Book cover of A History of Loneliness

Book description

Odran Yates enters Clonliffe Seminary in 1972 after his mother informs him that he has a vocation to the priesthood. He goes in full of ambition and hope, dedicated to his studies and keen to make friends. Forty years later, Odran's devotion has been challenged by the revelations that have…

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Why read it?

1 author picked A History of Loneliness as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The honesty of the book surprised me. The author, an Irishman, didn’t hold back in detailing the terrible part the Catholic Church played in Ireland, when many children were the victims of abuse by priests. Most young men who joined the priesthood had a vocation, but others merely followed family tradition or were victims of family pressures. So, where does the blame lie?

The victims and the accused are fundamental to the book, but as important are the witnesses who did nothing to protect the children. I was drawn into the dilemma of the main character. It left me…

If you love A History of Loneliness...

Book cover of The Hidden Room

The Hidden Room by William Durbin,

Could you survive in a cave...for a whole year? That's the challenge facing fourteen-year-old Jacob. Set in Ukraine during the final months of World War II, The Hidden Room is based on the true story of a Jewish family who escapes from the Nazis by taking refuge in a remote…

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