St. Joseph Church History by Lovasik, Lawrence - 1990

This is a compact overview of the history of the Catholic Church. The work is somewhat biased, inasmuch as the author does not honestly recount errors of Church leadership, such as those of Cardinal Humbert in 1054 (p. 79)or the suppression of Father Ricci's inculturation of Chinese customs (p. 136). Contrary to the author's perspective, it would be more accurate not to speak of a schism between East and West in 1054; the excommunication by Cardinal Humbert had no force, since the Pope who sent him was dead at the time. The description of Eucharistic piety in the Middle Ages (p. 103 ff.) is also deficient, inasmuch as most people went to Communion rarely, lost an understanding of the Mass as common prayer, and did not understand what was going on. Also, Copts are not Monophysites; Assyrians should not be described as Nestorians. These are pejorative terms not used today by the Roman Catholic Church. Otherwise, this is a practical and useful handbook. The book is clearly and simply written, supplemented with illustrations and tables. It's easy to read and simple to understand. To cover 2000 years of history in 192 pages is an accomplishment. Each chapter is preceded by a preview, a summary of what follows. The text is relatively up to date, including the last years of the 20th century, up to Pope John Paul II. There is also an optimistic appendix on the Church in the United States.