Description
It is 1972, and Veronica Chater's parents believe that Vatican II's liberalization has corrupted the Catholic Church, inviting the Holy Chastisement-an apocalypse prophesied by three shepherds in Fatima, Portugal. To spare his family this horror, Veronica's father quits the highway patrol, sells everything, and moves the family of eight from California to an isolated village near Fatima.
But Portugal is no Catholic utopia, and the family schleps home penniless to join the nascent Catholic counterrevolution: attending the Latin Mass in truck garages and abandoned buildings, serving meals to religious soldiers, breeding a new member of the faithful every year. As Veronica comes of age on the fringes of the American Dream, she rebels against a fanaticism that forbids anything modern-clothes, movies, or music. This is the story, both sad and funny, of a family torn apart by religion and brought back together in spite of the injuries it inflicted on itself.
About the Author
Veronica Chater has written for national women's magazines and This American Life. Her stories have also appeared in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, the Guardian (London), and various anthologies. She currently lives in Berkeley, California.
Reviews
"Affecting and unsparingly honest." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Beautifully written and deeply affecting memoir...moving and, ultimately, so powerful." -- Debra Ginsberg - Shelf-Awareness
Book Information
ISBN 9780393066036
Author Veronica Chater
Format Hardback
Page Count 332
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 559g
Dimensions(mm) 218mm * 147mm * 30mm
