{"product_id":"the-best-catholics-in-the-world-the-irish-the-church-and-the-end-of-a-special-relationship-paperback","title":"The Best Catholics in the World: The Irish, the Church and the End of a Special Relationship - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDerek Scally\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Number One Bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the Irish Book Awards 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A great achievement . . . Brilliant, engaging and essential' Colm Tóibín\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'At once intimate and epic, this is a landmark book' Fintan O'Toole\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Dubliner Derek Scally goes to Christmas Eve Mass on a visit home from Berlin, he finds more memories than congregants in the church where he was once an altar boy. Not for the first time, the collapse of the Catholic Church in Ireland brings to mind the fall of another powerful ideology - East German communism. While Germans are engaging earnestly with their past, Scally sees nothing comparable going on in his native land. So he embarks on a quest to unravel the tight hold the Church had on the Irish. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe travels the length and breadth of Ireland and across Europe, going to Masses, novenas, shrines and seminaries, talking to those who have abandoned the Church and those who have held on, to survivors and campaigners, to writers, historians, psychologists and many more. And he has probing and revealing encounters with Vatican officials, priests and religious along the way. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Best Catholics in the World\u003c\/i\u003e is the remarkable result of his three-year journey. With wit, wisdom and compassion Scally gives voice and definition to the murky and difficult questions that face a society coming to terms with its troubling past. It is both a lively personal odyssey and a resonant and gripping work of reporting that is a major contribution to the story of Ireland. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Reflective, textured, insightful and original ... rich with history, interrogation and emotional intelligence' Diarmaid Ferriter, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An unblinking look at the collapse of the Church and Catholic deference in Ireland. Excellent and timely'\u003c\/b\u003e John Banville, \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Engaging and incisive'\u003c\/b\u003e Caelainn Hogan, \u003ci\u003eauthor of Republic of Shame \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Remarkable ... Essential reading for anyone concerned about history and forgetting'\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Harding \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Fair-minded ... thoughtful'\u003c\/b\u003e Melanie McDonagh, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Very pacey and entertaining ... and it changed how I regard Ireland and our history for good. Fantastic'\u003c\/b\u003e Oliver Callan \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Original, thought-provoking and very engaging'\u003c\/b\u003e Marie Collins \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A provocative insight into a time that many would rather forget'\u003c\/b\u003e John Boyne\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Challenging'\u003c\/b\u003e Mary McAleese \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Explores this subject in a way that I've never seen before'\u003c\/b\u003e Hugh Linehan, \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDerek Scally \u003c\/b\u003ehas written for the \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e since 2000. He is based in Berlin. \u003ci\u003eThe Best Catholics in the World \u003c\/i\u003eis his first book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.02 x 7.72 x 5.04 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 01, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51766198272288,"sku":"9781844885275","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/a2f73877b0bb6596285467f265521b57.webp?v=1780287372","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-best-catholics-in-the-world-the-irish-the-church-and-the-end-of-a-special-relationship-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}