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Summary: In order to understand the man, you must understand his life
Review: This exhaustive biography of Pope John Paul II successfully helps the reader to understand where Karol Wojtyla came from and the experiences which shaped him.The picture that emerges is of a man who endured intense suffering. He lost his entire family by age 19, was active in a illegal underground theater and seminary, witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust first hand, and then lived under Communist rule. One also gets the sense, from Weigel's biography that the Holy Spirit has been actively preparing Wojtyla all along for his role as leader of the Church. Witness to Hope is a remarkable book. It allows insights not widely known about Pope John Paul II as provided by his friends, his advisors, and world leaders. The biography also contains many wonderful photographs. If you read one book about the Pope, this is the one to read.
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Summary: Impressive scholarship, yet readable
Review: This is a comprehensive biography of Pope John Paul II, based on extensive interviews and a thorough study of writings by the Pope covering more than 50 years. Despite the size of the book, it is very readable. The author places emphasis on the significance of John Paul's contributions to philosophy, theology, evangelism, and the Catholic Church over the long run. Hence the book is more than journalism, a common fault of most treatments of the life of this Pope. While the author has made a strong case elsewhere (in the magazine First Things) for Pope John Paul II as the most important person of the 20th century, this book leaves one with the clear impression that of all the leaders of the 20th century, John Paul is the most likely to have the greatest influence on the course of the 21st century. I cannot think of a better book to read as the new millenium approaches.
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Summary: Witness to Hope
Review: This is a must read for any faithful Catholic or anyone interested in the life of Pope John Paul II. For an information packed (nearly textbook) piece, it reads easily, and when completed, gives you a feeling that you actually are acquainted with his Holiness.
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Summary: An excellent work of historical biography.
Review: This is a solid, traditional biography that well chronicles the life and times of John Paul II. The work is rich in detail and, on the whole, sound in its analysis of the significance of John Paul's Pontificate. The author does an excellent job, moreover, of describing the theological ideas and works of Karol Wojtyla pre-1978. The work has two relatively minor flaws. First, there are places where catalogues of information -- e.g., the topics of each of Karol Wojtyla's addresses on Vatican radio during the early 1960s, a list of the subjects of each of series of seminars given by Fr. Wojtyla during a certain period -- are inartfully inserted into the text. This leaves one with the impression that the author felt compelled to include all information discovered even when it did not contribute to the portrait being painted. The second is a lack of spiritual depth and sensitivity. Decisions and actions that are essentially religious in nature are analyzed primarily for their worldly consequences and/or presentation. The discussions of "Humanae Vitae" and "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis," for example, are the standard secular analyses one would read from the likes of a Michael Novak. This leaves the reader feeling that the portrait of the man fails to reveal his full spiritual dimension. Overall, however, this is an excellent work of historical biography and Mr. Weigel is to be highly commended.
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Summary: Excellent Biography on the life and thought of John Paul II
Review: This is an excellent book that shows us why our current Pope will someday be known as Pope John Paul II the Great! It is an insightful look into both the pope's life, thought, and faith. It addresses the often neglected Theology of the Body. I had the honor of meeting the Holy Father face to face with my wife after our wedding on our honeymoon and it was an awesome experience. I recommend it to anyone who would like to understand both the man and the Catholic Church as it enters into the third millenium of Our Lord.
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Summary: The best biography of Pope John Paul II
Review: This is by far the best biography of Pope John Paul II. It covers so many events of his episcopacy and papacy. It is certainly worthwhile reading. George Weigel, moreso than other writers, is able to write on John Paul II's philosophy. The teachings of John Paul II will be studied long after his death. It is often forgetten that Pope John Paul II is an intellectual. He studied in Rome under the great Thomist Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. And while he favours the moderate realism of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Pope by no means continues to work in that field alone. He has integrated into his philosophy the insights of phenomenology and personalism. The latter philosophy has proven especially important to him, and the insights of personalism appear often in his encylicals and other teaching documents. In short, this is the perfect introduction to John Paul the Pope and John Paul the intellectual.
Rating:
Summary: The best biography of Pope John Paul II
Review: This is by far the best biography of Pope John Paul II. It covers so many events of his episcopacy and papacy. It is certainly worthwhile reading. George Weigel, moreso than other writers, is able to write on John Paul II's philosophy. The teachings of John Paul II will be studied long after his death. It is often forgetten that Pope John Paul II is an intellectual. He studied in Rome under the great Thomist Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. And while he favours the moderate realism of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Pope by no means continues to work in that field alone. He has integrated into his philosophy the insights of phenomenology and personalism. The latter philosophy has proven especially important to him, and the insights of personalism appear often in his encylicals and other teaching documents. In short, this is the perfect introduction to John Paul the Pope and John Paul the intellectual.
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Summary: The Most Impressive Look At The John Paul Pontificate
Review: This is has got to be the most in depth analysis of one of the most complex spiritual and political pontificates. The truly remarkable thing you discover when you read this book is just how long John Paul has been around. Elected to the papacy in October 1978 Jimmy Carter was still president Breshnev was president of the USSR and the specter of nuclear confrontation over Europe was the principle issue taxing the minds of foreign policy makers on both sides of the Atlantic. The author clearly demonstrates that John Paul is a product of a lifetime's experience. He lived through the Holocaust and saw the worst excesses of human behavior. From that experience as well as the soviet communist domination over his native Poland the reader understands John Paul's strong views on the sanctity of life having lived in societies where the value of human life was reduced to nothing more than a functional entity. There are some really good philosophical understandings in terms of what drives this Pope now in his eighty first year. The author also looks at issues like the Popes Health and how growing infirmities have frustrated a man who was very physically active prior to the assassination attempt in 1981. If you buy this book you will go back to it again and again it is not just a biography its an excellent reference of where the catholic church has been in world affairs for the last quarter century.
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Summary: Not Your Usual Life of a Holy Person
Review: This is not your usual boring book about how holy someone was growing up. It is about the ideas and thinking of a pope who has made powerful changes in the Catholic Church. For centuries, popes had grown up in Italy, with hardly any contact with anyone who was not Catholic. This pope was different. He grew up under persecution. A naturally curious person who liked to discuss ideas, He spent many hours talking with Marxists in an open pit mine, a chemical plant and a university. Forced by the need to avoid being assassinated, as a bishop he spoke publicly in favor of ideals that Catholics and Marxists share. That the communist rulers of Poland were not living up to the ideals they sincerely held was obvious and did not need to be said. As pope, he went around the world, speaking about the ideals Catholics share with Marxists, Moslems, Protestants, and others, and also speaking forthrightly about the matters on which we differ. Entering into dialog with those who disagree with us is something we all need to do, especially since we always have some points on which we agree, and issues on which we are allies. It is especially important for a church. Of course there are a lot more insights into the thinking of this very special leader of a billion people worldwide, but that will give you an idea of the kind of thing you will find in this book.
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Summary: The best biography of the Holy Father available
Review: This is the semi-authorized biography of the Holy Father. Mr. Weigel had unprecedented access to the personal secretary of the Pope, Bishop Dwisz, as well as to the Holy Father's personal memorabilia and interviews with friends and acquaintances. The photographs are well chosen, though not too plentiful. What appealed to me most was the analysis of the Holy Father's major writings, as well as his General Audiences, which rarely get much coverage in the media. The sections on the Theology of the Body and the relationship of Faith and Science were quite eye-opening, leading me to read deeper into the texts which Pope John Paul presented in the Audiences. For these analyses alone the book is worth purchase.
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