This book is a succinct explanation of happiness and unhappiness, written in a very clear, precise style, and including some solid advice for spiritual growth. It really helped me to understand the reasons for the unhappiness that I've struggled with throughout much of my life, and the reasons why I tend to still be unhappy even when times are good. For that alone it's worth several stars in my estimation. The author used himself as an example a few too many times for my liking, and this book will probably not be of much use to non-Christians (and of somewhat limited use to Christians who aren't Catholics), but otherwise, a solid read. ( )

In Finding True Happiness Jesuit Fr. Robert Spitzer outlines a philosophical and theological framework for understanding and experiencing happiness. He proposes four types or “levels” of happiness, beginning with external pleasure and culminating with transcendent spiritual experience. He then lays out a program for experiencing the positive elements of the lower levels of happiness while answering the call of our transcendent desires and encountering God in a direct, dynamic way.

Fr. Spitzer draws heavily from the Catholic philosophical and theological tradition; readers interested in further reading on the subject will want to peruse the lengthy bibliography. Three more planned volumes in the series will tackle evidence for humanity’s transcendent nature; Jesus Christ’s revelation of God’s desires for humanity; and the problem of evil and suffering.

Finding True Happiness is not written with a lay audience in mind and casual readers may find the philosophical style daunting. Nevertheless the book is an important contribution to Catholic teaching on human desire and happiness.

Recommended for college and theological libraries.

N.B.: I received a free review copy of this book from the Catholic Library Association. This review was originally published in the March 2016 issue of Catholic Library World. ( )