Bibliographical Information Book Review Example

Book review of Robert Orsi's "Thank you, St. Jude"

Orsi, Robert A. Thank you, St. Jude: Women's devotion to the patron saint of hopeless causes. Yale University Press, 1998.
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Robert Orsi’s book, Thank you, St. Jude, takes us through the journey of women in the early 19’s as they struggled with the need to be identified and recognized. One of the ways that women find fulfillment is through devotion. However, in many instances, the things they devote themselves to may be temporal and likely to fade away and therefore leaving them hopeless and helpless. Being devoted to a supernatural being like St. Jude was one of the ways that such women found fulfillment and satisfaction. Robert looks at the various aspects of the cult and how the devotion of such women played a role in not only transforming their lives but also the lives of those that were around them. St. Jude is a cult that gained its popularity among women in 1929 in Chicago and spread its wings to other parts of America and even the world.
The book can be classified as a religious history book considering the fact that it gets most of its materials from historical facts and figures. Through the book, Robert aims at unveiling historical events that impacted on the lives of women in America. Robert takes us through the history of immigrants to America who were held in between their catholic religious believes and their identity as Americans. St. Jude served as a perfect bridging plan that will make the women feel American as well as still devoting to their religious believes. The bridging happened in that it made women from different backgrounds to be united in one course. It was also written at a time when discrimination against women was rampart. Women were looked at as insignificant parties, yet they were endowed with the responsibility of taking care of their homes. Unity through St. Jude gave such women an identity to heal their depression as they devoted to service.
America is a great country with a rich history, yet some of the most significant history makers are ignored as attention is drawn to politicians. The author of the book intents to unveil some of the history makers of the American society, by looking at it in the spiritual eyes. History has been looked at by many authors in terms of politics and some other prominent members of the society that contributed to its makers. The story of religion and women is neglected in such historical facts, yet they played an equally important role in building the current America. It should be noted that such movements as St. Jude contributed much in uniting women and even helping them know their worth and identity. In a country where racial segregation and discrimination was rampart, Robert looks at a group of women who used religion to break such barriers. These are women who understood the importance of staying together for the purpose of fulfilling certain goals.
Robert analyses the aspects of St. Jude and how the unity and devotion that the women had was not just confided to a particular place and time but also went beyond. Roberts appears to have been touched by how the women, though not very rich, recognized the significance they could play in other people’s lives. St. Jude brought together women with a need within them. I need to find meaning and purpose in life. Having found a place where they could put their hope, the women went an extra mile and reached out to other women who were depressed and ministered to them. It is the unity, love and devotion that such women had that is the central subject and focus of the book. Women could find a place where they were valued because of who they were rather than their cultural backgrounds and economic capability. Such a move led to the transformation of many women who were able to achieve more. Even though the religion has become less vital in the modern American society, it can be refereed to as the genesis of the transformation that has happened to the American woman.
The book has been structured to reveal the message of unity and love among communities. Apart from the racism that dominates American history, Robert proves that there were a certain category of people that realized how it would ail them and chose a different path. Robert carried out interviews of different women who were devoted to St. Jude and what they felt about the movement. He pieced such materials together and came up with a conclusion of how the religion was significant to the women. Women spoke of how they were able to speak out on he issues that affected them as they realized that they were not just unique to them but was familiar with other women. As they met in the name of religion, they were also able to talk about their social and economic issues and were hence able to stir up each other. When the other world could not accommodate them, the women were able to find hope outside their ethnic cocoons. When their ethnicity could not give them answers to their issues, religion came in handy.
Among the challenges that Robert highlights that motivated the women to turn to St. Jude for help were poverty and the pains of the Second World War. Most of the women had lost their husbands and sons in the civil wars and were in desperate need for help. Life has proved difficult for such women who needed a place where they could cling on and revive their lives. Through St. Jude, many women were able to redesign their marriages as they were equipped to handle the challenges that they faced. The women realized that they did not necessarily have to do things the way their mothers and grandparents did but found new ways to counter their issues. They realized that the challenges and the environment they were encountered with was different and therefore had to look for different means to survive.
Thank you St. Jude is a special manual that Robert dedicated to the history makers that lived beyond cultural and racial ties for the benefit of others. St. Jude is a cult that has contributed to the growth and development experienced in America today. The book can be an important resource material to any person who thinks that the challenges they face are a hindrance to their growth. Through the book, we realize that a person is always surrounded by numerous opportunities to make a difference and initiate change. The environment and challenges faced change with time, and it is only important if a person redesigns life to face the challenges a fresh. What may have worked for our parents and grandparents may not necessarily work for us. We hence need to take a different path as we embrace the unique challenges that come with life.