Super Girls and Halos: My Companions on the Quest for Truth, Justice, and Heroic Virtue

by Maria Morera Johnson

Overview

Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: Gender Issues. (Second Place).


Award-winning author Maria Morera Johnson follows up her bestselling book, My Badass Book of Saints, with a unique and daring exploration of the cardinal virtues through the saints and heroines of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books. Johnson will reignite your passion for your faith as she demonstrates the heroic in the sometimes mundane quest for good and reminds us that Catholicism is filled with adventure.

What do Wonder Woman and St. Katharine Drexel have in common? How about St. Clare of Assisi and Rey, the ingénue from Star Wars: The Force Awakens? All four women sought justice for the abused.

With the same zest for her faith and cheeky wit that readers found so compelling in My Badass Book of Saints and a love for the heroic journey that highlights her career, Johnson now focuses on heroines—improbable pairings of saints and characters from sci-fi, comics, and fantasy—who have influenced her life and deepened her understanding of the Church’s cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice.

Johnson tells her own story alongside the unlikely pairs to show how the cardinal virtues are at play in our lives as well:

• Prudence (judgment of right and wrong), which influences Marvel’s Black Widow and St. Mary Magdalene, as well as X-Files agent Dana Scully and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
• Fortitude (courage), experienced by Marvel's Storm and St. Cunigunde, as well as Harry Potter's Hermione Granger and St. Marguerite D’Youville.
• Temperance (restraint of desires), which changes how we understand Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games series and St. Mary MacKillop, as well as Nyota Uhura of Star Trek fame and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

With Johnson's enthusiasm as a guide, you’ll be inspired to embrace the virtues anew and find your faith in your favorite stories.

Discussion questions focusing on the cardinal virtues, making it a great resource for personal or group study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594717567
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	09/08/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Maria Morera Johnson is the author of the award-winning books Super Girls and Halos and My Badass Book of Saints. She also contributed to The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion, Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary, and Gaze Upon Jesus. A CatholicMom.com blogger and educator, Johnson retired in 2016 from her positions as a composition and literature professor and the director of English learning support at Georgia Piedmont Technical College.

Johnson has spoken at a number of events, retreats, and conferences, including the National Council of Catholic Women, Austin Women’s Conference, and the Catholic Press Association. She also has been featured on CatholicTV and Busted Halo and in Catholic Digest and St. Anthony Messenger.

Johnson is a native of Cuba. She and her husband, John, have three grown children and live in the Mobile, Alabama, area.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Heroines, Heroic Virtue, and the Quest for Good vii

Part I Seeking Justice 1

1 Crusaders of Justice and Learning: Wonder Woman and St. Katharine Drexel 3

2 Beacons of Strength and Light: Rey and St. Clare of Assisi 21

Part II Seeking Prudence 41

3 Imparters of Mercy and Service: Black Widow and St. Mary Magdalene 43

4 Paragons of Wisdom and Truth: Agent Dana Scully and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross 59

Part III Seeking Fortitude 79

5 Guardians of Dignity and Culture: Storm and St. Cunegunde 81

6 Defenders of Fairness and Honor: Hermione Granger and St. Marguerite d'Youville 95

Part IV Seeking Temperance 111

7 Champions of Caring and Compassion: Katniss Everdeen and St. Mary MacKillop 113

8 Explorers of Peace and Faith: Lt. Nyota Uhura and St. Kateri Tekakwitha 129

Conclusion: The Quest for Good Leads to God: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe 149

Acknowledgments 161

Notes 163

Editorial Reviews

07/10/2017
Johnson (My Badass Book of Saints) again considers the saints, this time exploring the Catholic cardinal virtues of justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance through the lives of female saints and cultural heroines. She finds new ways of thinking about Wonder Woman and St. Katharine Drexel, both women in search of justice who exhibit patience to achieve their goals. She then discusses Hermione Granger and St. Marguerite D’Youville, both women who practice fortitude and courage with conviction in the face of evil and personal insult. Then there is also Dana Scully of The X Files, who exhibits great prudence; Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games trilogy, who is driven by compassion; and the author’s personal hero, Nyota Uhura from Star Trek, who modernizes ideals of temperance and virtue. When these worthy heroines are paired with women such as St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Teresa Benedicta, and St. Clare of Assisi, they challenge readers to rethink what it means to live virtuously in the world today. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"What do you get when you cross Wonder Woman and Hermoine Granger with St. Katharine Drexel and St. Clare of Assisi? You'll have to read this unique book to find out! Maria Morera Johnson’s love of films is eclipsed only by her love of books. In her latest offering, Super Girls and Halos, she introduces a series of gutsy women who help us explore what is good in our own souls. Even though I’m not the science-fiction geek or literature professor that Johnson is, I loved her unexpected and eclectic pairings of intriguing heroines of the screen and the page alongside inspiring saints of the Church. This PG-rated mingling of fiction, films, and faith stories is a fab follow up to My Badass Book of Saints! It’s serious fun mixed with the joy of faith!" --Pat Gohn, Author of Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious

“Above all, Super Girls and Halos is a celebration of the genius, strength, and beauty of the feminine. Written with Johnson's signature wit and wisdom, this book will inspire you to join forces with God and become the hero of your own story." --Hallie Lord, SiriusXM radio host and author of On the Other Side of Fear

"With wit and wisdom, Maria Morera Johnson pairs the excitement and adventure of fictional heroines with the integrity and tenacity of true heroines who walked this earth. This clever combination packs a punch, providing us with a powerful lesson on righteousness and inspiring us to live with the confidence needed to become virtuous heroines and heroic saints. A must-read for anyone looking to tap into her supernatural, God-given powers!" --Kelly Wahlquist, Founder of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization and editor of Walk in Her Sandals

"Maria Morera Johnson has put together a collection of real and fictional heroines who deliver real kicks (and gentle taps) of correction to the notion that a colorful woman may lack moral wisdom or that a gentle woman is deficient in spiritual and social strength. These sisters are full of the right stuff, and Johnson serves up their virtues with a pow! and a prayer." --Elizabeth Scalia, US editor of Aleteia and author of Strange Gods

"Superheroes and saints prove to be an irresistible combination. Maria Johnson has managed to expertly tell the stories of both with an eye toward the inner desires God has given each of us. This is the very best kind of catechesis and sure to be your favorite read of the year!" --Sarah Reinhard, Catholic author, writer, and managing editor of Today’s Catholic Teacher

“Weaving Theology of the Body and super heroes together may seem like a hard task, but author Maria Morera Johnson makes it seem effortless. Flowing from stories about Wonder Woman as she relates to the feminine genius back into a reflection on the development of DC and Marvel characters, this book will appeal to women looking for culturally relatable ways of translating aspects of the Catholic faith into everyday dialect, without losing its potency. A great text for book clubs, Super Girls and Halos elevates the discussion of feminist characters and role models to a higher, more heroic level.” --Sr. Brittany Harrison, F.M.A., Campus minister at Mary Help of Christians Academy

From the Publisher