No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy

I highly recommend it to anyone. The book is written with complete honesty and simplicity. It is so entertaining, you can feel part of the story, the writer has the ability to make you experience what he is experiencing in each moment of his life. This book can be a real soul saver!! I have already bought 2 books (One for my mom, and one for me and my wife), and I am planning to keep on buying more for my friends!

Just started reading it and I love it

This is a fantastic book for everyone to read. Shows us that priest are human and that everyone and anyone is worthy of saving.

Father Donald Calloway's conversion story, No Turning Back, witnesses first-hand both the besieging, degrading influence of Late Western culture, and, more significantly, the grace that forges even such demonic darts into a sword sharpened in the hands of the Lord. To be sure, Father Don does not lay blame at the feet of the "devil-made-me-do-it" defense and abdicate his responsibility: "Some may find ... my life story to be almost unbelievable ... That's why whenever I do a speaking engagement, I always bring along a photograph of myself--a picture of what I looked like when I was in my late teens ... so people can visualize what an animal I was before my conversion." (No Turning Back 9) Indeed, Father Don's life story covers teenage wasteland across continents and oceans. From being forcibly deported in handcuffs out of Japan to being arrested for theft in New Orleans to nearly burning down his neighborhood in Southern California, Father Don's account never misses sight of the ancient Catholic teaching of original sin--hamartia--missing the mark of what God intends for us. In young Father Don's attempts to be god-on-his-own-terms in the cultural miasma of the 1970s into the 1990s, his drug use, alcohol abuse, and grand-larceny theft reduce him to the aptly titled first section of the book--Animal. Like Saint Augustine's Confessions, No Turning Back aims a steady gaze on just how far we can plunge into the void--and just how deeply God's grace can reach: "For those of you who can identify with this type of behavior, my experience proves that there is always hope, even for the worst of the worst. You see this is not just my story--this is important to emphasize--it's also a story bound up with God's faithful people." (No Turning Back 10) "Come again?" the reader might ask. "Just how are any of us bound up in such depravity?" "I am "Exhibit A"--evidence that when people pray, even for people they don't know--miracles can happen. Divine Mercy is for real!" (No Turning Back 11) However, No Turning Back is not a mere confirmation of "praying for sinners"--an attitude that can make us self-righteously ignore our own need for Divine Mercy, like the Pharisee scowling at the publican in Luke 18:9-14. Rather, in its account of the extremes of the young Father Don's life, No Turning Back takes us to the extremity of our very selves and shows that we are all sinners, who, even in the midst of our sinning experience Divine Mercy: "Society and television had so brainwashed me--communicating a message that God was not merciful ... But I was comforted by the thought of Mary. It would be through the call of a mother, His mother saying, "'I know. It's okay. That is why I have come--because He ... knows you are very wounded and have a completely wrong understanding of Him. Thus he has sent me to you to prepare you.'" (No Turning Back 160) All of us are called by God. Father Don's harrowing and miraculous conversion (you simply have to rea

Whoever thinks any sinner is a lost cause, think again. This book exemplifies that there is no one outside the reach of God's infinite and divine mercy! I couldn't not put this book down; it was a page turner! Even though I was familiar with Fr. Don's story, I was riveted by the details of his past life and how with God's grace he escaped the darkness. If you know of any parent or spouse in desperation for a loved one who's strayed or never had any faith at all, give them this book! This will be a source of hope for mothers like Fr. Don's to keep praying like St. Monica for St. Augustine!

My name is Donald Calloway, and I'm in the book. I'm in the book because I'm Father Calloway's adoptive father who just happens to share Father's first name, and not by accident either, I believe. Even though I've known Fr. Calloway since he was 8 years old, I can honestly tell you there are things in the book that were surprising even to me. Oh yes, his mother and I knew he was having trouble coping with a lot of things, things like our family's frequent moves and his changes in schools, given that Fr. Calloway is the son of a retired military officer; but, we really didn't have a sense of the depth of his waywardness. I can assure you all of the things you will read about in this book are factual. And, I should know because I lived it. As for my experience reading Father's book, I will tell you it was an absolute page-turner from beginning to end. I simply couldn't put it down. Father keeps the reader in suspense from chapter to chapter, wondering just what will happen next. From a spiritual perspective, Father Calloway's book is certainly going to save many souls for Jesus Christ. If you have a son or a daughter who is experimenting with many of the evils of this secular world we live in, or they're already caught up in these things and need help, this book can be your answer. You'll just have to read the book to understand the how and the why. I recommend that you buy a copy of Fr. Calloway's book and hide it under their pillow, or put it in their school backpack or in their car. You'll understand that too when you read the book. If this book teaches you nothing else, it should prove to you that no child is a throw-away child, that is, a child whose parents and society have given up on them, because there is always hope and there is always mercy, God's divine mercy. Father Calloway's life was transformed through the infinite mercy of his loving heavenly Father, through his Son and His immaculate mother, Mary, who is the Mediatrix of all graces. May God bless you through Father Calloway's compelling conversion story.

Warfare - spiritual combat on full display - in one of the most striking personal narratives of our age. Because so many themes emerge in this story, they are more clearly grasped by topic: courage and tragedy, adventure and mishaps, drift and decisive action, surrender and triumph. Father Donald Calloway's conversion from rebellious teen to Catholic Priest speaks to the heart in a style reminiscent of the great epic heroes of a past age, an age of Knights and Chivalry who pledge their lives to defend the honor of their Lady. It is a sad fact that many of us rebel as teens, turning away from God in pursuit of one's identity. The world with its MTV culture is all too willing to offer a fix for the itch of adolescence - drugs, the Grateful Dead, and promiscuity. There are occasions when the "normal" teenage rebellion amplifies into a self-wounding journey into darkness and despair. This fascinating and daring spiritual biography should be required reading for parents, teachers, and all teenagers because in its pages one finds a reflection of those interior struggles so prominent in our culture today. The glamour of hedonism, the lie of atheism, and rampant self-absorption collide with the saving truth of the Holy Gospel through the mediation of the Great Mother of God Mary Most Holy. The message of Divine Mercy soaks each page as the spiritual battle unfolds. Catholics will discover a lasting treasure of conversion and redemption through Father Calloway's riveting prose and a resource for evangelization and outreach to those who may be trapped in the damp chill of sin. Above all, this is a story of heroic love that conquers the heart. Bravo, Father Calloway, bravo!!!

I loved this book from start to finish, including the great cover shot. It's well written and down to earth so it has the ability to draw the reader into every scene. Fr. Calloway's story gives people hope, especially those who have relatives who are lukewarm or fallen away. It's great to see a priest be a real man. I was happy to see the link that takes you to his website for information about his upcoming speaking events and more. [...]