Fatherless

An intensely human tour of the great spiritual battles in the US Catholic church during the late 20th century. Brian Gail takes us out into the "trenches" and shows what life was like for Catholics good and bad during this critical time. This book is a great opportunity for Catholics to take hold of who they really are.

 

Meticulously researched, brilliantly crafted, Fatherless takes the reader on an unforgettable journey inside Fortune 500 boardrooms and Madison Avenue screening rooms, behind one-way mirrors in America’s heartland and two-way screens in church confessionals, to the very peak of Ireland’s highest mountain and inside the papal dining room of John Paul II in Rome.

 

It is the searing journey to the center of conscience, however, that marks Fatherless as the signature Catholic novel of its generation. In its pages we meet flesh and blood characters - noble and flawed, driven and seeking; each struggling to achieve the American Dream ... discovering instead a uniquely American nightmare. How each confronts the reality of ethical and moral dilemmas - while struggling to balance faith, family, and career - goes to the very heart of the Catholic experience in America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This is a tale you will never forget.

 

Author Brian J. Gail is a former college and semi-pro athlete; Madison Avenue ad-man; and Fortune 500 senior executive, entrepreneur, and CEO. He is currently an educator and author. Mr. Gail has served on numerous civic boards in his hometown of Philadelphia, including the National Adoption Center, the William Booth Society, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and the Regina Academies. He is a husband, father of seven, and grandfather of five.

 

Review from Human Life International's Fr. Thomas Euteneuer:

 

"As the Year of the Priest slowly draws to a close, I am very happy to announce that HLI is now the exclusive publisher for the widely acclaimed Catholic novel by Brian J. Gail, Fatherless - "a book dedicated to priests in the Year of the Priest".

But this book was not written just for priests: There is something to be found in this book for everyone, in every walk of life. Why? Because it takes on the pervasive moral issues of our day... contraception, adultery, pornography, demonic influence and more. This book provides a realistic and up-close look at what happens to a culture that is left spiritually "Fatherless". I am especially encouraged by the way it is being received by college students and young married couples.

Fatherless is the first volume of what the author has dubbed the "American Tragedy in Trilogy". It will be followed later this year by the highly anticipated sequel, Motherless, and finally (next year) Childless.

What is so special about Fatherless? This novel is the first of its kind. Upon reviewing Fatherless, the Catholic News Agency described Brian J. Gail as a "Catholic author writing to change a generation." With the impact of this book, he is doing just that.

As a cradle Catholic, the author brings his profound grasp of the Faith along with his experience as a former semi-pro athlete, Fortune 500 senior executive, and entrepreneur to this Catholic novel, pulling the reader in while informing and catechizing through the lives and dialogue of its characters.

In life, we cannot always understand what God is preparing us to do in order to further His Kingdom. At age 20, Brian Gail was viewed as a top baseball prospect for the Major Leagues. It was said that he had a natural release that produced an exceptional "power and velocity" rarely seen in pitching. An unfortunate injury ended his hopes for the draft and permanently altered his course in life. Yet today, with hindsight one can now see how the experience he gained in the life God laid before him is drawing more souls to a closer understanding of God's perfect plan for us. The fruits of Fatherless reveal that God has also blessed Brian Gail with a "natural release" of storytelling in his unique style that carries a "power and velocity" to move hearts that is rarely seen in catechesis.

I was honored to endorse Fatherless as soon as I finished reading it:

"In the Catholic novel Fatherless, author Brian J. Gail takes dead aim at the pervasive denials and chronic weaknesses that afflict men of every age, but especially men of the post-Pill generation. I think the greatest contribution of Mr. Gail's book is the honest presentation of real-life scenarios of how much damage the Pill has caused men and their relationships with women. No one thinks that the Pill is a man's issue, but Gail shatters that denial with his insightful rendering of the accounts of woe that follow in the train of the poison Pill. All men, not just Christians, need to read this and weep (in repentance) and then get up and make a difference in the world by taking on themselves once again the role of the virtuous man, father and warrior."

Dr. Janet Smith, renowned speaker about the destructive effects of the Pill, had this to say about Fatherless:

"...The research alone that went into Fatherless is phenomenal....This fast pace thriller provides amazing insight into the struggles of a young priest challenged by laity to deepen his commitment to the Lord...as well as the difficulties experienced by young families trying to live their faith in a hostile culture....I enjoyed it immensely."

Other endorsements from Judie Brown, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Christopher West, the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, and others can be found here.

Fatherless is a unique new tool and a perfect fit in HLI's mission to carry out the evangelization of the Gospel of Life. Reading this book enlightens the reader to both the physical damage to the body and the spiritual harm to souls wrought by the Pill.

Fatherless is now being read in seminaries, book clubs, schools, and by young couples! This is why we are so excited about Fatherless, and why it is now close to becoming a Catholic Best Seller.

I am making this special outreach to you, our supporters, asking you to help us to spread the word: Fatherless is a wonderful book to share with your spouse, your friends, your grown children, and your parish priest.

Letter after letter from inspired readers reveal a consistent theme: that Fatherless helps those in the dark to better understand their Faith, and those who already understand it, to fall more in love with it.
 

No book on the shelves today is more profoundly relevant to Catholics in America today than Fatherless by Brian J. Gail. In his absorbing, realistic novel about Catholic life in America, Gail tackles some of the toughest issues of our age using hard, sometimes alarming facts that challenge the reader to seriously rethink society's conventional wisdom.

Fatherless takes a hard, honest look at a typical Catholic parish in America over the course of about a decade, beginning in the 1980s. The story begins with Fr. John Sweeney, a young priest about a year out of the seminary, assigned to his hometown parish and giving spiritual direction to three families regarding some very contemporary, very difficult issues. Fr. Sweeney offers them all the kind of guidence and advice that he thinks is correct for each of these families according to the world in which they all live. As all of their lives unfold in jarring reality over the next decade, Fr. Sweeney comes face- Full Review...

Challenges the way you think!