My Life with the Saints - James Martin

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year
-
Winner of a
Christopher Award
-
Winner of a Catholic Press Association Book
Award

Meet some surprising friends of God in this warm and wonderful
memoir

James Martin has led an entirely modern life: from a lukewarm
Catholic childhood, to an educationat the Wharton School of Business, to the
executive fast track at General Electric, to ministry as a Jesuit priest, to a
busy media career in Manhattan. But at every step he has been accompanied by
some surprising friends-the saints of the Catholic Church. For many, these holy
men and women remain just historical figures. For Martin, they are intimate
companions. "They pray for me, offer me comfort, give me examples of
discipleship, and help me along the way," he writes.
The author is both
engaging and specific about the help and companionship he has received. When his
pride proves trouble-some, he seeks help from Thomas Merton, the monk and writer
who struggled with egotism. In sickness he turns to Thrse of Lisieux, who knew
about the boredom and self-pity that come with illness. Joan of Arc shores up
his flagging courage. Aloysius Gonzaga deepens his compassion. Pope John XXIII
helps him to laugh and not take life too seriously.
Martin's inspiring,
witty, and always fascinating memoir encompasses saints from the whole of
Christian history- from St. Peter to Dorothy Day. His saintly friends include
Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, Mother Teresa, and other beloved figures.
They accompany the author on a lifelong pilgrimage that includes stops in a
sunlit square of a French town, a quiet retreat house on a New England beach,
the gritty housing projects of inner-city Chicago, the sprawling slums of
Nairobi, and a gorgeous Baroque church in Rome. This rich, vibrant, stirring
narrative shows how the saints can help all of us find our way in the
world.

"In a cross between Holden Caulfield and Thomas Merton, James
Martin has written one of the best spiritual memoirs in years."
-Robert
Ellsberg, author of All Saints

"It isn't often that a new and
noteworthy book comes along in this genre, but we have reason to celebrate My
Life with the Saints. It is earmarked for longevity. It will endure as an
important and uncommon contribution to religious writing."
-Doris Donnelly,
America

"An account . . . that is as delightful as it is
instructive."
-First Things

"In delightful prose Martin
recounts incidents, both perilous and funny, that have prompted him to turn to
the saints, and in doing so shows us a new way of living out a devotion that is
as old and universal as the Church."
-Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ, Fordham
University

"An outstanding and often hilarious
memoir."
-Publishers Weekly

"Martin's final word for us is as
Jungian as it is Catholic: God does not want us to be like Mother Teresa or
Dorothy Day. God wants us to be most fully ourselves."
-The Washington
Post Book World