Jude : A Pilgrimage to the Saint of Last Resort

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Summary: Wonderment and passion for the non-believer as well.
Review: I am neither a Catholic nor a believer in St. Jude, but this book is wonderful historical, anthropoligical and socialogical study in how Jude survives in legend and in devotion. The author writes beautifully, elegantly, magically and shows the how the inspiration of Jude provides comfort and solace to his followers. The beauty of St. Jude is not found in his large deeds, but in his personal and practical assistance to the afflicted. His small intercessions are not trivial, they are evidence of his kindness and his democratic accessability to all.

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Summary: Jude: A Pilgrimage to the Saint of Last Resort
Review: I was disappointed by this book. It lacks the compelling flow of Walking the Bible, or of John McPhee's books. It drifts from one shrine to another and seems to make the same generalizations at each one. Recommended for people who are fascinated by the minutia of St. Jude.

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Summary: Jude: A Pilgrimage to the Saint of Last Resort
Review: I was disappointed by this book. It lacks the compelling flow of Walking the Bible, or of John McPhee's books. It drifts from one shrine to another and seems to make the same generalizations at each one. Recommended for people who are fascinated by the minutia of St. Jude.

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Summary: An exceptional book about about the Saint of Hope!
Review: I would say that Liz Trotta's work is more comprehensive than Orsi's Thank you St. Jude. Orsi spends his energies on the CLaritian Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago. If you read his book you would not know that there are numerous shrines of St. Jude: Baltimore, New York, Dominicans in Chicago, San Francisco. Trotta's work devotes chapters to all of these. Almost every story of St. Jude is recorded in her Jude. I believe that as a journalist she has a different mission from the Scholar, Robert Orsi with all his footnotes and bibliography. Both serve devotion to St. Jude! But with different styles and energies.

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Summary: More comprehensive than Orsi
Review: I would say that Liz Trotta's work is more comprehensive than Orsi's Thank you St. Jude. Orsi spends his energies on the CLaritian Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago. If you read his book you would not know that there are numerous shrines of St. Jude: Baltimore, New York, Dominicans in Chicago, San Francisco. Trotta's work devotes chapters to all of these. Almost every story of St. Jude is recorded in her Jude. I believe that as a journalist she has a different mission from the Scholar, Robert Orsi with all his footnotes and bibliography. Both serve devotion to St. Jude! But with different styles and energies.

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Summary: An exceptional book about about the Saint of Hope!
Review: Liz Trotta has given us an exceptionally fine -- magnificently written -- account of Saint Jude's Mission as she(herself)explores the routes of what is known of his Apostolic travels. Her book is a masterpiece in calling attention to this much neglected SAINT OF HOPE as he carries out Christ's instruction to him and the 11 other Apostles.

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Summary: A great read
Review: One reads on this web site the Kirkus review of Liz Trotta's latest book: "Jude: A Pilgrimage to the Saint of Last Resort" with a sense of wonder whether the reviewer ever got beyond the introduction. For readers who expect reviewers to help them make a decision about what to read, the Kirkus review should be dismissed as unscholarly, ill informed and professionally third-rate. Even worse, the statement that the author is a "lapsed Catholic" is totally false. Liz Trotta is a devout, Church-going Catholic and to throw in such a charge reveals a startling disdain for accuracy. Without a modicum of objectivity, Kirkus fails to deal with Trotta's travels through the lands Jude travelled; her interviews with priests and laity involved in the Jude spiritual phenomena; the numerous shrines devoted to St. Jude she visited in America, Europe and the Middle East; the reading of volumes of historical documents and petitions made to the saint; all with an investigative reporter's keen sensibilities. "Jude: A Pilgrimage to the Saint of Last Resort" is a great read for the millions who are not only interested in Jude and the devotions surrounding this particular saint but also for those who know essentially nothing about him and are curious about the history of his life and times and why people the world over seek his help when faced with seemingly hopeless causes. For a more accurate and justifiably glowing review of the book, see Publisher's weekly.

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Summary: Well researched book
Review: This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in St. Jude. For those who are not too familiar with this "behind the scenes saint", this book will be enlightening. The book is well written and well researched.