Reviews for Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning

The average rating for Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-09-15 00:00:00 Michael Gildersleeve I thought this book was really interesting, and have found myself bringing it up in random conversations (always the sign of a good book, I think). The author conducted a series of interviews with a variety of Catholics and former Catholics. The range of Catholics/ex-Catholics interviewed for this book is fascinating -- Nancy Pelosi, Martin Sheen, Bill O'Reilly -- a variety of folks doing a variety of things from a variety of political perspectives. I thought some of the common themes the interviewees brought up were compelling. One of the things that came up a lot for many of the women interviewed was the sense that Catholic schools trusted girls/women to be smart before they were allowed/trusted to be smart in society at large...despite the fact that women can't hold leadership positions in the Catholic church itself. Many also spoke of how being a Catholic has influenced their perspective on the world, particularly when it comes to issues like poverty and social justice. What I like about this book is that it treats Catholicism as both a religion as well as a significant part of your cultural heritage...it seems to accept the premise that, regardless of whether you go to Mass on Sunday, if you were brought up Catholic this is an important part of your identity that doesn't ever go away. I liked reading the stories of many people who have questioned the hierarchy/authority of Rome (particularly given evidence that the Church has so terribly messed so much up) but have never doubted the belief that individual parishes and individual Catholics are doing a whole lot of good in the world. My one complaint about this book is that the chapters are told in interviews, rather than essays, making the writing a bit halting and strange. I would have rather seen fully executed, polished essays from each of the interviewees rather than a transcription of their words. Still, I'd highly recommend this book, particularly for Catholics, former Catholics, and those interested in politics/current events.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-12-25 00:00:00 Paul Walsh I was a little cynical staring this book. A book of essays compiled by a Kennedy progeny. . .what were the chances of this being a fluff contribution to the season's sales figures? But I was surprised. A lot of the essays are serious contributions to the challenges of being Catholic and are honest about the issues Catholics and the Church need to confront. Each essay, in closing, answers the question of: What if I were the Pope? It's interesting to see the different answers. And, as a Catholic school graduate who takes some pride in her education, it was disheartening to see how Catholics, in varying degrees, have given up on their church leaders in one way or the other. But the devotion of Catholics to help the poor comes out through and through. There's some unnecessary Muslim-bashing which Kerry Kennedy would have been wise to edit out, and which I didn't appreciate. But the essays by a variety of notables, like Bill O'Reilly and even Bill Maher, make for an interesting read and a frank portrait of a faith challenged.