Doyle's trademark candor, wit, and humor make this collection of more than 40 essays eminently enjoyable to read. From preparing for his First Confession by creating a fake laundry list of sins, to observing his mom's reaction to John F. Kennedy's assassination, to pondering his friend's surprising success with Catholic Golf Digest, Doyle's passionate writing is as likely to make us shed a tear as it is to make us laugh out loud. In the end, The Thorny Grace of It proves that, far from being extinguished, the Catholic faith--imperfect as it is--is wildly aflame in hearts and lives everywhere!
Best-selling and award-winning essayist Brian Doyle knows that the heartbeat of Catholicism is found not in papal decrees and pageantry, but in the parish halls, potluck dinners, and the believing community. In this spirited collection of more than 40 essays, Doyle employs his trademark wit, candor, and gusto for life and faith to reignite readers' excitement for Catholicism as he plumbs some of the stickier and trickier elements of the Catholic character.
| Format: | Paperback book |
|---|---|
| Product code: | IC439069 |
| Dimensions: | 8.4" x 5½" |
| Length: | 188 pages |
| Publisher: |
Loyola Press
|
| ISBN: | 9780829439069 |
| 1-2 copies | $13.46 each |
|---|---|
| 3-5 copies | $12.71 each |
| 6+ copies | $11.96 each |
Praise
The Thorny Grace of It contains Doyle's signature reflections on faith, fatherhood and family, delivered in a tone that alternates between puckish humor and open-hearted emotion.
Whether he's writing about marriage or a basketball game in the park or a cherished rosary, his vivid prose carries you along for an unforgettable ride. His essays can make you laugh out loud and make you cry in recognition of the very beautiful human experiences and faith stories he shares. Every little essay is a complete and perfect world in and of itself.
The range of these essays portrays a man who understands that a full life includes a spiritual life. He is a man who understands the meaning of family, of community, and of our eternal destiny. But he is also a writer who understands the power of a revelation to be found in a single moment, a moment we may all have experienced but most likely have never thought of again.
It is a boon, a blessing, to have Brian Doyle's vagabond essays now rubbing elbows in a single handy and altogether delightful volume.
Author
Brian Doyle was a hirsute shambling shuffling mumbling grumbling muttering muddled maundering meandering male being who edited Portland Magazine at the University of Portland, in Oregon — the best university magazine in America, according to Newsweek, and "the best spiritual magazine in the country," according to author Annie Dillard, clearly a woman of surpassing taste and discernment.
Doyle's books have four times been finalists for the Oregon Book Award, and his essays have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Orion, The American Scholar, and in newspapers and magazines around the world. His essays have also been reprinted in the annual Best American Essays, Best American Science & Nature Writing, and Best American Spiritual Writing anthologies. Among various honors for his work is a Catholic Book Award, two Pushcart Prizes, and, mysteriously, a 2008 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
His greatest accomplishments are that a riveting woman said yup when he mumbled a marriage proposal, that the Coherent Mercy then sent them three lanky snotty sneery testy sweet brilliant nutty muttering children in skin boats from the sea of the stars, and that he made the all-star team in a Boston men's basketball league that was a really tough league, guys drove the lane in that league they lost fingers, man, one time a guy drove to the basket and got hit so hard his right arm fell off but he was lefty and hit both free throws, so there you go.
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