During the weekend, I picked up a book at the library. The title, woman of God, intrigued me as did the blurb on the inside of the sleeve: “St.Peter’s square, Rome. White smoke signals that a new Pope has been chosen. Is it possible that the new Pope … is a woman?” The idea of women as priests, and even as a Pope, excites me. It is an event I would love to see in a world that has been dominated by men for centuries.

In this novel by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, the story centres on Brigid Fitzgerald. Brigid is a woman who, in spite of a difficult childhood, graduates to be a medical doctor. As a doctor she works on healing those in war torn Sudan. As her life moves along, she becomes more involved in the Catholic church.

My teaser comes from the beginning of the book and describes one of her experiences in Sudan while the hospital she worked at was under attack:

“I yelled, “Sabeena! Help me!”

She had her hands full. The girls were with her. Bullets were flying. I wasn’t sure that she had even heard me.

I said to Father Delahanty, “I’m going to help you up. You have to help me get you to your feet. Grip my forearm.”

But he didn’t do it.

He was losing so much blood. He was going into shock. And then he said in a whisper, “It’s been two weeks since my last confession.”

“You have to get up,” I said. I was frantic.

“I must confess.”

I sat back down beside him and held his hand. I wanted to fall on his chest and cry, but I contained my sobs and tried to keep my voice even. “Tell me,” I said. (p 60-61, Little Brown and Company,  2016). 

I am enjoying this book and its unusual subject matter. The topic certainly makes a person think.

What are you reading this week? Feel free to share a few sentences from the book in the comments. 

© Colline Kook-Chun, 2016

(This post is linked to Ambrosia’s Teaser Tuesdays at The Purple Booker)