This book examines how thirteen extraordinary men and women from apostolic times to the present—most of them canonized saints—came to see how God wanted them to organize their lives and, seeing that, set out to shape their lives accordingly.

It adopts a new and illuminating approach to a familiar literary genre—the lives of the saints and what the turning points were in their dedicating themselves to God. Instead of concentrating on the question of vocation, the book situates the thirteen notable men and women in the context of their lives as a whole and profiles them in this broader framework.

Turning Points probes the stories of highly motivated individuals who in a variety of ways committed their lives to wholeheartedly following Christ, and it discusses a number of issues as timely for the Church now as they were then. It is engagingly written for all who are interested in serious religious ideas, as well as in the inspiring stories of thirteen outstanding people whose lives shed fresh light on living the faith in their times—and our own.

Among those whose stories are told are Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Thomas More, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint John Henry Newman, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, Caryll Houselander, and Dorothy Day.

“There is not a dull page in this book! Though a few of the stories may be familiar to you, Shaw finds ways to make them new — and in the last chapter even surprising. Read it. You’ll love it.”
— Mike Aquilina, Author, Rabbles, Riots and Ruins

“Russell Shaw ranks among the best American Catholic writers of the last century, a wordsmith of exceptional skill. His portraits of 13 men and women touched by God are fresh, absorbing, and unforgettable. This is the work of a master-class writer, and a committed Catholic believer, in top form."
— Francis X. Maier, Author, True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church