Rating: 
Summary: Where are the Millstones?
Review: Our Fathers is an outstanding, truthful, report on the sexual abuse by priests and the cover-up by the bishops of many thousands of children in the Roman Catholic Church. It is astounding and astonishing to find that the hierarchy of the church, (popes and bishops) knew for decades about the holocaust of children and acted as cold, indifferent, blind, deaf men for decades in order to protect their clericalism and power. David France reported on the scandal as it unfolded. It is a compelling read and should be a "must read" for every catholic who wants Jesus Christ to stop mourning, wailing and weeping.
RD0512 from Boston states that the book is, "NOT VERY POSITIVE". There is nothing positive about the sexual abuse, rape, pornography, threats, suicides, drugs, secrecy, lying, destroying of files, accusing the children of causing their own rape, priests sitting in prisons, guilty bishops have not yet been held accountable and they don't have the common sense, the common decency, or the morals, or the spirituality to resign, etc. What has happened in Boston happened across the USA and in almost every country where the catholic church exists. rd0512 also states that, "we should pray more and stop writing novels". What has happened to the children are actual facts. And, prayer is what catholic did before the scandal and after the scandal. But this time prayer should be accompanied by actions. What has happened to the church of Jesus Christ is both another Gethsemane and Calvary. The truth must be faced, sadly and shamely accepted and the systemic causes of this cancer must be completely examined and eliminated. The catholic church needs an Easter Sunday. I highly recommend Our Fathers and Vows of Silence by Jason Berry.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very positive
Review: This book is a claim to the details that rocked the Boston Catholic Church by a man who has no idea as to what went on at the heart of the matter. Some of his claims about the leaders of the church are absolutely false! This crisis isn't a soap opera - it's real life hurt that I have lived with for many years as a victim of clergy abuse myself. I have never exprienced anything but true compassion and a sense of seeking forgiveness from the Cardinal and Bishop Lennon. Why don't we start praying more and stop writing these novels about what some "claim to know what happened".
Rating:
Summary: Essential reading
Review: This is the most readable and complete history of the church crisis I have yet to see. The author brings together views from every facet in an emotionally involving story; I couldn't put it down. Years from now it will be recognized as the definitive work on the subject, for its unflinching focus on the church's errors and for its clearminded treatment of a group of priests coming out of seminaries at a time our culture was confronting its history of dealing with sexual mores. Most moving to me is France's compassion for this victims, and his acknowledgment of their struggles to retain their faiths in the face of these awful crimes.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational Book
Review: While "inspirational" may seem a strange word to describe a book about the scandal of the sexual abuse of children by priests and other church figures, David France's compelling read is exactly that. While taking the reader into the depths of the despair that any decent human being - that excludes, if one follows the story, many high ranking church officials - ought to feel when confronted with the abuse, France also inspires with his story of the abuse victims who had the courage to take on not only their abusers, but the institution that protected those perverts. A must read.
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