I love this book. It is written by one of the greatest men of the Twentieth Century, and one of its most beloved. The thing that is so pleasing about this book is that one can read each day as it comes along, and still read this like a great novel that really happens. it is as relevant today, actually more so, as it was in 1962. This has to be one of the most underappreciated books of the last half-century. I will admit, I am a Catholic, but Pope John meant for this book to read and profited from by all Christians-remember, he kept repeating, "Ut unum sint"-"That they may be one", as he neared his passing. this book may be the true key to Christian reunification. So whether you are Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist or Baptist, it would do you good to pick up this great tome. It will amke life easier...if you really listen.

One of the best loved, as well as wittiest, Popes of all time, Pope John XXIII was famous for his insightful quotes. In this book, editor Anthony F. Chiffolo draws upon John XXIII's books, encyclicals, notes, personal letters, reports, speeches and radio addresses to present a very personal, very warm and very human picture of Pope John XXIII. The quotes are helpfully grouped into sections such as "Humility and Poverty," "Suffering," "God's Will," "Justice and Charity," "Peace," "Truth," and "Modern Issues." It is easy to find the right quote for the right occasion. The book offers a unique look into a man who is on his way to sainthood in the Catholic church. One of John's quotes in the book is "The older I grow the more I find that supreme wisdom is found more in the little, simple books." That is especially true about this book, which, though small, provides an excellent insight into one of the greatest figures of the 20th Century.

The author is a master of print. His knowledge of the Vatican & the papacy is unsurpassed. It is as though he grew up in the Vatican.

This is a profoundly spiritual book that combines anecdotes about the life of Pope John XXiii with his vison for the church and his hopes for the Second Vatican Council. Written in a simple and at times poetic style the book is a real page turner and a good resource for prayer and meditation. Huebsch has caputured the essence of the Pope and the faith challenges that any reader can cull from reflecting on his life and his practice of spirituality. The book includes exercizes for perosnal prayer and meditation.

i was looking for an inspirational work on such an inspirational figure...wasn't there. Quite repetitive and I'm afraid his spirituality was redundant, a bit boring and reflected asceticism and fear & trembling. HOWEVER, he did a great job with VII and responded nicely to the Holy Spirit. His best line that I know of is when asked: "How many people work at the Vatican?" His reply: "Oh, about half."

While I am not a Roman Catholic, I have always been interested in the history and politics of the Holy See and the Popes. It is fascinating that John XXIII, in his short tenure as Pope, appears today to have influenced the world of his faith more than either his predecessor, Pius (Pacelli), or his successor, Paul (Montini). These were both highly political leaders with failings common to all politicians, religious or secular.

John XXIII had no political axe to grind. By his very nature and the fact that he was expected to be a 'caretaker' he was uniquely able to bring his church into the twentieth century. Some have alleged that through his actions he may have saved the Catholic church for the twenty-first.

This is a unique book, for it demonstrates a man of humility without excessive self-righteousness. His love for God and for his fellow man are demonstrated in equal measure. As some have said of John Paul II, John XXIII 'humanized' the papacy. That he was able to do this without diminishing the authority of his office was part of his genius.

As a previous reviewer noted, I agree that John's work in areas not dominated by Roman Catholics appears to have widened his world, perhaps laying the groundwork for his later ecuminical progress.

This is a memoir that doesn't require one to be a Roman Catholic to enjoy, and to admire. Holiness through living rather than platitudes. Very highly recommended to anyone!

This is a fascinating and even inspiring glimpse into the heart and soul of a man who very seriously sought to do the will of God. It is a remarkably personal testament from somebody who rose to preside over the Church of Rome -- a document that, at least in my experience, has few modern parallels. One doesn't have to be Catholic (I'm a Mormon) to admire his integrity, to learn and profit a great deal from an outstanding man's honest struggles to discern and carry out what he regarded as divine purpose, and from the manner in which he grew over a long and notable ministry.

Though this text is out of print, it is possible to obtain one through the Amazon out-of-print services. The text takes one on a journey of the young and poor Angelo Roncalli -- who is incredibly gifted with wisdon from a very young age. Through his life and progression through the church, one can easily visualize and sense the kindness and humanity of this man, who eventually became John XXIII. A must read for Catholic and non-Catholic scholars.

A wonderful text on John XXIII, which leads us from his humble beginnings, and creates and establishes the very essence of the man he would become. This is truly a must read for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. A remarakble man and leader -- there is much to be learned from his life!

A nice overview of the life of John XXiii, but less than an in depth analysis of his life, philospohy, accomplishments, quirks, and the times in which he lived. I found the portion of the book on the convening of the Ecumenical Council and his role in that process lacking. Nor was there much to explain/clarify his successes and problems working with and trying to lead the papal bureaucracy. It was a good overview, but I would love to be able to read a much more in depth biography of the life of John XXiii.

Many people know of the wonderful things Pope John XXIII accomplished as pope but many do not know of the road that lead to the papacy. Providence directed this simple, peasant man to become the pope and this account of that providence is superbly done. "We can deal with our differences if we focus on what we have in common." No wonder we now refer to him beatified as Blessed Pope John XXIII. His is certainly a wonderful example to follow.

The first 72 pages of this book are a history of the Papacy which I didn't need to read. The last 20 pages of the book, Cahill spends bashing Pope John Paul II's Papacy! There is some good information in the middle. Obviously Cahill is a liberal Catholicand unhappy at the Orthodox position that the John Paul II Pontificate has taken and which was needed for the Catholic Church. I do not think that John XXIII 's vision was what the Church became after Vatican II.

I just completed reading this book and found it to be a concise biography of a great man. I do admit that it left me wanting more.

It is obvious that Thomas Cahill has enormous respect for Pope John XXIII and feels that he is the most important pope of the modern era. I do agree with this.

I am a "cradle" Catholic who had lapsed for about 10 years and recently returned to the Church. However, I still have many problems with the conservative nature of the Catholic Church today and reading a book like this (as well as Hans Kung's book on the Church) gives me hope that the Church can return to the spirit of Vatican II.

This is a wonderful biography of the pudgy man born to a poor peasant family who became, in his old age, the much-beloved (at least by the people) Pope John XXIII. I was a ten-year old Protestant boy when Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli ascended to the throne of St. Peter. I remember reading about him and his Vatican Council over the next five years and hearing my Catholic friends talk favorably about the new pope. Then in 1963 the pope died and a few months later the young American president was assassinated and the whole world changed (or at least it seemed--and seems--to me).

Thomas Cahill's addition to the Penguin Lives series of brief biographies is the best so far. Cahill's prose is easily read; his history flows smoothly. The book open with an account of the church's history and its long line of mostly undistinguished popes. Then Cahill focuses on the long life of Roncalli: his service in the Italian army during World War I; his rise to some significance in the church in Italy; then his unexpected posting to mostly Orthodox Bulgaria; and then to the plum job in sophisticated and free-thinking Paris. Somehow this widely varied experience combined with his native empathy for people and love of the soil to deliver a remarkably liberal and unfettered man to the head of the Roman Catholic church for a brief, but monumental, five years.

Cahill concludes with a negative, almost searing, overview of Pope John's successors including a pretty nasty picture of Pope John Paul II who he thinks represents a weird, Polish kind of Catholcism. I can't comment on the fairness of that, but am encouraged that Cahill feels that the waters representing John's humanism and warmth run near the surface and will emerge again. Frankly, I hope so.

this book is about certain profecies of this pope. Was writer in 1935 and the publication was in 1975. I loss this book and that was buyed in Venezuela. I don't remember the editorial,but I think is Editorial Planeta. The name of book in spanish is "Las Profecías del papa Juan xxiii"