Reluctant Dissenter

I found this autobiography among the best 5% of books that I have ever read. The author has spent his life as a highly motivated, dedicated idealist. His insights are valuable to me in my own development. His unusual abilities and remarkable personal humility are an unusual combination. As a Roman Catholic, I found that he dealt with some of the Roman Catholics' most difficult problems with the church hierarchy in a charitable and inspiring fashion. His enthusiasm, courage, and optimism in the face of unexpected attacks on his work from his own church should lead us all to an enthusiasm and vision of the church which is positive for the world, the church, and ourselves.

I enjoyed every single sentence of James Shannon's book and I enjoy reading them again. On page twenty-one he wrote, "The good life means, above all else, to be something, not to get or to have something.This book reconfirmed the values that I hold dear and learned under the direction of men like Mr. Shannon. May God always bless James Patrick Shannon.

Rare is the explanation to be provided for anything bordering on the embarrassing for the Catholic Church. James Shannon was very much in the spotlight as an Auxilary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis when he came to the painful conclusion that he could no longer support some of the church's policies. With a healthy understanding of the human need to live in consonance with one's personal belief for the sake of self preservation, Shannon left the the diocese and the priesthood/bishopic behind.Although "a priest forever," Shannon went on to marry and to live a richful life -- remaining faithfulto the primary elements of the Catholic Church as 'the people in relationship to God and the example of the very human Jesus.' instead of the often, seeming over-emphasis, of Church as paternalistic institution functioning without much consideration for the reality of human needs.Shannon was a highly respected Bishop and his leaving was certainly a significant loss (and scandal) to the church. So respected was this man, that after a short hiatus in New Mexico, he was able to return to Minnesota and maintain a very visible and highly regarded role as a foundation executive for three separate entitites. He did not "disappear" as is the historically preferred avenue for visible scars brought upon the face of the church.Shannon's story is well told. It is an encounter with a man of tremendous integrity, an odd faithfulness to his Church and a pragmatism that is admirable. He is most respectful of the church and is clearly not a rabble rouser looking to spark change. He tells his story as his own -- his decisions about life -- in relationship to himself. While this could have easily been a diatribe against what he is unable to support about church teaching, Shannon takes the high road and goes out of his way to highlight his foundational love of the Catholic Church.It's fairly obvious that if Shannon "went along," he would have gone far in the Church. Yet, his own self-integrity and mental health were more important to him. The reader can't help but come to admire this tremendous man who truly emanates the essence of the foundational elements of what Church means -- the daily witness to the examples given to all Christians through the story of Christ's life. A refreshing read from a man of the utmost integrity! One can't help consider some very necessary re-ordering of Church priorities as a result of this book. The loss of this man we a true loss within the leadership of the Church.

I am a Catholic, who lives in Minn. and know many of the people who show uo on these pages. More importantly, it is such an insightful treatment of that period in history. 5 stars! Pat Conway

Jim Shannon, a man possessing a rare combination of intelligence, faith and humor, provides a moving retrospection on his amazing life. From his birth to an Irish-American family in Saint Paul, his rise in the American Catholic hierarchy, his "dark night of the soul" and agonized decision to resign as a bishop, through his resilient continuation of a career of service, this book recounts both a personal story and a chapter in history.Throughout, Shannon's narrative commands the reader's attention with charming wit and searing insight. Telling his own story, he manages to maintain perspective worthy of his doctoral degree in American history from Yale.This is a tale worth telling of a difficult and turbulent time in the Catholic Church and in U.S. history. The demands of an informed conscience in the face of the war in Viet Nam and hipocrasy in the Church infuses the book with alarming relevance a generation after those events.This is a book you will read, think about and discuss with your firends.