Books
Let Us Dream, Pope Francis and Austen Ivereigh
In this uplifting and practical book, written in collaboration with his biographer, Austen Ivereigh, the preeminent spiritual leader explains why we must—and how we can—make the world safer, fairer, and healthier for all people now.
"Forward-looking, heartfelt spiritual guidance." —Kirkus Reviews
"Francis offers pastoral encouragement in this clarion call to create a more just and sustainable world...powerful, easily digestible work." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Francis speaks freely and with humor throughout the book, alternating between personal anecdotes, instructions on Jesuit discernment and specific calls for social change." —America Magazine
“A remarkable testament from a remarkable religious leader.” —Gordon Brown
“Short enough to read in a single sitting, Let Us Dream is written in the spirit of that insight and throws down a spiritual gauntlet to the reader....There is a spiritual urgency and warmth to Let Us Dream that will appeal to lay readers as well as the faithful.” —The Guardian
“Pope Francis, never one to shy from controversy, wades boldly into the coronavirus debate with a new book in which he criticizes those who blame the virus on foreigners and people who protest church closings and mask mandates…Unlike some other papal writings, the book avoids complex discussions of church doctrine and theology…The Pope clearly intended for the book to be read by a wide, popular audience…While dispensing homespun counsel, Francis does not hold back from provocative statements, especially concerning the way people and governments have reacted to the pandemic.” —NPR
“The Catholic world, and the world at large, is in need of unambiguous and prophetic spiritual guidance, and Pope Francis has provided just that…This compact and beautifully-written work functions as both a roadmap for the future and a guide for those perplexed by the Francis papacy....what Let Us Dream offers is more than a response to critics; it offers a way of thinking that can lead us past the controversies that threaten to paralyze discourse....Let Us Dream is the sort of book you’ll want to keep at your side and read slowly so that you can meditate upon the passages as you go. It’s also the sort of book you may wish to give as a gift to someone, Catholic or non-Catholic, who is struggling to find hope and a path for productive action as we prepare to spend the holidays under the shadow of COVID-19.” —Catholic Outlook
“Provides a much-needed dose of hope. This timely book is a beacon of light during some of the darkest days our world has seen in modern history... People of all faiths and those who feel their faith has dwindled will benefit from this impassioned and well-researched plea to look deeper into themselves to serve others and change their own lives— no matter how impossible it may seem.” —BookTrib
“This compact and beautifully-written work functions as both a roadmap for the future and a guide for those perplexed by the Francis papacy.. Let Us Dream is the sort of book you’ll want to keep at your side and read slowly so that you can meditate upon the passages as you go.” —Where Peter Is
“Francis deftly weaves personal anecdotes and reflection with sharp social critique and theological analysis. Readers will not escape unmoved…Let Us Dream will inspire readers to meet the challenge of our age—to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with deeper connections and more just institutions.” —U.S. Catholic
“Again and again, the Pope’s views astonish…A how-to manual for renewal in the aftertime of this plague… [a] subversive and courageous book.” —The Tablet
"Austen Ivereigh has established himself as the most astute historian of the pontificate of Pope Francis, through his meticulous research, dogged interviewing and vast knowledge of the church. His new book is a peerless look at the sometimes overwhelming challenges facing this groundbreaking pope, whose task is at once simple and complex: to help the church proclaim the Gospel in the modern world. Learned, subtle, and deep, his book is indispensable for understanding this man and this church." —James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and The Jesuit Guide
"No one has understood the Francis papacy these past six years better than Austen Ivereigh. Masterfully told, with exquisite detail, probing insight, and good humor, his Wounded Shepherd is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Church of today—and tomorrow." —Christopher White, Rome correspondent, National Catholic Reporter
“Ivereigh’s first book on Pope Francis, The Great Reformer, was terrific; Wounded Shepherd is even better. Meticulously researched, beautifully written, insightful, and uplifting, this is the book that goes to the heart—in every sense—of the Francis pontificate: his accomplishments, his failures, and why he acts the way he does.” —Mark Shriver, author of Pilgrimage: My search for the real Pope Francis
“The most insightful and nuanced assessment of this extraordinarily consequential pope. Ivereigh shows why Francis has become for so many the emblem of renewed faith and hope for a badly troubled world.” —Robert Ellsberg; Publisher, Orbis Books
“Timely, well-researched, with significant new background information and insights, Wounded Shepherd dispels the myths spread by those who oppose Francis’s prophetic ministry, allowing the reader to grasp the significance of his far-reaching reforms. Essential reading.” —Gerard O’Connell, author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave that Changed History
“[T]his passionate, closely, sometimes densely, argued book, admirably succeeds in creating a portrait of an immensely courageous and inspired Pope, crucial for our time. … Answering the many wounding and self-wounding attacks by Francis’ critics, it will be essential reading for historians of this papacy in years to come.” —John Cornwell, The Tablet
“Wounded Shepherd, like its predecessor, is informed by an impressive range of sources. It is an indispensable guide to a man who may well be judged as one of the most outstanding popes in history.” —Irish Times
“Ivereigh leads the reader to understand how the encounter with Christ, the experience of Great Mercy, stands central to Pope Francis’s own life, to what he sees as the life of the Church, and ultimately to what he sees as the gift of the Church to the world … [a] fine book” —Catholic Books Review
“Through personal reporting in Latin America and Rome and around the world, Ivereigh weaves in fascinating stories from Francis’ past, including his intellectual influences, as well as episodes from the current political dramas inside and outside the Catholic Church. They range from the bizarre power struggle inside the ancient order of the Knights of Malta, through the pope’s crusade against climate change and income inequality and his efforts on behalf of migrants and the poor. The result is a vivid portrait of a prophetic leader who can appear increasingly isolated on the world stage and inside his own house, but one who, because of that, finds himself more liberated, and perhaps more effective … Whatever you think of Francis going into this book, you will understand him— and Catholicism today — much better coming out.” —David Gibson, Chicago Catholic
“Using unprecedented access, Ivereigh provides detailed, frank analysis informed by his own deep Catholic faith …. [His] insider’s account will be a revelation to readers interested in the inner workings of the Vatican”. —Publisher’s Weekly
Wounded Shepherd, Austen Ivereigh
Following his critically acclaimed The Great Reformer, Austen Ivereigh's colorful, clear-eyed portrait of Pope Francis takes us inside the Vatican's urgent debate over the future of the church in Wounded Shepherd.
The Great Reformer, Austen Ivereigh
A biography of Pope Francis that describes how this revolutionary thinker will use the power of his position to challenge and redirect one of the world's most formidable religions
"A gracefully written and meticulously researched account of Francis’ life ... The best English-language biography of the pope to date." —New York Times
"An illuminating guide ... Catholic journalist and church insider Austen Ivereigh has carefully parsed church documents and the pope’s early speeches and writings and has spoken to dozens of Francis’s friends, associates and parishioners to take readers beyond the front page. Amid a wave of new books about this unpredictable pope, Ivereigh helps fill in the biography of a man who has long been reluctant to embrace the spotlight. This pope seems less surprising — but no less remarkable — when viewed through Ivereigh’s lens." —Washington Post.
"[Of the existing biographies] The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope, by the British Catholic journalist Austen Ivereigh, has the widest angle and the most depth, taking in Argentina’s distinctive history as well as the particular trajectory of its now most famous son." —Atlantic Monthly
"[A] richly researched, artfully constructed and consistently compelling account of a remarkably complex and controversial life.” —The Times Literary Supplement
"Invaluable .... Ivereigh is the perfect English-language interpreter of Pope Francis." —The Irish Independent
"The Great Reformer is a magnificent book that should gain a wide readership .. a tour de force of biographical research and good judgment” —Commonweal
"A thorough, acute and engaging analysis of the phenomenon that is Pope Francis ... Ivereigh deepens our understanding of a man whose personality and prophecy may change the Catholic church forever." —National Catholic Reporter
"The author’s deep familiarity with Argentine language, culture and history sets this work apart from other English-language papal biographies .... As an English-language account of the Pope’s Argentine heritage, this book will be hard to beat." —The Catholic Herald
“Easily the best treatment of Pope Francis’s Argentine background in English, written by someone who knows Catholicism inside and out. Masterful, indispensable, and gripping.” —John L. Allen, editor, Crux
“No recent pope has gotten a biography as sensible, as culturally adept, and as attuned to the present moment as this one.” —Paul Elie, author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own.