Born in Victoria, Fr John Wallis (1910-2001), Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Hobart, founded the Australian Religious Order, the Missionary Sisters of Service, in Tasmania, in 1944. The Sisters were to be available to go into the highways and byways; and flexible to meet the pastoral needs of isolated communities throughout Australia. This series of letters to John's parents and family gives us a rare and precious insight into his life as a seminarian and young priest. They also reflect a growing development of his piety and spiritualty, where seeds were sown that would develop into his deep concern for people, especially the poor and the marginalised in rural and outback areas of Australia, and for ways to meet their pastoral and social needs. The letters have been arranged in ten chapters, with a general introduction about that period in John's life. Each letter itself has a commentary that contextualises the letter, providing biographical and other details that make the entire series come to life, tracing his experiences, development, misgivings and plans. They anticipate his enthusiasm for the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council and played such a part in his priestly ministry. The series of letters in each chapter close with insightful reflections from eminent Australians who consider John's character and spiritual growth as well as applying his insights into contemporary Church life in Australia. 'Bernadette Wallis has provided the contemporary reader with a lovingly familiar insight into the development and vision of one of Australia's great pioneer priests...' Fr Frank Brennan SJ

All Groan Up: Searching for Self, Faith, and A Freaking Job! is the story of the GenY/Millennial generation told through the individual story of author Paul Angone. It’s a story of struggle, hope, failure, and doubts in the twilight zone of growing up and being grown, connecting with his twentysomething post-college audience with raw honesty, humor, and hope.

"A man's relationship with his father: every boy, every man lucky enough to have a father in his life has to figure that out. My own father? I thought I knew him- even though he seldom talked about himself. And what I knew I hated - really, really hated. Cold, ill-tempered, thin-skinned, my father always seemed on the brink of erupting. Scared to death of him, I kept telling myself to find the courage to 'stand up to him.' When I was fifteen, I did. We did not speak to each other for ten years. And then we did- for eight hours. 'Dear Father, Dear Son' takes a journey of American history through the eyes of a father- from his dirt-poor Jim Crow Southern childhood, to the segregated Marine Corps of World War II, to a janitor turned California business man. Hard memories. One man discovered a son he never really knew. And the son found a man, a friend, a father who had really been there all along."--p.[4] of dust jacket.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Soon to be a Hulu Original series • The internationally acclaimed author of Wild collects the best of The Rumpus's Dear Sugar advice columns plus never-before-published pieces. Rich with humor and insight—and absolute honesty—this "wise and compassionate" (New York Times Book Review) book is a balm for everything life throws our way. Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.

Samantha Slayton's eleventh year includes losing her last baby teeth, towering over every boy in dance school, and being mortified by everything her mother does.

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.

Who was your father? Was he your best friend, a stranger, or not in your life at all? In this book, you will read heartfelt letters from sons and daughters to their Fathers, whether deceased or still living. The thread that runs through this book is beautiful honesty. Vivid glances into people's lives appear in this book. All with a message: How we have been shaped has been largely the doing of Life; who we are and how we have responded is our decision. I invite you to journey with our many contributing writers from around the world.