Review:Death of a Pope

... is a Re-birth of the Classic Suspense Thriller!

The Death of a Pope, the latest novel by Piers Paul Read, is a thriller of the first water, that is, of the finest quality. This book reminds me of the thrillers my dad and I used to read back in the “cold war” days: the books with the tightly interwoven plots, filled with suspense and double-dealing and double-talking; the kind of book that relies on great writing rather than cheap tricks or overt and graphic sex. The kind of books written by authors like LeCarre and McGinnis who were over-taken in popularity by sensationalist authors like Follett or Grisham.

Yes, The Death of a Pope is similar in quality and style to a LeCarre classic, using real events with just a soupcon of fiction to create a suspenseful “what if” scenario with catastrophic results. The book, just published by Ignatius Press, places the reader back five years ago with Pope John Paul II nearing death. The political intrigue spins around the expected conclave, getting the “right” candidate onto the papal throne, and changing the balance from an overly conservative pontiff to one more amenable to the changing times. But this is a sub-plot, incidental to the real action and message of the 215-page taut prose.

First, we have a Basque, ex-Jesuit priest, mission worker who stands trial in London for attempting to obtain a poisonous gas, a potential “weapon of mass destruction”. Juan Uriarte is an intelligent, passionate aid-worker. Add an idealistic young journalist from wealthy parents who wants to “do good” (isn’t there a saying about “the road to hell being paved by good intentions”?), a junior security agent who with terrier-like style won’t let the former priest alone and is sure he is “up to something”, and a host of other characters who are equally well-drawn by Read’s pen. My favorite character is the journalist’s uncle, Fr. Luke Scott, a priest reminiscent of Alec Guiness’ role in the film version of Chesterton’s classic character, Fr. Brown. These characters stalk through the book, linked by events which unfold slowly but surely to the ultimate cataclysmic climax.

This book is truly a thriller – a book where something may happen and the hero has to stop the devastation before it’s too late. The details of life in an African mission, of life in Rome, of life for the liberals versus the conservatives, of human life versus human death are well-described and the reader gets a real sense of “being there”. The book doesn’t bog down or pontificate or proselytize but rather teaches through the characters’ actions and words; the double-speak of one who believes he has the “truth” is mesmerizing to the characters and the reader.

There is a bit of sexual promiscuity in the book, but nothing graphic and it pertains to the story. In fact, the promiscuity is used as an illustration of the characters’ understanding (or lack thereof) of the dignity of human life, the immutability of God’s goodness, and the rightness of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

I strongly recommend this book to any adult (or mature teen) who is interested in current events, the Catholic teachings, and loves thrillers. I’m hoping The Death of a Pope will be the re-birth of the true thriller – yes, it is that good!

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Death of a Pope and to purchase your own copy of this soon-to-be thriller classic.

Read, Piers Paul -- Death of a Pope – Ignatius Press (San Francisco, CA); 2009. Hardcover, 215 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58617-295-4

Review: Haystack Full of Needles

About five years ago, I met an amazing woman: a woman with now 6 girls and one boy, a home school mom steeped in the Catholic faith, a charitable and crafty woman. I “knew” this woman only through the Internet, and yet a real friendship grew and flourished.

That woman, Alice Gunther, just wrote a book as full of the Catholic faith, charity and craftiness as all her online writings…. a book that is imbued with the Holy Spirit and love of the Blessed Mother…. a book that shares so willingly with others her own journey of family-based learning. Haystack Full of Needles is subtitled “A Catholic Home Educator’s Guide to Socialization”, but it is so much more than just about socializing.

It’s an adventure story.

Gunther takes the reader on her own adventure: an adventure from only child to raising six girls and one boy …. an adventure where the heroine starts out as the self-professed greatest critic of the homeschool lifestyle and emerges as the queen of homeschool advocates … an adventure with the Catholic faith at the center and all the wonders of the world emanating from that core. This is an adventure with happily-ever-afters scattered abundantly throughout.

A fairy tale? A useless venture like looking for a needle in a haystack? Not at all.

Gunther shows how through prayer, friends and love for her own children she is able to give her family a full and rich education without the brick-and-mortar so often touted as the only answer. But more than that, Gunther shows that the children involved (and she uses more examples than her own beautiful children) not only thrive in this setting but desire to continue even through the “terrible teens”. And they survive as healthy, knowledgeable, faith-filled, loving young adults who socialize with one and all.

An interesting side theme in Gunter’s book: the need for socialization for the homeschool mother. This mom-time is as critical as the children’s socialization and education, but often gets overlooked in discussions of the “s” issue. Gunther credits a handful of close friends who not only helped her embrace the home educator’s vocation but also help her continue to plan activities and clubs for the dozens of families in their groups. These close associates help through the good times and the bad.

Gunther credits too, the loving support and guidance of her husband – spousal involvement and support are key ingredients for success in any home education adventure.

Most importantly, a strong and active faith life for all in the family (but especially for the home-educator) – socializing with God and His saints – reaps untold rewards and assistance along this path that is still considered “alternative”.

The book is full of practical tips and suggestions for creating your own home education adventure with other families. And, as Gunther repeatedly points out, this can be one family or 20 families – the important point is to find things that you and your family love and create clubs or field trips, inviting others as desired.

For Gunther and her family, looking for other like-minded families is no longer like looking for a needle in a haystack – the haystack is full of needles!

[A personal note: my eight-year-old daughter immediately recognized the cover-art as Monet’s Haystack at Giverny – how many other eight-year-olds in “real school” even know the name “Claude Monet” let alone titles of his work? ]

Movie Review: The Human Experience

We are so very fortunate to be living in an age when small, independent movie producers can create life-affirming movies which win international acclaim. Movies like Bella, Noelle, The Ultimate Gift , Facing the Giants and Flywheel are amazing examples of this resurgence in well-constructed, meaningful films. These movies, about amazingly different characters and plot-lines, all carry the same theme: the sanctity and redeem-ability of human life.

Last night, we were fortunate to see a pre-screening of another such film. Produced by Grassroots Films of Brooklyn (NY), The Human Experience is a documentary about two brothers ... who carry the weight of their tough upbringing into the world, trying to understand why humans are here, is there meaning to life and how do we know? Now, this sounds a bit heavy-handed and melodramatic ... but the movie makes it.

Why?

The movie follows these two young men (one 18, one 25) on their journey -- from living with the homeless on the streets of New York City, to helping in a "lost children's home" in Peru, to the AIDs camp and leper colony of Ghana. Along the way, these brothers learn about the dignity of the human person:

• from talking with and eating with the homeless at a Soup Kitchen,
• getting help from another homeless man as they bed down for the night in cardboard boxes
• watching a lame child go through his weekly treatments in a hospital in Lima; a treatment so painful the child cries in agony the whole session; a treatment only necessary because this child was abandoned by his parents because he wasn't "perfect"
• meeting with AIDS victims and seeing their hope in God and love of their caretakers
• greeting lepers, so crippled with the disease they've lost their sight, their toes, their body disfigured and yet they smile through it all and thank the boys for coming

This is one of those movies that brings home the idea of the dignity of man, the whole "made in the image and likeness of God" regardless of how damaged, broken or disturbed. Interviews are scattered throughout this movie -- interviews with psychologists, sociologists, theologians (including two of my favorites: Fr. Richard Neuhaus and Msgr Lorenzo Albacete), and activists and artists who help explain the phenomenon of the human person.

This is a movie that needs to be seen to be understood. This movie is still in "pre-screening" status as it's hard to get the big theaters to carry a movie of this depth. Try and see it if it's playing anywhere near you (click on the "screenings" link) ... or host a screening by emailing screenings@grassroots.com for further info. You'll be thrilled you did!

We took all our kids -- from 5-1/2 to 17 -- and we had amazing conversations in the van coming back. Discussions of what it means to be homeless, to be forgotten by society but not by God, to be loved regardless. What great talking points!

FRCH: 10 years old and having a party!

Alicia's great site for Catholic homeschoolers, Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers, is celebrating 10 years (!) of bringing great reviews of a diverse blend of resources to Catholic homeschoolers. The site covers just about any subject or topic a homeschool parent (or student) would need and gives a list of reviewed resources.

I'm proud to be one of her reviewers!

Hop on over to the site and get in on the book-giveaway to celebrate the decade!

Review: Noelle .... a different point of view

Review: Noelle, the Movie

My husband and I went and saw this movie tonight [eta: last night, actually], in spite of (and maybe, because of) all the controversy that has recently been stirred up by this movie, particularly based on the Catholic League’s review of this movie. [I have yet to see any other Catholic voice review this movie; the closest was an interview in Catholic Digest, but that was not a review of the movie.]

Before I start this review, please let me say that I respect Bill Donohue and the Catholic League and all that they do to protect Catholics and Catholicism in the current American-secular climate. Based on their review of Noelle, we weren’t going to go see it … but cooler heads prevailed and we went to ensure that my husband would be able to address questions from his Catholic high school theology students.

For this review, I’ll quote directly from the December 3rd Catholic League review.

First, the Catholic League titles their review “CATHOLICISM TARRED BY CHRISTIAN FILM”. The movie we watched didn’t “tar” Catholicism. This title alone sets up an animosity that doesn’t make sense after having viewed the movie. This title sets up the preconception that somehow Gener8xion Entertainment, and the Walls and everyone else who had anything to do with this movie have a malignant intent to “dis” Catholicism. If anything, the writers, directors and actors are culpable of benign ignorance in the mistakes they make in this film – Catholic League paints it as malignant.

The Catholic League review continues:

In the synopsis provided by Gener8Xion, it accurately describes Jonathan
Keene as ‘a young Catholic priest seemingly devoid of genuine human emotion’;
his job is ‘to do what he does best: shut down a failing parish.’ Then there is
‘the child-like Fr. Simeon Joyce, a faithful but disillusioned priest who
blatantly disregards church regulations, uses church monies to pay an old
fisherman’s medical bills and spends most of his time drinking at the local
pub.’ Both priests are portrayed as losers.

Yes, Fr. Keene is a priest devoid of human emotion. He is almost an automaton character who shies from human contact and human conflict. His character is one of individualistic theology – he refuses to pray with Fr. Joyce as he says “prayer is a private thing”. And, yes, I’ve met priests over my Catholic life who appear similar to Fr. Keene. There is no mistake that this priest is a realistic characterization. I don’t think he was portrayed as a loser, but actually as more of a successful priest that confuses vocation with career in an almost corporate-sense. At one point, he tells Fr. Keene that putting on the live Nativity will bring the people back and the parish will be much more “profitable … uh, I mean productive.”

Fr. Joyce, on the other hand, is the antithesis of Fr. Keene – he loves his parish and parishioners and gives freely and completely of himself to help the parishioners. He LOVES being a priest and wants Fr. Keene to “believe” as he does. He most certainly is not portrayed as a “loser” but more as someone who thinks his battle is over and he has ALMOST lost but will give it “one more shot”. Yes, he gives parish money to help a fisherman who is very sick which is clearly against what a pastor should do; but Fr. Joyce is the kind of priest who thinks more of the people than the surroundings or the rules. Fr. Joyce’s mistake is in becoming too chummy with the parishioners and crossing the boundary between the pastor and his parish.

This movie shows two very different priests: the one who is too conscious of the job and not the vocation and the other who is just a bit too chummy with his townspeople, trying to get them to come back to the church. Both have problems, both are human, but neither are “losers”. Further, ALL priests are not one of these two “types”; just like all homeschoolers are different, all Catholics are different and all people are different – that’s the way God wants it.

The Catholic League review continues:

Viewers learn that the only reason Fr. Keene became a priest is because he
felt guilty about getting a girl pregnant when he was in college; to top things
off, he pressured her to have an abortion.

Yes, Fr. Keene probably does not have a true vocation. He mistakenly not only converts to Catholicism but also becomes a priest based on his guilt over encouraging his girlfriend to have an abortion. As Fr. Joyce points out though, “Being a priest is a privilege not a penance,” a statement that gets Fr. Keene thinking. Showing Fr. Keene as having an impediment to his vows opens the door for possible laicization … at least that’s the way I saw it.

The Catholic League:

Fr. Joyce, the alcoholic, has serious reservations about celibacy and his
idea of heaven is a jolly good Christmas party. Fr. Joyce tells Fr. Keene he
wants to marry a woman named Marjorie so he can help raise her illegitimate kid,
saying he ‘made a vow to God not to the Church.’

Fr. Joyce, the self-sacrificing priest, is not portrayed as an alcoholic but one who goes to the people in the pub to pastor his flock. He does drink but not necessarily to excess and I didn’t get the impression that he was an alcoholic but a priest who drinks with his parishioners as Jesus ate with tax collectors. I took Fr. Joyce’s decision to marry Marjorie as yet another act of self-sacrifice to help his parishioners – she was in trouble, he didn’t want her to abort the baby, so he decides that the only way to help her is to marry her. Fr. Joyce is in a very emotional state at this point – feeling let-down by his Church and vocation – and doesn’t realize the grave mortal sin he’d incur on himself should he leave the priesthood to marry Marjorie as he plainly has a priestly vocation. Nowhere does the movie imply that he is in love with Marjorie or WANTS to leave the priesthood. The “jolly good Christmas party” is because he finally sees his parishioners enjoying working on a Christmas play and he’s happy for them.

The Catholic League review continues:

But Fr. Keene, a first-class klutz, is also in love with the same woman: he
is shown bolting in the middle of Midnight Mass to be with her, knocking over a
filled chalice and ripping off his vestments.

Fr. Keene has been through a very emotional scene where his righteous anger for the corrupting of the innocent gets the better of him. Shortly after that, the movie shifts to Fr. Keene preparing for Midnight Mass and beginning to celebrate Mass. But the scene is one where you can’t determine if he is just starting the consecration or if Jesus is truly present in the body and blood. Reading this portion of the Catholic League review leads you to assume a scene where Mass is full of people, Fr. Keene “flips out”, leaves Mass, spilling the precious Body and Blood. This is not how this scene plays out. Fr. Keene is prepping for Midnight Mass that no one attends. Suddenly, as if the Holy Spirit told Fr. Keene that Marjorie was in trouble and needed help, Fr. Keene leaves the altar – but his spilling of the wine before the consecration would not be a trivialization of the consecration or the transubstantiation.

The Catholic League review concludes:

Throughout the film, confession is trivialized, celibacy is ridiculed, the
Virgin Mary is disrespected, nuns are belittled, last rites are mocked, and
priestly vocations are caricatured. In short, that which is uniquely Catholic is
trashed.

At this point, I’m not sure the Catholic League and I were watching the same movie.

· Confession is not trivialized but instead the confessional becomes a place of drama where the parishioners feel real remorse and come to confess that they haven’t been true to Fr. Joyce and have let him down. This humbling act is not “trivial”. When the grandmother confesses her hatred of her granddaughter’s seducer, she clearly wants to be absolved of this hatred. Fr. Keene, who is not “a people priest” as he himself explains, does not act appropriately in the confessional, but that’s his character.
· Celibacy is never ridiculed in the version I saw.
· The Blessed Mother is dealt with in Protestant terms or in terms for an unbeliever, which at this point is what Marjorie is. She doesn’t have the faith formation necessary to clearly understand the Catholic doctrine of virgin birth. She is also in highly emotional situation and not thinking clearly.
· When were nuns belittled? If the Catholic League means the scene where Marjorie says “so you can send the baby to a monastery where the nuns never wanted to be mothers”. I took this as Marjorie lashing out and trying to anger Fr. Keene.
· Last rites were not mocked, but Marjorie does make a joke as she tries to lighten the mood whilst recovering from having passed out and while she is in premature labor. How many women in the midst of labor contractions don’t make flippant remarks?

One of the last phrases in the review really got me:

It means nothing that the movie has a pro-life message.

I have to strongly disagree with this comment. I think it means everything that there is a strong pro-life message in this movie marketed to the secular and religious movie-goer. I think it’s very important that this movie shows the guilt the father feels when he talks his partner into an abortion … a guilt that can have life-long consequences, a guilt that is rarely portrayed (but rather, the illegitimate father is usually shown walking away with no feelings of remorse or guilt). I think it’s very important that Marjorie WANTS to keep her baby but doesn’t know how that is possible and feels pushed to abort but stops whenever she sees the priest. I think it’s very important that Fr. Joyce is willing to give up his own wishes, to lay down his life, to save his parishioner from committing a mortal sin.

I’m saddened that so many of my very good Catholic friends and colleagues want to take the Catholic League’s review and decide not to give this movie a chance. So much of the talk on-line about this movie has been so negative and yet no one had seen it. Judging without full knowledge is such a waste … and could cause movies like this one – that is trying to do the good – to flop whilst movies like The Golden Compass are box office hits.

Please understand that this review is MY opinion/interpretation of Noelle. It is far different from the Catholic League review. Your take on the movie may be somewhere in between the two reviews. But don’t just assume …. go see it yourself! I don't think I'd take younger children to see it, but teens and older could take away alot from this movie and be able to "talk to" some interesting questions.