Father Joe

April 5, 2004
When he was 14, Hendra had an affair with a married woman. One afternoon, her husband, a devout Roman Catholic, discovered the two in each other's arms. The husband, acting more out of concern for Hendra's soul than out of anger, arranged for the teenager to spend several weeks under the tutelage of Father Joe at a Benedictine abbey in England. Expecting cruel treatment similar to that handed out by the monks in his Catholic elementary school, Hendra was surprised to meet instead a rotund, knobby-kneed confessor whose thoughtful, open manner changed Hendra's life forever. As Hendra reveals in this graceful, humorous tale, Father Joe acted not only as a confessor, but also as a friend and as the guiding spirit of Hendra's life (the author is now married with three children). Under the influence of Father Joe, Hendra passionately decided to follow the monastic life. At every turn, he met Father Joe's gentle insistence that he wasn't yet ready to enter the monastery. At Cambridge, Hendra discovered a new passion—comedy—and pursued it as ardently as he'd pursued religion. Hendra writes well (he spent several years as the head writer at National Lampoon
), chronicling the failure of his first marriage, his descent into substance abuse, his self-hatred and his incessant search for meaning in compelling prose and with clear-eyed honesty. Throughout Hendra's life, Father Joe stands by his side, like a gentle shepherd leading a lost sheep back to a place where it can graze safely. Agent, Jonathan Lazear. (On sale May 18)

Forecast:
Although the book's titular character is a Benedictine monk, this memoir isn't necessarily bound for religion bookshelves. Advance praise from Frank McCourt and Hendra's reputation as a humorist should widen its appeal considerably.

November 1, 2004
Adult/High School-Hendra is probably best known as the original editor of Spy and National Lampoon. This is a loving memoir of his relationship with the priest who greatly influenced his life. At the age of 14, Tony's affair with an older woman was discovered by her husband. Concerned over the teen's moral upbringing, the man took him to Quarr, a Benedictine monastery on the Isle of Wight, where he met Father Joseph Warrilow. He returned to the monastery many times, hoping to join the order and bask in Father Joe's wisdom. Rather than encourage Hendra's misguided aspirations, the priest urged him to go to college. At Cambridge, the author joined an improvisation group and found his true calling. He married his pregnant girlfriend, moved to the U.S., and became a successful satirist, hobnobbing with the likes of John Cleese, Chevy Chase, and John Belushi. Periodically, he returned to Quarr for Father Joe's loving, nonjudgmental, and endearing advice. When his second marriage crumbled, the author went back to the monastery to fulfill the desire of his teenage years and at last become a monk. Father Joe once again steered him away from the spiritual life, and back to his family. This is a wonderful tribute to a truly holy man. Well written and compelling, this book is hard to put down. Readers will relate to Hendra's bad decisions and envy his relationship with Father Joe, whose quiet influence always seemed to make things right.-Pat Bender, The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, PA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2004
British humorist Hendra's delightful memoir chronicles his lifelong relationship with a Benedictine monk. Sent to an isolated monastery for some much-needed discipline after being caught in a schoolboy dalliance with a neighbor's wife, irrepressible 14-year-old Tony first encounters gentle Father Joe, the man destined to be his long-term personal mentor and spiritual guide. Kind, humble, and nonjudgmental, Father Joe quickly becomes Hendra's "still center, a lighthouse of faith through the oceanic fogs of success and money and celebrity and possessions." Through Hendra's formative years at Cambridge, his stint as head writer at" National Lampoon, "his struggles with substance abuse, his failed first marriage, and his failures and successes as a father, Father Joe remains the ballast that calms his restless spirit and saveshis soul. This hilarious and heartfelt biographical tribute to the power of friendship and faith will have wide audience appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)