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My historical and personal journey begins … it turns now on a question I cannot avoid: What if the beating pulse of those _ first ‘great and simple images’ of myself and of my life was a lie…
This eloquent memoir by former priest and National Book Award-winning writer James Carroll traces the roots of the Catholic sexual abuse scandal back to the power structure of the Church itself, as he explores his own crisis of faith and journey to renewal.
James Carroll weaves together the story of his quest to understand his personal beliefs and his relationship to the Catholic Church with the history of the Church itself. From his first awakening of faith as a boy to his gradual disillusionment as a Catholic, Carroll offers a razor-sharp examination both of himself and of how the Church became an institution that places power and dominance over people through an all-male clergy.
Ultimately, Carroll calls on the Church and all reform-minded Catholics to revive the culture from within by embracing anti-clerical, anti-misogynist resistance and staying grounded in the spirit of love that is the essential truth at the heart of Christian belief and Christian life.
“Courageous and inspiring.”
Karen Armstrong, author of The Case for God
“James Carroll takes us to the heart of one of the great crises of our times.”
Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve
