What Catholic guy made money as an organ-grinder's assistant, spent one-on-one time with John Paul II, met a very nice Thai prostitute, and confessed his sins on a beanbag chair? Lino Rulli, of course! Lino Rulli has a style and personality not typically found in the world of religious media. In this fast and funny collection of stories from his own life, The Catholic Guy speaks honestly about his failures, successes, and embarrassing moments. His regular guy approach to Catholicism is both humble and hilarious.
Sinner
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Review
In chapters that are by turns funny, irreverent, touching, inspiring, and always honest, Sinner speaks to everyone who, as Scripture says, misses the mark--in other words, everyone. --Fr. James Martin, S.J., author, Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life
It's a bold admission to say you're a sinner. Even bolder to write about it. Sinner is a winner. --Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archdiocese of New York
Lino's book is insightful, funny, and entertaining. He may even get a sinner like me to believe! --Gary Dell'Abate, executive producer, The Howard Stern Show
It's a bold admission to say you're a sinner. Even bolder to write about it. Sinner is a winner. --Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archdiocese of New York
Lino's book is insightful, funny, and entertaining. He may even get a sinner like me to believe! --Gary Dell'Abate, executive producer, The Howard Stern Show
About the Author
LINO RULLI hosts The Catholic Guy, a three-hour show heard daily on SiriusXM Radio. A three-time Emmy winner, Lino has worked in television since 1998, earning some of its highest awards in journalism. He lives in New York City with nineteen cats and a medium-sized ferret named Mr. Jenkins.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Lino Rulli is "The Catholic Guy" of the Sirius XM Satellite Radio show of the same name. As a communications major with a graduate degree in theology, Rulli, who was born in 1971, is well known for his appeal to young adults. In fact, he won an Emmy Award for his work as executive producer and host of Generation Cross, a TV show that ran from 1998 to 2004. His natural gift for comedy is a big part of the stories he tells.
In "Sinner," his first book, Rulli writes from the perspective of one who believes everything the Church teaches but struggles to put those beliefs into practice. In addition to his ability to see humor in almost any situation, especially in his own foibles, Rulli, who is single, writes as if he has a great deal of freedom and flexibility not available to his peers who have family responsibilities.
In Chapter 7 for example, after a chance meeting with an old friend, Rulli ended up moving to Nassau, Bahamas, to teach high school religion, which sounded like a fantastic gig. He explains that he always tries to see where God might be leading him and to trust in God's plan.
The Bahamas position didn't measure up to Rulli's fantasy involving mai tais and enthralled students, but he did spend several months in a Benedictine monastery considering a vocation as a monk, which might have been closer to what God had in mind. In the end, the prior decided that Lino should not be a monk--too immature. Rejection was painful, but Rulli bounced back, finding his way to the beach where he shared a beer with a stranger who theorized that aliens led the three wise men to the nativity scene. That episode is pretty typical of The Catholic Guy's adventures and gift for storytelling. He is funny, but not in the stand-up comedian sense, which may be why his efforts to get on the writing team for Late Night with David Letterman didn't pan out.
John Paul II, Letterman, and Howard Stern are role models to The Catholic Guy. Stern and Letterman seem to be outsiders, a category Lino says fits him. His radio show, on the same network that carries Stern, is similar to that of the shock jock, involving free flowing banter among regulars and occasional guests. Unlike Stern, however, Rulli often talks about Catholic matters and avoids language and content not appropriate for a show sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In "Sinner," his first book, Rulli writes from the perspective of one who believes everything the Church teaches but struggles to put those beliefs into practice. In addition to his ability to see humor in almost any situation, especially in his own foibles, Rulli, who is single, writes as if he has a great deal of freedom and flexibility not available to his peers who have family responsibilities.
In Chapter 7 for example, after a chance meeting with an old friend, Rulli ended up moving to Nassau, Bahamas, to teach high school religion, which sounded like a fantastic gig. He explains that he always tries to see where God might be leading him and to trust in God's plan.
The Bahamas position didn't measure up to Rulli's fantasy involving mai tais and enthralled students, but he did spend several months in a Benedictine monastery considering a vocation as a monk, which might have been closer to what God had in mind. In the end, the prior decided that Lino should not be a monk--too immature. Rejection was painful, but Rulli bounced back, finding his way to the beach where he shared a beer with a stranger who theorized that aliens led the three wise men to the nativity scene. That episode is pretty typical of The Catholic Guy's adventures and gift for storytelling. He is funny, but not in the stand-up comedian sense, which may be why his efforts to get on the writing team for Late Night with David Letterman didn't pan out.
John Paul II, Letterman, and Howard Stern are role models to The Catholic Guy. Stern and Letterman seem to be outsiders, a category Lino says fits him. His radio show, on the same network that carries Stern, is similar to that of the shock jock, involving free flowing banter among regulars and occasional guests. Unlike Stern, however, Rulli often talks about Catholic matters and avoids language and content not appropriate for a show sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reconciliation, Sins of Omission in Rulli's Fascinating "Sinner"
September 23, 2011
Format:Paperback
We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong." 1 Corinthians 4:10
Disclaimers first. Yours truly has for the last 2 1/2 years listened to "The Catholic Guy," the popular Catholic comedy/talk show Lino Rulli hosts on Sirius/XM satellite radio. I've also tried volleying snark for snark on his Facebook page. (He campaigned there today for more reviews on this book. OK Lino, you asked for it...)
Rulli delivers reverent faith with irreverent humor. This was a godsend to Catholics under 50 tired of their faith talked down by mainstream media, and of being talked down to by strident Catholic media. His approach was rewarded with journalism honors, high profile speeches worldwide, and arguably today's highest-rated, highest-profile Catholic show.
"Sinner" is Rulli's light, episodic memoir: 180 pages, 26 chapters of 6-8 pages each. It's not chronological, its timeline covering early youth ("Monkey Boy," "Brace Yourself") to his starting on "Catholic Guy" in 2006. Despite its title, it's not quite about sin though Lino shares how he gave into ("Robert Johnson," "The Wrestler") and resisted it ("Thai Temptation," the touching "Mrs. Lino Rulli"). The book is more about reconciliation: not only the sacrament (to which Lino devotes three chapters including a humorous how-to guide) but reconciling his personality and modern sensibility to his belief and purpose in the Catholic Church. It's a book about breaking the conventions, yet keeping the Commandments.
Chapters of "Sinner" describe Rulli's influences. You read of David Letterman and Howard Stern's acerbic humor ("They didn't seem to fit in either, and the less they fit the more they rebelled.") and even alt-rock popular with skateboarders ("Big & Tall" links Lino to his favorite band Foo Fighters.) Other chapters describe his devotion to his parents ("Mom") and affection for close friends ("Goob"). But he above all and throughout shows his love for his Catholic faith. ("I sincerely accept and believe everything the Catholic Church teaches." "The fight I'll keep fighting, even though I keep sinning, is the fight for heaven.")
Other than Christ himself, Pope John Paul II stands as Lino's strongest influence. He devotes "The Pope and I" and part of "Theology of the Italian Body" to who he affectionately/ arrogantly calls "my pope." Lino's rise in Catholic media parallels John Paul II's call for new evangelization "with unswerving fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church, (yet which) will also reflect the different faces of the cultures and peoples in which it is received and takes root."
But here "Sinner" weakens by not articulating a key struggle in that evangelization. "Golden Idols" ends "Sinner" powerfully as Lino's TV show "Generation Cross' wins an coveted Emmy ("I wanted to prove to myself, and to others, that I could compete with-and beat-mainstream broadcasters." But a previous chapter set later in his life describes his radio show "Lino At Large" cancelled because his target young adult audience clashed with older Catholics who contributed more money. Rulli could have devoted a chapter or whole book to the short-sighted hypocrisy behind this decision, and expressed why his style would win more young people to Christ. But he only writes "I guess I hadn't realized how much it meant for me to work in Catholic radio and how badly I wanted it to succeed." You won't realize either, because he skirts what he wanted his type of Catholic radio to say (let alone say anything about the ongoing "Catholic Guy" show.)
You leave feeling Lino fought the wrong battle. It wasn't about showing mainstream TV "religious television that didn't s--k." but showing Catholic media it could leverage modern production and edgy humor to achieve its mission. Lino could have said more (sinned more?) given license a publishing house called "Servant Press" would not likely give him.
"Sinner" at times echoes Thomas Merton's "Seven Storey Mountain" written with the humorous tone of David Sedaris ("Me Talk Pretty One Day"). Like the mystic Merton, Lino traveled the world dabbling in education, arts, and media. Like Merton, he considered monasticism before choosing the even more isolated broadcast booth. Like Sedaris, Lino writes with humor and panache to make his Catholic ministry style seem natural, even mundane, as Sedaris's stories of his dysfunctional family and significant other, Hugh. "Sinner" is a fascinating, frustrating look at one reluctant Catholic hero's journey living and proclaiming Jesus in ways not everyone accepts.
Disclaimers first. Yours truly has for the last 2 1/2 years listened to "The Catholic Guy," the popular Catholic comedy/talk show Lino Rulli hosts on Sirius/XM satellite radio. I've also tried volleying snark for snark on his Facebook page. (He campaigned there today for more reviews on this book. OK Lino, you asked for it...)
Rulli delivers reverent faith with irreverent humor. This was a godsend to Catholics under 50 tired of their faith talked down by mainstream media, and of being talked down to by strident Catholic media. His approach was rewarded with journalism honors, high profile speeches worldwide, and arguably today's highest-rated, highest-profile Catholic show.
"Sinner" is Rulli's light, episodic memoir: 180 pages, 26 chapters of 6-8 pages each. It's not chronological, its timeline covering early youth ("Monkey Boy," "Brace Yourself") to his starting on "Catholic Guy" in 2006. Despite its title, it's not quite about sin though Lino shares how he gave into ("Robert Johnson," "The Wrestler") and resisted it ("Thai Temptation," the touching "Mrs. Lino Rulli"). The book is more about reconciliation: not only the sacrament (to which Lino devotes three chapters including a humorous how-to guide) but reconciling his personality and modern sensibility to his belief and purpose in the Catholic Church. It's a book about breaking the conventions, yet keeping the Commandments.
Chapters of "Sinner" describe Rulli's influences. You read of David Letterman and Howard Stern's acerbic humor ("They didn't seem to fit in either, and the less they fit the more they rebelled.") and even alt-rock popular with skateboarders ("Big & Tall" links Lino to his favorite band Foo Fighters.) Other chapters describe his devotion to his parents ("Mom") and affection for close friends ("Goob"). But he above all and throughout shows his love for his Catholic faith. ("I sincerely accept and believe everything the Catholic Church teaches." "The fight I'll keep fighting, even though I keep sinning, is the fight for heaven.")
Other than Christ himself, Pope John Paul II stands as Lino's strongest influence. He devotes "The Pope and I" and part of "Theology of the Italian Body" to who he affectionately/ arrogantly calls "my pope." Lino's rise in Catholic media parallels John Paul II's call for new evangelization "with unswerving fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church, (yet which) will also reflect the different faces of the cultures and peoples in which it is received and takes root."
But here "Sinner" weakens by not articulating a key struggle in that evangelization. "Golden Idols" ends "Sinner" powerfully as Lino's TV show "Generation Cross' wins an coveted Emmy ("I wanted to prove to myself, and to others, that I could compete with-and beat-mainstream broadcasters." But a previous chapter set later in his life describes his radio show "Lino At Large" cancelled because his target young adult audience clashed with older Catholics who contributed more money. Rulli could have devoted a chapter or whole book to the short-sighted hypocrisy behind this decision, and expressed why his style would win more young people to Christ. But he only writes "I guess I hadn't realized how much it meant for me to work in Catholic radio and how badly I wanted it to succeed." You won't realize either, because he skirts what he wanted his type of Catholic radio to say (let alone say anything about the ongoing "Catholic Guy" show.)
You leave feeling Lino fought the wrong battle. It wasn't about showing mainstream TV "religious television that didn't s--k." but showing Catholic media it could leverage modern production and edgy humor to achieve its mission. Lino could have said more (sinned more?) given license a publishing house called "Servant Press" would not likely give him.
"Sinner" at times echoes Thomas Merton's "Seven Storey Mountain" written with the humorous tone of David Sedaris ("Me Talk Pretty One Day"). Like the mystic Merton, Lino traveled the world dabbling in education, arts, and media. Like Merton, he considered monasticism before choosing the even more isolated broadcast booth. Like Sedaris, Lino writes with humor and panache to make his Catholic ministry style seem natural, even mundane, as Sedaris's stories of his dysfunctional family and significant other, Hugh. "Sinner" is a fascinating, frustrating look at one reluctant Catholic hero's journey living and proclaiming Jesus in ways not everyone accepts.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What if St. Augustine and Jerry Seinfeld joined forces to write a spiritual memoir? The result would probably come close to "Sinner: The Catholic Guy's Funny, Feeble Attempts to Be a Faithful Catholic", a new book by Catholic radio host Lino Rulli.
With endorsements from such divergent characters as Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Howard Stern, Sinner is not your typical religious book--"The Confessions of St. Augustine it is not," Dolan concurs. It is, however, an authentic look at the real joys and struggles of a modern young Catholic.
Lino describes growing up as an organ grinder assistant, spending one-on-one time with Pope John Paul II, falling head-over-heals for a mysterious girl in Petra, and time and again having awkward experiences during Confession.
"Sinner" is the perfect weekend read as it's both light and breezy--and it had me laughing out loud many times. There's not a lot of spiritual substance, but the small nuggets scattered throughout are raw and honest and they come from the heart. This would be a great book to pass on to high-schoolers, college-students, young adults, and anyone searching for authentic faith.
With endorsements from such divergent characters as Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Howard Stern, Sinner is not your typical religious book--"The Confessions of St. Augustine it is not," Dolan concurs. It is, however, an authentic look at the real joys and struggles of a modern young Catholic.
Lino describes growing up as an organ grinder assistant, spending one-on-one time with Pope John Paul II, falling head-over-heals for a mysterious girl in Petra, and time and again having awkward experiences during Confession.
"Sinner" is the perfect weekend read as it's both light and breezy--and it had me laughing out loud many times. There's not a lot of spiritual substance, but the small nuggets scattered throughout are raw and honest and they come from the heart. This would be a great book to pass on to high-schoolers, college-students, young adults, and anyone searching for authentic faith.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
HELLO ! It was Fantastic !
Awesome book! lino cracks me up!
Its nice to read a book about someones journey towards faith that is real and inspiring, and at the same time is entertaining!
Its nice to read a book about someones journey towards faith that is real and inspiring, and at the same time is entertaining!
Published 14 days ago by Lauire Gerber
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh out loud!
I first heard Lino Rulli on XM radio as The Catholic Guy. This book did not disappoint! I would describe it more as a collection of short stories or essays - not a book with a... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Meredith D. Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Read
If you listen to Leno Rulli's show The Catholic Guy on XM Radio or even if you don't, you will find this book to be a quick and entertaining read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Philip Candela
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very funny and inspiring.
Enjoy Lino on Sirius and he brings that humor and inspiration to this book. I'm going to share this with my girls.
Published 1 month ago by Tracy Naylor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book
As a lifetime Catholic and sinner with a sense of humor I appreciated this book. Great job Lino :) A fun and honest book
Published 2 months ago by Lauriekicks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book from our future Pontiff
Lino is as good a writer as he is a host on the Catholic Guy show on Sirius/XM. Badger hater!
Published 2 months ago by Paul Czarnik
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read, funny at times
Love Lino on the "Catholic Guy" & this book is pretty much a continuation of his show. Funny at times with some interesting insight into our beautiful faith. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cari L. Sewell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it
Lino, I loved this book, I could not put it down once I started reading it. I am going to read it again now during lent. Nice to know we sinners are not alone. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. White
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's great
A laugh out loud, enjoyable book that taught me things about the Faith. I really loved reading this great book.
Published 3 months ago by A fellow sinner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sinner:The Catholic Guy's Funny, Feeble Attempts to Be a Faithful...
I really enjoyed the book. It made me laugh, smile, and think. Anyone, especially Catholics , on a spiritual journey would find this book a good place to start. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jennifer Clawson
