God, Country, Notre Dame - by Theodore M Hesburgh (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Experience Father Hesburgh's life story in his own words in God, Country, Notre Dame.

As an adviser to presidents, special envoy to popes, theologian, author, educator, and activist, Father Hesburgh was considered the most influential priest in America for decades. His autobiography brings his phenomenal accomplishments to readers with his own voice and personal perspective. Father Hesburgh recounts his family history, describing the people who helped make him the man he became, as well as his own childhood and adolescence. He tells stories of his time at Notre Dame all the way to his retirement. "This is essentially a memory book," he explains in the acknowledgements, and there is no better way to get to know the incredible man he was and the legacy he created.

Review Quotes

"Father Hesburgh says that each one of us can do something effective in the cause of a better world. God, Country, Notre Dame itself embodies an obvious refutation of the apathetic notion that 'in the modern world one person cannot make a difference.'" --Commonweal

"Father Hesburgh should be on almost everyone's list of the most influential figures in American higher education over the past few decades. In these fascinating memoirs, he chronicles the transformation of Notre Dame from a somewhat mediocre midwestern university into a major national teaching and research institution. As president of Notre Dame for 35 years, he used that position as a platform to argue the truly critical issues not only within the academy, but outside as well. The chapters on his involvement with the Civil Rights movement and criticism of early Vatican policy on academic freedom at Catholic universities are most compelling. Recommended for all readers, especially in these days of seeming cynicism and doubt." --Library Journal

"The temptation is to subtitle this book 'Adventures of Superpriest.' If Father Hesburgh made it all up, it would still be a wonderful story, a compendium of what-ifs. . . . Its warmth and humanity are infectious, and most readers will not have the nerve to fight off the pleasure of going along." --Chicago Tribune

"To read this book is to get acquainted with a great human being, as our Jewish friends say, a real mensch." --Provident Book Finder

"William F. Buckley might disagree, but the former university president is clear on the three most important things in life." --New York Magazine

About the Author

Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1917-2015) was president of the University of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987. As an adviser to presidents, special envoy to popes, theologian, author, educator, and activist, Father Hesburgh was for decades considered the most influential priest in America. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including The Challenge and Promise of a Catholic University (University of Notre Dame Press, 1994).