Review on Father Joe by Tony Hendra - Book Report/Review Example

Review on book Father Joe by Tony Hendra Life presents living souls with numerous opportunities for everything, opportunities to sin and opportunities to do righteous deeds. The opportunities to sin or do good deeds are better used when the person confronted by the opportunities has enabling factors such supportive on non-supportive people, good guidance or luck of it, among others. Hendra’s life is a true testimony to this. In his book, “Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul,” Hendra narrates his experiences, temptations and his mentor Dom Joseph Warrilow (Father Joe) guides him towards righteousness.

This narration clearly espouses the various opportunities that Hendra had and how his mentor, no doubt an enabling factor, helped him chose the righteous path. As he narrates, Hendra also vividly reveal the attitudes and behaviors of the characters. At 14 years of age, Hedra is found in an affair with an older and married woman. The woman’s husband, Mr Bootle, finds them in each other arms, and instead of getting mad at the teenage boy, he decides that it best for the boy to get moral guidance for a strong mentor.

He takes him to father Joe. Mr. Bootle comes across as a critical and understanding person who despite the rage of finding his wife and the teenagers in each other’s arms, understand that attacking the teenager would not be helpful, rather the teenager would benefit more for moral mentorship. He also chooses that right person for the job. On the other hand, Mrs. Bootle is permissive and as a result does not discourage Hendra from since, but encourages him by getting involved with him in an affair. Mrs. Bootle is immoral and certainly, an enabling factor encouraging the teenager to take the wrong path. Mr. Bootle choice of Father Joe as the best mentor for Hendra is applauseable.

It is not surprising the he took the trouble to travel a long distance to take to the boy to the Benedictine Monk in Quarr Abbey. The Monk, Father Joe, was very friendly, understanding, a confessor and a good listener. Hendra note that he was surprised that monk did no whip him the way the monks he had encountered before did. Hendra found himself a friend and a guide that would listen to him and offer wise counsel for the next forty years. The boy encounter with the monk is appealing and entices him to desire the monk way of life.

However, the understanding monk understands that what Hendra need is guidance he guides him into taking the scholarship, and guides him through various issues including marital and family challenges. His guidance does not go in vain since he finally manages to change the attitudes and behavior of Hendra after forty years of laboring. Hendra on the other hand, as a boy, is a victim of circumstances who gets into an affair with Mrs. Bootle due to their proximity. He is poor at making choices always getting in the way of deed that are totally centrally to the monk life he desired before.

However, the guidance and dialogues with father Joe finally make him change his attitudes and behavior, he becomes a better person. Critically, I consider this book a journey of a young man who seeks salvation through his youth, and life and manages to get in old age. It is also a story of a Monk who does not give up on his quest to transform souls. He finally achieves his quest, and no doubt the story of his success depicted on this book will transform more souls.Work Cited Hendra, Tony. “Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul.

” New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks. 2004. Print.