In 1981, a simple nun, using merely her entrepreneurial instincts and $200, launched what would become the world’s largest religious media empire in the garage of a Birmingham, Alabama, monastery. Under her guidance, the Eternal Word Television Network grew at a staggering pace, both in viewership and in influence, to where it now reaches over a hundred million viewers in hundreds of countries around the globe.
Raymond Arroyo combines his journalist’s objectivity and eye for detail with more than five years of exclusive interviews with Mother Angelica. He traces Mother Angelica’s tortured rise to success and exposes for the first time the fierce opposition she faced, both outside and inside of her church.
Mother Angelica
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In a comprehensive and engaging biography, Arroyo chronicles the life and faith of Mother Angelica, the nun who almost singlehandedly created a religious media empire through her Catholic cable network, EWTN. Born in 1923 to unstable parents (a cruel father who later abandoned the family and a chronically depressed mother), Mother Angelica—then called Rita Rizzo—is an unlikely person to have redrawn the landscape of Catholicism in America. The strength of Arroyo's biography is what he calls his "unfettered access" to records, associates and the nun herself; as an anchor and news director for EWTN, he's known her for years. But this is not purely a sweetness-and-light portrait; she comes across as outspoken and sometimes hot tempered, arguing with cardinals and even hurling a knife at a sharp-tongued uncle when she was 17. Overall, Arroyo gives a strong sense of the woman who enrages liberals, delights conservatives, but is respected by almost all Catholics. (Sept. 6)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MOTHER ANGELICA
“In this dramatic page-turner, Raymond Arroyo has captured the life and lessons of Mother Angelica, a woman who may well be the patron saint of CEOs. Buy this book and be inspired.”
—Lee Iacocca, The Iacocca Foundation, former chief executive officer of the Chrysler Corporation
“Raymond Arroyo masterfully captures the complexities, humanity, and tenacity of Mother Angelica, who has long been one of my own personal heroes. The founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, Mother Angelica is a woman who dared to dream, to stand up for what she believed in, and whose faith showed that anything is possible. In Arroyo’s hands, she becomes someone you wish you had the opportunity to know and love. Read this book and believe.”
—Nicholas Sparks
“This is some woman. What a wonderful story Raymond Arroyo has written—wonderful because it’s true, because he got the facts, because she chose him to tell them, and because he’s a born storyteller.”
—Peggy Noonan, author of When Character Was King
“Mother Angelica’s personal words to me, her courageous example, and her constant prayers helped inspire my portrayal of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. No one could have captured the essence of this modern-day saint better than Raymond Arroyo. His narrative gifts and understanding of Mother are clearly evident in this truthful and often candid depiction of one nun’s struggle to bring God to the multitudes. Surely this book, and Mother’s life will have an incredible enduring legacy.”
—James Caviezel, actor
“Mother Angelica is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time, and is truly one of my heroes. With his “insider” perspective, Raymond Arroyo has done a masterful job capturing not only Mother’s immeasurable accomplishments but also her remarkable personality. Like Mother herself, this book has the unique combination of being both inspiring and entertaining.”
—Thomas S. Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza and Chancellor of Ave Maria University
“A rattling good story of fear, faith, courage, and bulldog tenacity, beautifully told. The drama of Mother Angelica’s life is a powerful reminder that the extraordinary lies just beyond the ordinary—if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.”
—George Weigel, author of Witness to Hope:Tthe Biography of Pope John Paul II
“In this dramatic page-turner, Raymond Arroyo has captured the life and lessons of Mother Angelica, a woman who may well be the patron saint of CEOs. Buy this book and be inspired.”
—Lee Iacocca, The Iacocca Foundation, former chief executive officer of the Chrysler Corporation
“Raymond Arroyo masterfully captures the complexities, humanity, and tenacity of Mother Angelica, who has long been one of my own personal heroes. The founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, Mother Angelica is a woman who dared to dream, to stand up for what she believed in, and whose faith showed that anything is possible. In Arroyo’s hands, she becomes someone you wish you had the opportunity to know and love. Read this book and believe.”
—Nicholas Sparks
“This is some woman. What a wonderful story Raymond Arroyo has written—wonderful because it’s true, because he got the facts, because she chose him to tell them, and because he’s a born storyteller.”
—Peggy Noonan, author of When Character Was King
“Mother Angelica’s personal words to me, her courageous example, and her constant prayers helped inspire my portrayal of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. No one could have captured the essence of this modern-day saint better than Raymond Arroyo. His narrative gifts and understanding of Mother are clearly evident in this truthful and often candid depiction of one nun’s struggle to bring God to the multitudes. Surely this book, and Mother’s life will have an incredible enduring legacy.”
—James Caviezel, actor
“Mother Angelica is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time, and is truly one of my heroes. With his “insider” perspective, Raymond Arroyo has done a masterful job capturing not only Mother’s immeasurable accomplishments but also her remarkable personality. Like Mother herself, this book has the unique combination of being both inspiring and entertaining.”
—Thomas S. Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza and Chancellor of Ave Maria University
“A rattling good story of fear, faith, courage, and bulldog tenacity, beautifully told. The drama of Mother Angelica’s life is a powerful reminder that the extraordinary lies just beyond the ordinary—if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.”
—George Weigel, author of Witness to Hope:Tthe Biography of Pope John Paul II
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Beverly
Format:Hardcover
The author shows that a very 'human' being with the help of God can be a great saint. Perfection, is not necessary. I requested a local library buy this book for its collection. Thank you West Vancouver library. The book is entertaining, endearing and inspirational. It is an uplifting book for Christians and non Christians alike.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Hans G. Schulte-albert
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Mother Angelica is definitely one of the most heroic figures of our time and a monument to the noble woman who take Jesus as their spouse. I really liked to listen to her life story read by Ramond Aroyo. Mother and Raymond are a great team. I liked the way he didn't 'sugar-coat' her story.
Buy it - you'll love it too. It really shows to me that real faith isn't cheap: it comes at a price. Rita Rizo(Mother Angelica) paid the price and she is so dear to my heart. Truly an amazing servant of the good God!
Buy it - you'll love it too. It really shows to me that real faith isn't cheap: it comes at a price. Rita Rizo(Mother Angelica) paid the price and she is so dear to my heart. Truly an amazing servant of the good God!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
After reading this book I feel like I've gotten to know Mother Angelica as a real person
Jan 24 2008
Format:Paperback
There is simply no avoiding the truth of the matter: if you are going to be a public figure with strong opinions and a quick tongue, you are going to be controversial. So no one should be surprised that Mother Angelica, the foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network, is controversial: the is a major public figure, she has strong opinions, and a quick tongue -- or at least, she used to, until struck by a major stroke a few years ago. Mother Angelica's absence from public life, however, does not mean that her influence doesn't continue to echo the world over. Now that she is out of the spotlight, it is the perfect time for a comprehensive biography to be written about her, something Raymond Arroyo attempts to bring to us in Mother Angelica, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles. But does he succeed?
When I started reading this book, I must admit I was not a huge fan of Mother Angelica. Don't misunderstand me, I had nothing against her; I just have a deep aversion to hero-worship (they don't call them "idols" for nothing), and I found that Mother Angelica had her fair share of "fans" (the root word, I might add, for "fanatic"). Now writing biography is a very tricky business, it is too easy to write a simple, 2-dimensional piece that does not really communicate the life of the person. A lot of traditional hagiography falls short in this way, I'm afraid. It is ok for devotional reading, but poor for real serious study. And so my trepidation was: would Raymond Arroyo really serve the full dish? Or would he limit himself to the sweeter-tasting parts of Mother Angelica's story, so as to present his "idol" in a best-possible (but ultimately unreal) light?
As biographies go, I will say that this is one of the better ones I've read. The research is thorough, and the subject is presented in a thorough way. While Arroyo definitely adores Mother Angelica, I didn't get the impression he sensationalized her life, and the fact that he is himself a man of faith clearly helped him present certain aspects of her life in a way that respects the religious dimension (something a purely secular biographer might not have been able to do). And Mother Angelica has had an interesting life: a troubled family life, a no-nonsense approach to her vocation, a great many accomplishments to her credit (including founding 2 new religious orders, as well as the largest religious satellite network in the world). To be sure, she is a personality worth studying. But is she worth emulating? Is she a saint?
In the end, the dramatic tension of the book turns around this question. Yes, founding a satellite network is impressive -- but if it was done on her own initiative, rather than in obedience to the Lord, it won't help her get to heaven. Grace is funny that way -- we can't earn it, we can only accept it as a gift. And while this is a dramatic tension in Mother Angelica's life, it is (curiously) a dramatic tension in Arroyo's presentation of that life. As I mentioned before, it is clear that Arroyo adores Mother Angelica, and often enough one gets the impression, even as he is trying to be objective, that he can't help but present things in such a say that he is saying "Look what she did! Isn't she amazing?" Except that, some of those things I didn't find amazing at all. For example, Mother Angelica went ahead and did a lot of things without proper ecclesiastical permission, and when asked about it her response reveals that she didn't actually trust the church to agree with her. She went head-to-head with a Cardinal Archbishop over an element of doctrine, and in the end you don't get the impression that either of them really "won". Yeah, she's hard-headed and hard-working, but so what? In themselves, those are not signs of sanctity. I consider these and other elements to be "crooked lines" in her life. Now it is true that God can "draw straight with crooked lines", and for Mother Angelica it appears he has (the results speak for themselves) -- but that doesn't make those lines any less crooked in their origin. What I find interesting about this biography is that Arroyo shows both the "straight" results and the "crooked" origins of Mother Angelica's life, choices and endeavours. At times he doesn't seem to recognize just how crooked those origins were in some cases -- all he can see is the straight results, and therefore he concludes she was right all along -- but curiously, even that helps guarantee the authenticity of the text. After all, it means that even if Arroyo was trying to write hagiography, in the end up he wound up writing biography -- something that he said was his original intention, anyway!
So what should we make of this book? As I mentioned, before reading this book I was not a big fan of Mother Angelica. After reading it, I am still not a fan -- she is no more an idol for me than she was before. I must admit, though, that I do feel I've gotten to know her a lot better, such that she has become more than an idol to me -- she has become a *person*. After reading what I've read, I do not believe Mother Angelica will ever be canonized by the Church, such that I will likely never pray *to* her. But, as I have come to know her better, and particularly come to know her hard knocks and sufferings, and am more than willing to pray *for* her, as a sister in Christ whom I can truly say I love as such. And I have a feeling that, while others might not understand this distinction, Mother Angelica would.
When I started reading this book, I must admit I was not a huge fan of Mother Angelica. Don't misunderstand me, I had nothing against her; I just have a deep aversion to hero-worship (they don't call them "idols" for nothing), and I found that Mother Angelica had her fair share of "fans" (the root word, I might add, for "fanatic"). Now writing biography is a very tricky business, it is too easy to write a simple, 2-dimensional piece that does not really communicate the life of the person. A lot of traditional hagiography falls short in this way, I'm afraid. It is ok for devotional reading, but poor for real serious study. And so my trepidation was: would Raymond Arroyo really serve the full dish? Or would he limit himself to the sweeter-tasting parts of Mother Angelica's story, so as to present his "idol" in a best-possible (but ultimately unreal) light?
As biographies go, I will say that this is one of the better ones I've read. The research is thorough, and the subject is presented in a thorough way. While Arroyo definitely adores Mother Angelica, I didn't get the impression he sensationalized her life, and the fact that he is himself a man of faith clearly helped him present certain aspects of her life in a way that respects the religious dimension (something a purely secular biographer might not have been able to do). And Mother Angelica has had an interesting life: a troubled family life, a no-nonsense approach to her vocation, a great many accomplishments to her credit (including founding 2 new religious orders, as well as the largest religious satellite network in the world). To be sure, she is a personality worth studying. But is she worth emulating? Is she a saint?
In the end, the dramatic tension of the book turns around this question. Yes, founding a satellite network is impressive -- but if it was done on her own initiative, rather than in obedience to the Lord, it won't help her get to heaven. Grace is funny that way -- we can't earn it, we can only accept it as a gift. And while this is a dramatic tension in Mother Angelica's life, it is (curiously) a dramatic tension in Arroyo's presentation of that life. As I mentioned before, it is clear that Arroyo adores Mother Angelica, and often enough one gets the impression, even as he is trying to be objective, that he can't help but present things in such a say that he is saying "Look what she did! Isn't she amazing?" Except that, some of those things I didn't find amazing at all. For example, Mother Angelica went ahead and did a lot of things without proper ecclesiastical permission, and when asked about it her response reveals that she didn't actually trust the church to agree with her. She went head-to-head with a Cardinal Archbishop over an element of doctrine, and in the end you don't get the impression that either of them really "won". Yeah, she's hard-headed and hard-working, but so what? In themselves, those are not signs of sanctity. I consider these and other elements to be "crooked lines" in her life. Now it is true that God can "draw straight with crooked lines", and for Mother Angelica it appears he has (the results speak for themselves) -- but that doesn't make those lines any less crooked in their origin. What I find interesting about this biography is that Arroyo shows both the "straight" results and the "crooked" origins of Mother Angelica's life, choices and endeavours. At times he doesn't seem to recognize just how crooked those origins were in some cases -- all he can see is the straight results, and therefore he concludes she was right all along -- but curiously, even that helps guarantee the authenticity of the text. After all, it means that even if Arroyo was trying to write hagiography, in the end up he wound up writing biography -- something that he said was his original intention, anyway!
So what should we make of this book? As I mentioned, before reading this book I was not a big fan of Mother Angelica. After reading it, I am still not a fan -- she is no more an idol for me than she was before. I must admit, though, that I do feel I've gotten to know her a lot better, such that she has become more than an idol to me -- she has become a *person*. After reading what I've read, I do not believe Mother Angelica will ever be canonized by the Church, such that I will likely never pray *to* her. But, as I have come to know her better, and particularly come to know her hard knocks and sufferings, and am more than willing to pray *for* her, as a sister in Christ whom I can truly say I love as such. And I have a feeling that, while others might not understand this distinction, Mother Angelica would.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 147 reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mother Angelica
This book is so amazing. I did not realize what here life was like. I loved it. She is so inspiring.
Published 4 months ago by Sylvia Newcombe
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Truly Great Story of Wit, Determination and Divine Providence
Wonderfully told story about how a poor Italian-American girl named Rita Rizzo overcomes family tragedy, illness, near bankruptcy and a thousand other problems, by sheer... Read more
Published on July 18 2007 by Spiritual Reader
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Religious
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Women
- Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Roman Catholicism
- Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Congregations & Orders > Members
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > Religious Studies > Christianity
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Inspirational
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
