JESUS, MY FATHER, THE CIA, AND ME

An Episcopal priest’s journey back to God and grace.

An alcoholic father who works for the CIA, an English nanny in powder-blue cat-eye glasses and an elegant but distracted mother are the three major influences that Cron (Chasing Francis, 2006) brings to life with much tongue-in-cheek humor (and pain) in a fast-paced narrative that “dances on the hyphen between memoir and autobiographical fiction.” Told from a Christian perspective, the book does not directly proselytize; instead, it is the story of Cron’s own faith walk and relationship with his father—an intriguing and somewhat sympathetic character when he was not punching his son or passed out on the floor. By the time the author was born, his father’s shadowy career as a CIA agent and family’s wealthy life in the UK had devolved into the horrors of alcoholism, desperate financial straits and social ostracism in Connecticut. From a good Catholic child who held “communion” with squirrels and longed for paternal love, Cron, not surprisingly, became a pot-smoking teenager and alcoholic who rejected his faith. Though his similes are a bit excessive (some work beautifully while others don’t), the author’s English major shines through with an interesting, well-written plot of pain and redemption. If the CIA element were removed, this could be the account of many post–World War II suburban children struggling to come to terms with emotionally distant fathers. Cron’s realism and lack of bitterness are a refreshing blend. 

A powerful story of faith and forgiveness.