney practicing civil law in the early 1980s.
Leaving Mass one Sunday, he found anti-Catholic tracts on the windshields of the cars in the church parking lot. He wrote his own tract in reply and distributed copies of it at the Fundamentalist church responsible for the anti-Catholic tract. That was the start of what has become the country’s largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization.
Catholic Answers was incorporated in 1982, and in 1988 Karl left the practice of law and went into apostolic work full time. That year marked the publication of his Catholicism and Fundamentalism, the first book to deal extensively with challenges posed by “Bible Christians.” Other books followed: What Catholics Really Believe, Nothing But the Truth, The Usual Suspects, and Controversies. He is at work on several more titles.
For nine years Karl served as the editor of This Rock. He has been a columnist for the National Catholic Register and the Canadian Catholic Review and has written for many other publications. Each Tuesday he answers questions on “Catholic Answers Live.” His avocations include backpacking (his favorite locales are the High Sierra and the Grand Canyon) and flying.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 12, 2020
This book mainly concentrates on the books that shaped him and how he was specifically drawn to British writers, or in one case an honorary British writer.
As a biography, it is rather minimal. The subtitle about being an "Accidental Apologist" is true as anybody who knows how the founding of Catholic Answers came about. So his background, interests, and influences shaped him to respond on the day he found anti-Catholic tracts placed on the windshields of cars in his parish.
Beyond this, there is really no more information about the starting years of this apostolate. The concentration is those books that influenced him. In many ways I appreciated this about his memoir. Not a recital of facts about his accomplishments and what Catholic Answers as achieved. As someone who owes a great debt to CA, it really has greatly influenced many people's lives for the better.
Still I appreciate Karl's humility in acknowledging the debt to specific authors and their books he read. So there are a lot of very good recommendations for solid authors and specific books to have in your library. Over the years I have picked up many of his suggestions and I rate them all highly. I can really appreciate a memoir that is essentially somebody writing about the authors and books he loves and why he loves them.
As a biography, it is rather minimal. The subtitle about being an "Accidental Apologist" is true as anybody who knows how the founding of Catholic Answers came about. So his background, interests, and influences shaped him to respond on the day he found anti-Catholic tracts placed on the windshields of cars in his parish.
Beyond this, there is really no more information about the starting years of this apostolate. The concentration is those books that influenced him. In many ways I appreciated this about his memoir. Not a recital of facts about his accomplishments and what Catholic Answers as achieved. As someone who owes a great debt to CA, it really has greatly influenced many people's lives for the better.
Still I appreciate Karl's humility in acknowledging the debt to specific authors and their books he read. So there are a lot of very good recommendations for solid authors and specific books to have in your library. Over the years I have picked up many of his suggestions and I rate them all highly. I can really appreciate a memoir that is essentially somebody writing about the authors and books he loves and why he loves them.
January 12, 2026
Karl Keating is a fascinating and inspiring person. This survey of how he became such a powerful apologist is a must read for anyone who is interested in defending their faith.
This book is not just for defense of the Faith, but is an in-depth resource for how to think and research and analyze different aspects of Faith and how to understand it.
This is a book to which one may refer time and again not only for answering the questions of others, but for deepening one's own understanding of the mysteries and dogmas and doctrines of the Church founded by Jesus Himself.
This book is not just for defense of the Faith, but is an in-depth resource for how to think and research and analyze different aspects of Faith and how to understand it.
This is a book to which one may refer time and again not only for answering the questions of others, but for deepening one's own understanding of the mysteries and dogmas and doctrines of the Church founded by Jesus Himself.
August 25, 2018
Awesome resource on Catholic apologetics
Having previously read Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism, I was drawn to this bibliographic collection of his “go to” works and references. I am not disappointed. This is a wonderful introduction to many other books of Catholic thought. Easy to read and digest.
Having previously read Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism, I was drawn to this bibliographic collection of his “go to” works and references. I am not disappointed. This is a wonderful introduction to many other books of Catholic thought. Easy to read and digest.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews