Remarkable, Sheer Delight!
I strongly recommend Gene Bianchi's memoir, "Taking a Long Road Home." This is one of those books that clearly fulfills the comments on the back cover, as well as the hope and direction of the author's introduction. The Catholic Church is today going through a period of change as big and important as the time of the Protestant Reformation. And this well written and very honest book is a part of the story. The major themes of this transformation are all in the book. Bianchi's credentials to do this are impeccable. I also must add that rarely have I read a book with which I could so easily identify in so many ways.
Samuel Marotta, University of Maryland , Vicenza, Italy
Standing Naked With Dignity
Bianchi's book is a true tale of growing into and experiencing wholeness as a human being. I enjoyed the journey "home," to that inviolable place of peace, of emotional and spiritual confidence. He takes us from his Italian roots, to life as a Jesuit priest, through intimate relationships in marriage, and in his fascinating journey as a professor and a writer. He shares insights into cultivating the richness of continued growing as we age. He wonders with us how we can apply the wisdom of the great religious traditions to daily living. Bianchi boldly criticizes some of the pitfalls of organized religion while showing compassion for our shared and poignant humanity. I hope new readers will enjoy the ride as much as I did. Kudos.
Morgan Z. Callahan
An absorbing account of a spiritual journey
Eugene Bianchi could easily be seen as one of the casualties of the changes roiling the Catholic church after the Second Vatican Council. A Jesuit priest respected as a journalist, he left the order to play a major role in campaigning for a married priesthood, then embarked on a long career as a college professor and writer. As a former Jesuit myself, I looked forward to learning more about just what happened to make him take off that Roman collar. I was not disappointed. Bianchi talks about himself with unusual candor and impressive insights. This is no bitter diatribe against the church or the Society of Jesus, even though he presents an interesting analysis of how his theological outlook was to change. Instead it is the story of how a bright young man from an immigrant family was drawn to commit himself to the life of a priest only to find that something was missing. He leaves and marries, then divorces and marries again in a troubled search for the human fulfillment that had been denied him through his original choice of a celibate vocation. This is confessional literature at its best, a book in which Bianchi, at last at peace, talks about his spiritual journey with a remarkable generosity of spirit.
Douglass McFerran
Fine, Candid and Thought-Provoking
Eugene' Bianchi's memoirs of his life both in and out if the Jesuits may be the finest, most candid, thought provoking autobiographical document which I have yet read...and I have thrice read Ben Franklin's famous autobiography. One yardstick I use to measure a book's impact is how well it scores on the "Can-You-Put-It-Down-Scale." There were times when I could hardly wait to get to the next page of the unfolding drama. As a result, Bianchi cheated me out of two afternoon naps so engaging is his story.
This excellently written book does not merely catalog the events and people of a long life, but it is also one of the most introspective, analytical, emotionally honest, and confessional documents of this type that I have read. In fact, it is so personal, open and revealing that one might very well conclude that it had been penned in the secluded privacy of a confessional booth or a therapist’s office. Taken as a whole, these pages provide a pretty full picture of this remarkable man who has had the courage and inner integrity to try and open doors which lesser souls walk past.
Perhaps the best testimony of my esteem for this book is the fact that I originally read a borrowed copy. But having read it, I decided this book is a "keeper" and bought my own copy to reread at a later date.
Wallace Denton, Ed.D. , Emeritus Professor of FamilyTherapy, Purdue University
Contribution to American Religious History
The merits of The Long Road Home are two. It is well-written and holds the reader's interest and it chronicles in microcosm, that is in the life of one person, the vast changes in American Catholicism from the 1940s on. In that sense Bianchi has made a contribution to American religious history.
Dana Greene , Atlanta, GA
Very Moving Book
I have just finished reading Gene Bianchi’s memoir “Taking a Long Road Home.” For me it was a very moving book, to the point where I found myself crying at certain places. I think what one looks for in a memoir is honesty and Bianchi is totally honest, confessionally honest, in manifesting all the marital strife and other conflicts he has experienced.
I am struggling along trying to write my own memoir and can only hope that I can emulate Bianchi's candor.
John Devine
Eugene Bianchi apparently understands what William Faulkner meant when he said, "The human heart in conflict with itself is the one thing worth writing about." Out of a life-time of serious exploration, Bianchi distills so many fine ideas and communicates them honestly and directly. For instance, he says, "I don't believe in special interventions by God on the part of humans . . . Why would a smart God be so dumb as to favor us alone?" Yet he does find "many aspects of . . . religions helpful for a seeker on the spiritual path." His own life as a Jesuit priest and professor of religion, and, ultimately, caring spouse exhibits enthusiasms, turmoil, sadness and strength. He is a throughly admirable human and deeply religious in his personal seeking which will go on, one suspects, till he drops.
Don and Maggie Foran
Unique Memoir
Memoirs abound, but this one by Eugene Bianchi is unique. How many authors can take you on a personal journey from a first generation Italian family to Jesuit priesthood and then through the psychology of three failed marriages only to find happiness in a fourth and finally through the theological terrain from his once unquestioned Roman Catholic faith to become. for the moment at least, what he calls a metaphorical agnostic Catholic Christian? The book, by the retired professor of religious studies at Emory University, is well written and worth a read by anyone intellectually curious.
Frank Maurovich
Adventure of Spiritual Discovery
The great adventure of our existence is spiritual discovery and growth. As one thirteen-year old boy dying from leukemia told the Dalai Lama at a care-givers conference in Montreal a few years ago, the purpose of life is to learn. Material acquisition and success pales in comparison. Gene Bianchi’s detailed personal account of his journey reminds me of that and helps me feel less alone, as do others along the way who I can be open to and willing to learn from. What I like about this book is that it is real. I have been on stage, in film, in printed media as an author and a model – all of which can and do create fictional worlds. I prefer reality and the reality of another human being sharing now. Bianchi does that for me in this book.
Daniel Flynn, Verviers, Belgium
