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"Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth" Reads Like a Great Song

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My print Catholic Post column is constrained by space (unlike a blog!), which means I’m always hacking away at the many, many words I manage to write about the various books I review.


This month, I’ve decided to take some of that extra writing to share some longer reviews of a couple of the new titles I reviewed, to share more about what I love about the books.  Here’s a little more about why I enjoyed Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth by Dion DiMucci with Mike Aquilina.
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I’m too young to have followed or known of famous rocker Dion in his original “Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue” days, but he’s a “rock star” to those who love and know his music from the earliest days of rock’n’roll.
Dion:  The Wanderer Talks Truth is Dion’s spiritual autobiography, a fun book with surprising spiritual depth and gems scattered throughout the war stories of  rock’searly days and Dion’s transformation from rocker addict to faithful Catholic apologist, singer throughout.  Dion seems genuinely a seeker, honest about his shortcomings, and always pursuing the truth, and darn it, just very Italian (I feel confident about accusing him of this as I, too, am Italian, and I’m also married to one). 
My favorite part of Dion are the “quotable” short quotes that are great Catholic zingers, for lack of a better word. Yes, they are fun and memorable and truly Catholic, but would also make a great song lyric.
The more I changed, the more I became myself.

Humility is truth.

Relationships don’t end.

Love is a school of sacrifice.

The older I get, the more I’m knocked out by the glory of the truth.

Just like a great song, Dion:  The Wanderer Talks Truth is a great, fun read for these summer months, that also offers room for inspiration and deeper reflection.  Just like a great song.

Interview with Manga Hero author Gabrielle Gniewek

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After reading the manga titles from Manga Hero and reviewing them in my June column,  I knew I wanted to interview one of the authors.  I had the great good fortune to e-interview with Gabrielle Gniewek, writer of the Manga Hero series:  Judith: Captive to Conquerer and the special edition, Habemus Papem.  This has been one of my personal favorite interviews in recent months because of her insights about writing, her newfound discernment of a religious vocation, and her love of joining East and West in our Catholic faith.  Thanks, Gabrielle, for your candid answers!

Q.  How did you come to be a Manga writer?  Would you say you were a writer first and then Manga creator, or the opposite?

A. You have to be able to write before you can tell the types of stories you actually want to. It’s a matter first, of being born with the capacity to write, then secondly, getting enough practice by writing annoying book reports or pointless class assignments, before many years and bad scripts later, you’re able to tell an entertaining and grammatically correct story on paper. It’s along the way that you learn what types of stories styles you like (in my case, manga and anime) but having that initial talent and cultivating it comes first.

Q. You’re a student of John Paul the Great University in California.  Why did you decide to attend the university, and how does its mission and vision help you be creative in this way?

A. I will be graduating JP Catholic with a B.S. in Communications Media this September.

My faith is the most important thing to me, so my parents and I knew that no matter what college I attended, it was going to be authentically Catholic. The only problem was that I’ve had a passion for movie-making ever since I was young, and at the time there weren’t solid Catholic media-major colleges out there. By the grace of God, the only ad JP Catholic ever posted in the Faith and Family Magazine reached our kitchen table, and about a year later flew to CA and began my education there.

Its mission statement was exactly what resonated with me and convinced me to go. To “impact culture for Christ” as JPII said, was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell great stories on the page and on the screen. It was through the experience JPCU offered, and the amazing script-writing classes they provided, I was able to get a running start and progress much further into the world of writing than I could ever have thought.

Q.  Tell us more about Habemus Papem, that will be distributed at World Youth Day in Madrid later this summer.  What parts of Benedict XVI’s life does this cover, and how do you expect it to impact WYD participants?

A. The manga is meant to be a brief glimpse into the Pope’s schedule for the “average” day. A walk-through of what the Pope does from the moment he wakes up, to the moment he calls it quits. Through a few flashbacks (you can’t have a manga without the regularly scheduled sentimental or traumatic flashback!) the audience will also get a sneak peak at people and events in Ratzinger’s life that effect the decisions he makes today.

The story as a whole is meant to help the audience familiarize themselves with the Pope on a more personal level. I feel that story is what really draws people in through a catharsis that a history book or biography can’t stir up.

Q.  Will you be at WYD for the release?

A. I wish!

Q.  When will Habemus Papem be available in bookstores?

A. The WYD edition will only be available in Madrid for the occasion. We’re currently working on an extended edition that is similarly meant to make the audience sympathize with the pope on a personal level, by delving even deeper into his past experiences and life, and will be available in bookstores tentatively later this year.

Q.  You wrote on the Manga Hero blog that you are discerning a religious vocation.    Do you mind sharing some of your story with Catholic Post readers?  Do you still plan to write, and if so, what is your next project?

A. I’m officially living with the Workers of the Vineyard at the Convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Fields (whew!) as a Pre-Postulant – a stage of discernment that lasts 6 months. If things go as well as they have been, I’ll don a Postulant habit for a year in November. After that, it’s Novitiate, Temporary Professed, and Final Vow years down the road, but let’s cross one bridge at a time, shall we?

I am living proof that God has a sense of humor. You may have read in my blog that the order I’m joining is Chaldean Rite (Chaldeans are Catholics from Iraq). They’re a new active order that serves in the Chaldean community in El Cajon, CA. One of their major functions is streaming liturgical content to their Catholic brethren currently under persecution in Iraq. They’re a powerhouse of activity, running a Chaldean Media Center, starting a school, and running retreats, among other things. For more information about the Chaldean community, visit their website www.kaldu.org. (We’re always looking for donations to help the refugees, hint hint.)

I went through a rough time in life this past December, and I sought spiritual direction from a priest who taught philosophy classes at our school. What he said in those classes really impacted me, and I thought I had finally found a solid, brilliant priest who could give me the truth I so ardently desired, and needed, to hear. This priest was also, conveniently, Chaldean — the spiritual director for the Workers of the Vineyard, in fact.

You can see where this is going.

After talking with me once, he asked me if I thought I had a calling to the consecrated life. One thing led to another, and four months later I moved into the convent and have been living happily ever since.

Yes I still plan to write – gotta pay off college loans somehow! After the extended edition of Pope Benedict XVI, I might be working on an online manga series. On the side, one of the Sisters and I are going to be writing tele-plays and screen-plays in an attempt to sell them to studios to make money for the convent.

Q.  Is there anything else you would like to add or wish I would have asked?

A. I find the majority of Eastern cultures fascinating, and am shocked that so many people are so unaware of, or turned off by anything that can’t be considered “Western.”

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a Ukrainian Rite Catholic that Japanese arts, Chaldean culture, and all things labeled “East” fascinate me. Regardless, there is a vast treasure-trove of knowledge to be had, and information to be shared, if people only glanced across the border that divides us, East and West.

Summertime, and the Reading is Easy…

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Here is my Catholic Post column for June.  Enjoy, and be sure to share your favorite summer reads in the comments or on Facebook.


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During my growing-up years, summer meant a week or two at the beach, so trust me that I take“beach reading” seriously.   But that doesn’t mean books can’t be fun and nourishing to our Catholic faith.  Here is my annual list of great finds, in fiction and non-fiction, for young and no-so-young, to enjoy this summer:

* Dion:  The Wanderer Talks Truth by Dion DiMucci is the spiritual autobiography of one of the first (and first one-named) rock’n’roll stars.  It’s also a great read with surprising spiritual depth and gems scattered throughout Dion’s transformation from rocker addict to faithful Catholic apologist.  Dion seems genuinely a seeker, honest about his shortcomings, and darn it, just very Italian (I feel confident about accusing him of this as I, too, am Italian, and I’m also married to one).

*Wow!  Is my one-word review of Manga Hero, a Catholic publisher of well-crafted manga (Japanese style-comic books) stories on  Catholic themes.  I know I’ve got a winner when I can’t get the books back from our kids, who tore through the 3-volume Paul: Tarsus to Redemption and 2-volume Judith: Captive to Conquerer. 

Manga Hero’s founder and publisher is Jonathan Lin, a young Catholic who takes seriously John Paul II’s call to evangelize in all ways, even manga.  Lin plans to distribute 300,000 copies of a new release, Habemus Papem, at World Youth Day in Madrid later this summer.  Go ahead, discover Manga Hero ahead of the WYD crowd.

Three novels with specifically Catholic themes:

*For years friends have recommended that I read Junia:  The Fictional Life & Death of an Early Christian by Michael Edward Geisler, and I’m so glad I did.  It’s a powerful, well-done story of a privileged Roman young woman, Junia, whose life is changed by her encounter with early Christians.  Junia reminded me of the popular Louis de Wohl novels published last century, where de Wohl imagines fictional characters in the lives of saints like Catherine of Siena, Thomas Aquinas and others.  Many of his novels are now republished by Ignatius Press; any of those would also make excellent summer reading.

*Awakening by Claudia Cangilla McAdam is a time travel novel from the Imagio Catholic Fiction series from Sophia Institute Press.  I raced through this story of an American teen, Ronni, who finds herself in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ Passion.   Ronni’s emotions and self-centeredness are so realistic, as is the ways she is changed—and not—by her encounter with Jesus.

*Secrets of Siena by Diane Ahern, is #4 in the series” Adventures with Sister Philomena, Special Agent to the Pope.”  Yes, it’s just as silly as it sounds, and therefore, yes, this book is great for young readers.  Two kids have adventures with a spy nun who solves improbable faith-related mysteries in Italy.  Cute!

Three recent novels with more general interest, but also great for summer reading:

*For adults, The Forgotten Garden is Kate Morton’s first and best novel, a multigenerational tale spanning the 20th century with secrets, English country houses, Australian antique dealers, and early 20th century writers.  What’s not to love?  Even though the book jumps around in time each chapter, the book reads smoothly and as a whole.  One of the best elements of The Forgotten Garden is the complicated love between grandmother and granddaughter, ultimately providing the answer to the book’s central mystery.

*If you haven’t discovered the Penderwick family yet, you’re in for a treat.  Brand new and third is the series, The Penderwicks at Pointe Mouette, is Jeanne Birdsall’s delightful take on a family of four unique sisters.  The entire family will love these wholesome adventures about the best –and worst—of siblings and growing up.

*The Emporere of Nihon-Ja is John Flanagan’s 10th and last installment in the enormously popular 10-book Ranger’s Apprentice series.  Flanagan has championed all sorts of unpopular virtues in these adventurous stories, from honesty to servant leadership to courage and hard work.  They are easy to love and hard to put down.

What are you reading this summer?  Be sure to check back on the blog all month long for author interviews, longer reviews of some of these and other titles, and more.

A Book Idea for the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury

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Today is the feast day of St. Augustine of Canterbury, who brought Christianity to the British Isles.   And you are probably not surprised I have a book suggestion for this great feast.  I’m actually putting lots of great fiction for summer reading into my next column, so consider this an early selection.


Augustine Came to Kent is a great young adult novel, by Barbara Willard, published by the terrific publisher Bethlehem Books.  The book follows St. Augustine’s travel to England, and what happens to him there.  The story is told through the lives of two local (fictional) children, Fritha and Rolf.  It’s an exciting story with lots of historical detail.


Our family enjoyed this book greatly when we read it as a family read-aloud several years ago, but what truly brought this book to life and history to life, was a day trip to Canterbury last year when our family was in England.  We saw several of the sites that would have been known to St. Augustine, and learned even more about this great saint.

Here is a view inside St. Martin’s Church.  The walls actually pre-date the Christian church, having once been a Roman shrine,  showing how early Christians used the sacred spaces of pagans, “Christianizing” them.  The book Augustine Came to Kent has a moving scene of King Ethelbert’s baptism in this church.

Here is a modern statue of St. Bertha, Ethelbert’s queen, who was herself Christian (and a French transplant to England).  She paved the way for St. Augustine to be welcomed to Kent and bring the Faith to this new land.



Here is a view of the ruins of St. Augustine’s Abbey.


Have you read Augustine Came to Kent?  Do you have any book suggestions about St. Augustine, or just other good summer reading?


UPDATED:  My husband asked if I had shared a photo of Canterbury Cathedral, and I knew exactly the one he meant.  It was taken on his excellent camera by his excellent eye, as he takes most of the “great photos” in our family.   There was a bit of a rainshower, and afterwards a rainbow:



The Penderwicks: Family-Friendly Books for Real Families

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I’ve saved for years a quote I read about the notorious Mitford sisters, authors & social butterflies in mid-20th century Britain. When in the 1960s Decca was asked to comment on Nancy’s statement, ”Sisters are a shield against life’s cruel adversity,” Decca replied, ”But sisters are life’s cruel adversity!”
Anyone with a sister can laugh and agree with both statements; I should know, because I have four sisters (and a brother, but that’s a different kind of cruel adversity).  I was inspired last week to go look up and share that quote when the prolific and inimitable Faith & Family editor Danielle Bean “tweeted” about a phone conversation with her sister. 
And then I thought about that quote, and sisters, again, as our family anxiously awaited the 3rd Penderwicks book, The Penderwicks at Pointe Mouette, released today.  I have not started reading it yet, but as I mentioned previously, we have a hardback that should arrive in today’s mail and already multiple Kindle-App versions to read, and I’m hoping that will provide peace in our house as it did for the wonderful final installment in the Ranger’s Apprentice series.  I’m pretty sure with the demands of the rest of the week ahead, it will be the weekend before I take my turn with the sisters Penderwick and their adventures.  But that won’t stop me being happy just to have it around, and enjoy hearing about it from the younger readers at our house.
So, if you are not familiar with them, what is so great about the Penderwicks? 
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy is the first book in the series that I dearly hope will be long and wonderful
Jeanne Birdsall “gets” the joy of family life, as well as its “cruel adversity.”  It’s annoying to have sisters, and yet there is nothing better.  Her books are a modern version of all the best sort of timeless family-friendly books about family, from E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It to The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright, to Half-Magic by Edward Eager, Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, and a host of others.
There’s a kind of wry acknowledgment in this genre of book that being part of a family is one of the best things and worst things ever, at the same time.  It’s not quite as nice, and therefore more true-life, than Little House on the Prairie, but not depressing as the hype-realism I so dislike in modern fiction for kids. 
Indeed, Birdsall’s website has quotes on every page from some of these books and other authors, and she writes of being influenced by them.   To be brief, reading Jeanne Birdsall books makes you a better, happier person.  If you haven’t had the great good fortune to discover this author, please do so.  And to Jeanne Birdsall, consider this a personal plea from a family who loves your writing—please keep writing Penderwicks books!
Until I can get a chance to read what I’m sure is the wonderful new book by (because Pragmatic Mom, lucky her and her girls, had an early, review copy, loved it) , here are some choice quotes from the first two books, The Penderwicks, and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street:
“Maybe it’s fate that Hound ate the map.  Maybe we’ll discover something wonderful while we’re lost,” said Jane.
We’ll discover that when I’m in the backseat for too long with my younger sisters, I go insane and murder them.”
“Steady, troops,” said Mr. Penderwick.  “Rosalind, how about a game?”
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Just like that, Skye’s temper was gone, and she didn’t care. For what good was a temper if you couldn’t throw it away when your sister was being kneed in the ribs?
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“Then I guess I’m ready. I who am about to die salute you,” said Mr. Penderwick.