Customer Reviews

No Turning Back A Witness to Mercy

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My name is Donald Calloway, and I'm in the book. I'm in the book because I'm Father Calloway's adoptive father who just happens to share Father's first name, and not by accident either, I believe. Even though I've known Fr. Calloway since he was 8 years old, I can honestly tell you there are things in the book that were surprising even to me. Oh yes, his mother and I knew he was having trouble coping with a lot of things, things like our family's frequent moves and his changes in schools, given that Fr. Calloway is the son of a retired military officer; but, we really didn't have a sense of the depth of his waywardness. I can assure you all of the things you will read about in this book are factual. And, I should know because I lived it. As for my experience reading Father's book, I will tell you it was an absolute page-turner from beginning to end. I simply couldn't put it down. Father keeps the reader in suspense from chapter to chapter, wondering just what will happen next. From a spiritual perspective, Father Calloway's book is certainly going to save many souls for Jesus Christ. If you have a son or a daughter who is experimenting with many of the evils of this secular world we live in, or they're already caught up in these things and need help, this book can be your answer. You'll just have to read the book to understand the how and the why. I recommend that you buy a copy of Fr. Calloway's book and hide it under their pillow, or put it in their school backpack or in their car. You'll understand that too when you read the book. If this book teaches you nothing else, it should prove to you that no child is a throw-away child, that is, a child whose parents and society have given up on them, because there is always hope and there is always mercy, God's divine mercy. Father Calloway's life was transformed through the infinite mercy of his loving heavenly Father, through his Son and His immaculate mother, Mary, who is the Mediatrix of all graces. May God bless you through Father Calloway's compelling conversion story.

Warfare - spiritual combat on full display - in one of the most striking personal narratives of our age. Because so many themes emerge in this story, they are more clearly grasped by topic: courage and tragedy, adventure and mishaps, drift and decisive action, surrender and triumph. Father Donald Calloway's conversion from rebellious teen to Catholic Priest speaks to the heart in a style reminiscent of the great epic heroes of a past age, an age of Knights and Chivalry who pledge their lives to defend the honor of their Lady.

It is a sad fact that many of us rebel as teens, turning away from God in pursuit of one's identity. The world with its MTV culture is all too willing to offer a fix for the itch of adolescence - drugs, the Grateful Dead, and promiscuity. There are occasions when the "normal" teenage rebellion amplifies into a self-wounding journey into darkness and despair. This fascinating and daring spiritual biography should be required reading for parents, teachers, and all teenagers because in its pages one finds a reflection of those interior struggles so prominent in our culture today. The glamour of hedonism, the lie of atheism, and rampant self-absorption collide with the saving truth of the Holy Gospel through the mediation of the Great Mother of God Mary Most Holy. The message of Divine Mercy soaks each page as the spiritual battle unfolds.

Catholics will discover a lasting treasure of conversion and redemption through Father Calloway's riveting prose and a resource for evangelization and outreach to those who may be trapped in the damp chill of sin.

Above all, this is a story of heroic love that conquers the heart.

Bravo, Father Calloway, bravo!!!

I loved this book from start to finish, including the great cover shot. It's well written and down to earth so it has the ability to draw the reader into every scene.
Fr. Calloway's story gives people hope, especially those who have relatives who are lukewarm or fallen away.
It's great to see a priest be a real man. I was happy to see the link that takes you to his website for information about his upcoming speaking events and more. [...]

Whoever thinks any sinner is a lost cause, think again. This book exemplifies that there is no one outside the reach of God's infinite and divine mercy! I couldn't not put this book down; it was a page turner! Even though I was familiar with Fr. Don's story, I was riveted by the details of his past life and how with God's grace he escaped the darkness.

If you know of any parent or spouse in desperation for a loved one who's strayed or never had any faith at all, give them this book! This will be a source of hope for mothers like Fr. Don's to keep praying like St. Monica for St. Augustine!

Father Donald Calloway's conversion story, No Turning Back, witnesses first-hand both the besieging, degrading influence of Late Western culture, and, more significantly, the grace that forges even such demonic darts into a sword sharpened in the hands of the Lord.

To be sure, Father Don does not lay blame at the feet of the "devil-made-me-do-it" defense and abdicate his responsibility:

"Some may find ... my life story to be almost unbelievable ... That's why whenever I do a speaking engagement, I always bring along a photograph of myself--a picture of what I looked like when I was in my late teens ... so people can visualize what an animal I was before my conversion." (No Turning Back 9)

Indeed, Father Don's life story covers teenage wasteland across continents and oceans. From being forcibly deported in handcuffs out of Japan to being arrested for theft in New Orleans to nearly burning down his neighborhood in Southern California, Father Don's account never misses sight of the ancient Catholic teaching of original sin--hamartia--missing the mark of what God intends for us. In young Father Don's attempts to be god-on-his-own-terms in the cultural miasma of the 1970s into the 1990s, his drug use, alcohol abuse, and grand-larceny theft reduce him to the aptly titled first section of the book--Animal.

Like Saint Augustine's Confessions, No Turning Back aims a steady gaze on just how far we can plunge into the void--and just how deeply God's grace can reach:

"For those of you who can identify with this type of behavior, my experience proves that there is always hope, even for the worst of the worst. You see this is not just my story--this is important to emphasize--it's also a story bound up with God's faithful people." (No Turning Back 10)

"Come again?" the reader might ask. "Just how are any of us bound up in such depravity?"

"I am "Exhibit A"--evidence that when people pray, even for people they don't know--miracles can happen. Divine Mercy is for real!" (No Turning Back 11)

However, No Turning Back is not a mere confirmation of "praying for sinners"--an attitude that can make us self-righteously ignore our own need for Divine Mercy, like the Pharisee scowling at the publican in Luke 18:9-14. Rather, in its account of the extremes of the young Father Don's life, No Turning Back takes us to the extremity of our very selves and shows that we are all sinners, who, even in the midst of our sinning experience Divine Mercy:

"Society and television had so brainwashed me--communicating a message that God was not merciful ... But I was comforted by the thought of Mary. It would be through the call of a mother, His mother saying, "'I know. It's okay. That is why I have come--because He ... knows you are very wounded and have a completely wrong understanding of Him. Thus he has sent me to you to prepare you.'" (No Turning Back 160)

All of us are called by God. Father Don's harrowing and miraculous conversion (you simply have to read it for yourself) shows that God comes to us through His mother, Mary. As Saint Louis de Montfort notes, just as God began His miracles by Mary, He will continue them to the end of the ages by Mary.

No Turning Back shows that we are those miracles at the end of ages. Right now. You, me, Father Don, and so many, many others.

Read this book. Treasure Father Don's story. When you are finished, go, like Father Don does now, to the ends of the earth (or the end of your street) and be a living example of Divine Mercy.

I would highly recommend this book to all readers, Christian and Non-Christian.
Fr. Calloway tells his amazing story in an easy to read, interesting and humorous manner.
The book is well-written and the photographs are a most welcome addition to the story.
As a mother of four sons, I readily identified with Fr. Calloway's description of his
"St. Monica", his mother, who prayed constantly for him and accepted this prodigal son back into her arms
again and again {even when he was covered with raw sewage)!
Dr. Scott Hahn is correct when he said this story should be made into a movie.
It is heartwarming and inspiring. It reminded me of the old gospel tune "I have decided to follow
Jesus, no turning back..." Awesome! This would be especially beneficial to teens and young adults,
but interesting to all ages. God bless you, Fr. Calloway, and thank you Amazon.
Nancy Corcoran
1119 S. Mission
Fallbrook, CA 92028

If you don't believe in miracles you need to read this book! If you think one of you kids or grand kids is a hopeless case you will change your mind after reading this book. Father Donald is living proof that Our Lord is a God of miracles. With an earthly mother as persistent as St. Monica and a heavenly Mother whose love knows no limits this kid really didn't have much of chance escaping God's infinite and DIVINE MERCY. His conversion is just as dramatic as St. Augustine's, but it takes place now so that God can prove to you that it is not too late for your wayward child. Persist in your love and persist in your prayers and expect a miracle!

I started reading this book as soon as it arrived in the mail and couldn't put it down! I guarantee you that your teenager won't find this book boring or preachy, but just amazing!

I was familiar with Father Calloway's story from his video testimony and was eagerly anticipating this book. Father is totally honest about his life and the extra details in the book enhanced the story. It's a great read and includes color photographs that support his testimony. Father and his mother reminded me so much of St. Monica and St. Augustine. The wild, young, pagan man and his holy, suffering mother are present in this book. The mother's prayers and tears are answered as her son shed his own tears and opened his heart to a conversion he swore he didn't want. It's a beautifully written book, one that will bring hope to everyone who reads it. No sin is greater than God's Divine Mercy. Father Donald proves that. Every great man has a great woman in his life. Father Donald proves that as well with his own mother and his Blessed Mother who never let go of her wayward son. Take some time to get know Father Calloway and open your own heart to God's mercy. You'll be amazed at what God can do.

As a professed brother in Fr. Donald Calloway's religious order, the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, I have come to know Fr. Donald as a man of integrity, great zeal and deep faith. It was partly because of his conversion story that I decided to join the Marians. Reading his new book has about his life has helped me develop a greater respect for Fr. Donald as a brother and as a man of God. Thank you, Fr. Don, for sharing your story and for giving others hope in Jesus Christ, the Divine Mercy. My favorite part from the book is when Fr. Don's mom tells him that she always saw the good in him. That's the way God is with us. No matter how far away we are from him, God always sees the good in us and waits for us to come back to him. That is what the Divine Mercy is all about since God's mercy is bigger than all our sins.

God bless,
Br. Angelo Casimiro, M.I.C.

I just started reading this book and it's great! I had to wait to read it because my husband just wouldn't put it down. We're talking about a guy who usually only reads in the bathroom! haha I bought it for myself and couldn't wait to read it. I'm usually the bookworm while my hubby is the pc guy. I couldn't believe it when he just sat there on the couch turning pages for hours! This would be a great gift. Sometimes I'm not sure how my friends and relatives will take it if I offer them a religious book, but after watching him just eat it up I think it would peak the interest of the most jaded person! Praise the Lord for Father Don and his story!