John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father

As the leader of the Catholic Church, the oldest continuing institution in the Western world, Pope John Paul II was a giant in every sphere he touched-personal, theological, political, ecumenical. In an age rich with heroes, Pope John Paul II was truly the great man of the past century-a man who personally confronted its tragedies, from Nazism to communism. A paradoxical figure, Pope John Paul II was an intellectual animated by confidence and joy, a poet and playwright, a supporter of freedom who decried its abuse, a tough political gamesman, and a mystic convinced that the bullet that nearly killed him in Rome was directed away from his heart by the hand of the Mother of God.

Here, bestselling author Peggy Noonan brings her sharp observations, acute sensibility, warmth, and wit to the life of the pope and shows the personal effect his journey had upon her and millions of others throughout the world. Written with heart and depth, this book is at once a moving elegy and a brilliant celebration of a man whose life taught us the greatest lesson of all: how to live.

Praise for Peggy Noonan and When Character Was King:

"You read her in thrall to her striking ability to behold great vistas through a pinhole . . . in a language that is always concrete and vital."

-The New York Times

"Noonan possesses an astonishingly deft touch."

-USA Today

"The essence of Mr. Reagan's character, and perhaps the character of a nation."

-The Dallas Morning News

"Noonan's warm remembrance of the man she calls her spiritual father is a refreshing addition to the growing collection of biographies of and memoirs about the late Pope John Paul II. What makes this volume so inviting is Noonan's chatty manner of writing about John Paul and the very personal way he affected her life. She is willing to be transparent here, especially in the chapters where she imparts elements of her faith story, explaining how she moved toward 'serious Catholicism' and 'deepened belief' during John Paul's reign and how she came to see him as her spiritual father. Although Noonan writes glowingly of her subject, she does not duck criticism of his lengthy pontificate. For one, she suggests he could have taken stronger action against the banal way the Catholic liturgy has come to be celebrated in the West. She particularly laments John Paul's inadequate response to the church's 'great shame' of clergy sexual abuse, and seizes the opportunity to lambaste the church's cardinals and bishops as well. Noonan recaps what she told the American bishops at a meeting in September 2003, but sadly wonders whether they truly understood the magnitude of the problem. Noonan's and John Paul's fans will appreciate her take on the late pope and the delightful way in which she weaves his legacy into her own walk of faith." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The author brings her sharp observations, acute sensibility, warmth, and wit to the life of the pope and shows the personal effect his journey had upon her and millions of others. Written with heart and depth, this is at once a moving elegy and a brilliant celebration of a man whose life taught others how to live.

Peggy Noonan, author of the bestselling When Character Was King, has contributed articles and essays to Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many other publications. She is currently a columnist and contributing editor at The Wall Street Journal.