When her son is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at almost 2.5 years old, Sarah Bucciero journeys to St. Jude in Memphis to navigate lessons of strength, determination, and faith.

St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless causes, is the most popular saint of the American Catholic laity, particularly among women. This fascinating book describes how the cult of St. Jude originated in 1929, traces the rise in Jude's popularity over the next decades, and investigates the circumstances that led so many Catholic women to feel hopeless and to turn to St. Jude for help. Robert A. Orsi tells us that the women who were drawn to St. Jude--daughters and granddaughters of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and Ireland--were the first generations of Catholic women to make lives for themselves outside of their ethnic enclaves. Orsi explores the ambitions and dilemmas of these women as they dealt with the pressures of the Depression and the Second World War, made modern marriages for themselves, entered the workplace, took care of relatives in their old neighborhoods, and raised children in circumstances very different from those of their mothers and grandmothers. Drawing on testimonies written in the periodicals devoted to St. Jude and on interviews with women who felt their lives were changed by St. Jude's intervention, Orsi shows how devotion to St. Jude enabled these women to negotiate their way amid the conflicting expectations of their two cultures--American and Catholic.

Legend has it that St. Jude was born into a Jewish family in Paneas, a town in the Galilee portion of ancient Palestine, the same region that Jesus grew up in. He probably spoke Greek and Aramaic, like many of his contemporaries in that area, and he was a farmer (as many of his family were) by trade. Jude was described by St. Matthew (13:55) as being one of the "brethren" of Jesus, probably meaning a cousin since the Hebrew word for "brethren" indicates a blood relationship. His mother, Mary, was referred to as a cousin of Jesus' mother Mary, while his father, Cleophas, was the brother of St. Joseph. Jude had several brothers, including St. James, who was another of the original Apostles. His own first name, "Jude", means giver of joy, while "Thaddeus", another name he was called, means generous and kind.In the Middle Ages, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (France) was a renowned devotee of St. Jude, as was St. Bridget of Sweden who, in a vision, was encouraged by Jesus to turn to St. Jude with faith and confidence. He told her that, in accordance with Jude's surname, Thaddeus (which means generous, courageous, and kind), "he will show himself to be the most willing to give you help." Devotion to St. Jude began again in earnest in the 1800's, starting in Italy and Spain, spreading to South America, and finally to the U.S. (originally in the Chicago area) in the 1920's. Novena prayers to St. Jude helped people, especially newly-arrived immigrants from Europe, deal with the pressures caused by the Great Depression, Second World War, and the changing workplace and family life. Why has devotion to St. Jude continued to grow to the present day?In spite of (or possibly because of) all the advances human society has made, human beings find themselves under incredible stress and have difficulty coping at one time or another. Increasingly, people are finding that technology and other man-made innovations are unable to provide comfort and hope when it is truly needed, so millions of people around the world turn to St. Jude when they feel the most helpless and alone. St. Jude has proven to be a true friend and a beacon of hope to those who call on him--always willing to help and seek help no matter how desperate the need. And in today's tumultuous times, we need him more than ever. We celebrate his feast day on October 28.

In 1989, when fifteen-year-old Jude's mother wins a Fulbright fellowship to study art in Czechoslovakia, the family postpones a planned move to Utah to join her, but the political situation and the move itself are too much for Jude, who is overwhelmed by a previously undiagnosed psychological disorder.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

Judi, born Judith Diane Gunderson to Phillip and Shirley Gunderson in Corona, California, March 25th, 1952 is a first time author, writes a lot of small stories and keeps other journals. She resides in Corona with her husband Chris of 40 years, her dog Andy of one year and her cat Mollysue of ten years. She is Acolyte coordinator, sings with the choir and plays hand bells at the Corona United Methodist Church where she has been going since she was registered there on the 'Cradle Roll" She loves train travel.

St Jude's is the remarkable story of an Australian girl from the bush who's busy transforming the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of African children. Her name is Gemma Sisia, and she runs a school in Tanzania called The School of St Jude. Gemma's idea is simple. Her school is for the very poorest kids, the ones whose families can't afford the clothes or books or even pencils to send their children to the supposedly "free" government schools. These are the children of illiterate parents, whose destiny is to remain trapped in a cycle of poor education, illiteracy and poverty. Her slogan is "fighting poverty through education".Gemma started St Jude's (named after the patron saint of hopeless causes) in 2002 with an 18-year-old volunteer teacher from Sydney, three kids and her own boundless energy. From those humble beginnings, the school now has over 850 students, and one of the best academic records in the country. There are plans for a second campus, and a long term aim of reproducing the hugely successful formula across Tanzania and East Africa. St Jude's is an astonishing success for kids who would otherwise have no hope and no future. This is a truly amazing story about how the determination of one person can help change the world.