Book Review: Pope Francis

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was announced as the new Pope, St Peter’s square got eerily quiet for a moment as the world Catholic community tried to figure out who he was. The older, humble, quiet man from Argentina wasn’t on any of the media’s lists of “top candidates” for the appointment of the Vicar of Christ but he was #1 on God’s list, so he became Pope Francis, the first pope of the new world.

Who is Pope Francis? After his election as the new pope, everyone (including me!)  was curious as to who he is. Thomas Craghwell’s newest book, Pope Francis: the Pope from the End of the Earth answers all of the questions I had and then some. The book not only includes information about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of Pope Francis, it also includes information about the early life of our new Holy Father and what is expected from him in the future. With over 60 full color, glossy photos, this book is packed with all of the information a curious Catholic (or non-Catholic) could possibly need!

My overall impression of this book is that it is something that all Catholics should check out. Although I haven’t read any of the other Pope Francis biographies out there, I know this is the only one that contains 60 photographs. I am a visual person and I enjoyed looking at the photographs almost like a family photo album, putting a face with the information presented. This book doesn’t go into great detail on any one subject but serves as an overview for those of us who want to know “Who is Pope Francis?”

 I was provided a copy of this book free of charge from St. Benedict Press/TAN Books in exchange for my honest review. Please check out their site to order this book or other great books that are on your summer reading list like Candles in the Dark, Bilbo’s Journey, and If Aristotle’s Kid Had an iPod.