CONFESSIONS OF A PARISH PRIEST

by Andrew M. Greeley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1986

A hilarious, rambling, obnoxious, lovable autobiography by the feisty priest-sociologist-colunmist-novelist. Many have accused Greeley of raging egomania, and this book will do nothing to dispel the charge. Dubbing himself ""Greels/Quixots,"" Greeley fills page after page with analyses of his public image--he is perceived by many to be a paranoid, preening writing machine--and heated protestations of his innocence and good will. ""I am pathetically, perhaps pathologically trusting,"" he tells us, explaining why he has been burnt so many times. The man, one suspects, doth protest too much. But no cheek-turner, Greeley trades punch for punch; he blasts with obvious glee the Vatican Curia, Catholic journalists, Papal encyclicals, bishops and cardinals, and, seemingly, any other target that pops into view. Thankfully, these fireworks explode within a lively, loving series of reminiscences: of a childhood spent on country-club lawns in suburban Chicago, of warmhearted Irish parents, of seven years of repressive seminary training, of the joys of parish life, of the giddiness of best-sellerdom. Greeley has been participant or observer in many historical dramas--the election of Popes, the fall of John Cardinal Cody--and he paints them all in brilliant colors. This is, in effect, 50 years in the life of both Andrew Greeley and his beloved bride, the American Catholic Church. Flamboyant, combative, self. aggrandizing, and utterly entertaining

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION