CULTURE CORNER

FALL 2018

BOOKS

Unchained: Our Family’s Addiction Mess Is Our Message
In short chapters written alternately by Nancy Vericker and her son, JP Vericker, this searing memoir offers an unvarnished account of a family’s agony, as JP slides into opioid addiction and his parents fight to help him survive: a story of hope and the hard-won triumph of love.

Breakthrough: A Journey from Desperation to Hope
In a more conventional memoir, Fr. Rob Galea recounts his journey to the priesthood, beginning with his teenage descent into drugs, petty crime and acute depression. Salvation took the form of a telephone invitation – meant for his sister – to join a Catholic youth group.

Holy Hockey: The Story of Canada’s Flying Fathers
Imagine a Harlem Globetrotters of the hockey world – a team entirely made up of Catholic priests. Formed to play a one-off charity match in 1964, the team went on to play more than 900 games over the next 45 years in Canada, the United States and Europe. Sportswriter Frank Cosentino recounts their antics in this suitably quirky history.

DVD

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word
This acclaimed documentary was released briefly to theaters in May – but, despite glowing reviews, was not widely seen by audiences. The film follows Francis around the world as he visits prisons, schools and slums, and speaks his mind on a range of subjects including economic inequality, clergy sex abuse, relations with Islam and the plight of refugees.