The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Edited by Mother Agnes of Jesus
Translated by Michael Day, CONG. ORAT.

St. Thérèse, called the "Little Flower, was an amazing young Catholic, who went into the convent at the age of 15, & spent 9 years as a cloistered Carmelite Nun. She died at the young age of 24, but her life during those 9 years is a story no Catholic home should be without.

The book is broken up into 3 main sections: For Mother Agnes (her second sister) of Jesus, For Mother Marie de Gonzague, For Sister Marie (her eldest sister) of the Sacred Heart, all whom asked her to write for them along the lines of spiritual instruction & conversation. Saint Thérèse wrote the autobiography only under obedience, & it wasn't allowed outside of the walls of Carmel till after she died.

I have not read a book in a long time (perhaps not ever), by/about a Saint that is not only such an easy read, but is so perfectly written in innocence & godly wisdom! She writes from her heart, & of her learnings in life, the way a little child might speak--indeed, she often refers to herself as a little child, & finds no greater joy than being as such.
And yet, her profound wisdom, & enlightenment in the "Little Way of Spiritual Childhood", teaching the way to holiness--is amazing.

She learned much through mortification of pleasure, & even comfort; Saint Thérèse took great care to constantly suffer for Christ, & to be under constant desire to learn His ways. She would forgo niceties, & would often subject herself to being in the company of those who others found less desirable or downright offensive, so that she could learn patience & humility, & most of all--love. Everything she learned, & did, led her towards that goal--to suffer for Christ, to show love to others, & to offer up her sufferings for theirs.
"Little crosses give me more joy than anything else." Saint Thérèse stated.

She was a quiet, meek, lovely soul, & no other's writing could do justice to her own words--meaningless as she sometimes thought they were--& her own closeness to God. His Son indeed lived in, & through Saint Thérèse. She had a huge heart for serving & wanting to do good, & was never lazy or wasteful of what God had given her.

I took much away from this book, such as a desire to learn to love as she did, to be fully open to offering my sufferings for others, & to want to learn to not complain, but be thankful that every trial brings us closer to Christ, & His heaven.
The last section of the book is particularly powerful, as she writes not to her Sister, but to her Lord God.
Saint Thérèse wanted to help those in need even from heaven, stating, "I will spend my heaven doing good upon the earth."

If you're looking for a book that is short, sweet, & the story of a soul who found the Love of Christ, or even if you're just interested in reading a good autobiography--I strongly recommend this book!