by James Martin
First published 2000
James Martin sits in his business suit, successful by every measure that once mattered to him. He has climbed the corporate ladder and achieved the American dream his Catholic upbringing promised would bring fulfillment. Yet satisfaction eludes him. The work that once energized him now feels hollow. Martin faces a choice that will reshape his entire existence: abandon the security of corporate America for the uncertainty of religious life. He enters the Society of Jesus as a novice, trading boardrooms for prayer halls and profit margins for spiritual discipline. The transition strips away everything familiar about his identity. As Martin progresses through his formation, taking vows that bind him to poverty, chastity, and obedience, he discovers whether the calling that drew him away from business success can provide the meaning his former life lacked.
Genres: literary-fiction, christian-fiction, contemporary, biographical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: America
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
202 pages · Paperback · Sheed & Ward