How to Get to “I Do”: A Dating Guide for Catholic Women is a treasure of sensible advice from the recently married Bonaccorso about dating, its pitfalls and the difficulty of making a healthy Catholic match in our modern world.
I love so much about this book it’s hard to limit myself to just a few things, but here goes:
*She recommends singles seriously discern their vocation to either marriage or to the religious life. If the answer is marriage, she recommends getting busy to help make that happen. It is work, but worth it.
*Bonaccorso learned to look for flexibility, compatibility and maturity in potential mates more than just passing a Catholic or political “litmus test.” She recognizes that marriage, even with the grace of the sacrament, requires a lot of work and two people committed to grow together.
*Cute: there are little snippets of commentary from Bonaccorso’s husband throughout, and he doesn’t always agree with her. I love that realism!
One of the reasons I so enjoyed this book is that I, like Bonaccorso, met and married my Italian husband in Washington, D.C., and I experienced some of the dating pitfalls she writes about so engagingly. But she’s a lot more mature than I was as a newlywed, and I appreciate her sharing her grounded perspective. How to Get to ‘I Do’ would be a great book for young singles to read (and discuss together!), but even for older teenagers to read and discuss with parents on discernment.
Check back next week when I’ll have an exclusive (and fun!) author interview with author Amy Bonaccorso!