{"product_id":"parish-the-thought-john-bernard-ruane-9781416589495","title":"Parish the Thought: An Inspirational Memoir of Growing Up Catholic in the 1960s","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn a warm and affectionate narrative that \"transports readers back to a time before cable television, cell phones, and the Internet\" (\u003ci\u003eAtlanta Journal-Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e), John Bernard Ruane paints a marvelous portrait of his Irish-Catholic boyhood on the southwest side of Chicago in the 1960s.\u003c\/b\u003e Capturing all the details that perfectly evoke those bygone days for Catholics and baby boomers everywhere, Ruane recounts his formative years donning the navy-and-plaid school uniform of St. Bede's: the priests and nuns; bullies, best friends, and first loves; and most memorable teachers -- including the miniskirted blonde who inspired lust among the fifth-grade boys but was fired for protesting the Vietnam War. Here are stories from the heart of his hardworking, blue-collar family: the good times and bad; sibling rivalries; summers by the lake; delivering newspapers in the frigid Chicago winter; the fire that destroyed the family home; and the loss of their beloved mother to cancer. And here are priceless accounts of Ruane's days as an altar boy: from an embarrassing bell-ringing mishap, to serving a strict pastor who built a magnificent church but couldn't inspire Christian spirit, to the Heaven-sent guitar-playing priest who turned worship around for a generation of youth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Bernard Ruane\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 141658949X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781416589495\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Gallery Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/07\/2008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.77lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.16h x 6.32w x 0.73d","brand":"John Bernard Ruane","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43934740611327,"sku":"9781416589495","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_17da4b80-6844-4b78-b024-292b0bdb12e8.jpg?v=1681415783","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/parish-the-thought-john-bernard-ruane-9781416589495","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}