Karol Wojtyla: The Thought of the Man Who Became Pope John Paul II

Rating:
Summary: Good but a hard read.
Review: The book is hard to understand not only in philosophical thought but also some polish history would help.
As a casual reader I found the book to be more of a task then I wanted.
A challenge is good if you have the patience for the subject mater. I rated the book high because it was well written and informative but a little over my head. I simply didn't have the back round knowledge I needed to get full understanding.
There are other books on Pope John Paul 2 that would be more beneficial for the causal reader.

Rating:
Summary: A major philosopher
Review: The reader seeking to understand the thinking of Pope John Paul II will find no better introduction than this remarkable book. Buttiglione is a major philosopher in his own right--as if evident from his careful discussions of Adorno, Sartre, Marx, and other thinkers he brings into dialogue with Wojtyla. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A guide to an insight of a great philosopher's mind
Review: This book will guide you through Wojtyla's thought. Be aware that this is not a substitute to Wojtyla's own writings. However, this book gives you a philosophical perspective into his writings thus, if you don't have the basic philosophical knowledge, it will be hard to read.For example, it takes me a couple of times to read the same chapter before it clicks. If you are strong in your philosophical background you will have no problem reading Buttiglione's book. Regardless, if you are not familiar with thinkers such as Wittgenstein or Sartre, please still get this book. You'll get to know-the latter mentioned philosophers thinking and actually appreciate even more why Wojtyla is a great contemporary philosopher. I highly recommend this book if you want to know more about one of philosophy's greatest contributions since Descartes' cogito ergo sum.