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The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II--The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy Paperback – November 1, 2011

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George Weigel (Author)
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George Weigel (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 32 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Image (November 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385524803
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385524803
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.4 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsA Solid Biography that is Almost as Good as "Witness to Hope"
By Kevin M. Derby VINE VOICE on September 19, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Writers often disappoint when they return to address topics they have covered in the past. Nobody for example thinks that "The Dangerous Summer" is anywhere nearly as good as the other works Hemingway wrote on Spain. George Weigel's "Witness to Hope" was a wonderful and insightful biography of John Paul II. Now, a decade after that book, Weigel returns to cover the pope's last years and the legacy in "The End and the Beginning."

Drawing on newly opened archives pertaining to the intelligence departments of Communist countries, Weigel is able to offer great insight into their attempts to malign the Church in general and John Paul II in particular. Weigel also offers an unforgettable portrait of the last years of John Paul. Readers will find parts of it moving, especially as Weigel offers a poignant take on the pope's declining health. As he had in "Witness to Hope," Weigel is able to provide insight on John Paul as he understands the turbulent history of Poland in the 20th century which is essential to understanding the late Holy Father.

Weigel offers a very weak take on an issue that he differed from both John Paul II and Benedict XVI on--American intervention in Iraq. Weigel seems content to offer snide comments on the Holy See's opposition to the Iraq War such as "uncoordinated (and sometimes unintelligible)." He also whitewashes parts of it. For example, Weigel does not bring up his fellow Catholic neoconservative Michael Novak who tried to put American intervention in Iraq in Catholic terms--only to be swatted down by the Vatican when he went to Rome. All Weigel can do is offer a lame extended quote from Italian journalist Sandro Magister that John Paul II was not condemning the war constantly or calling it un-Christian. This will not do.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsPage turner!
By Parochus on September 29, 2010
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Without a doubt, Weigel had to finish what he had started with "Witness to Hope"; he promised the Holy Father that he would. But this book is not merely the continuation of a narrative. Fascinatingly enough, Weigel was able to obtain access to information detailing precise information about the how Communist authorities attempted to infiltrate, influence and corrupt the work of John Paul II in his mission to bring freedom to Poland, and ultimately to much of the Eastern bloc. They key word here is "attempted." More than a biography, I think this book qualifies as a "page turner." Truth is much more exciting than fiction. That's what JPII believed (I love that he used to annotate things "JPII"), and that's what this book delivers.
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5.0 out of 5 starsMasterful Conclusion to the Story of John Paul II's Life & Work
By Dionysius on October 5, 2010
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
When Weigel published "Witness to Hope" in 1999, six very productive years still remained in John Paul's pontificate, and now five years after John Paul's death, that story has finally been told in full. But more than that, the opening of secret archives which reveal the extent of the Polish Communist regime's fear and loathing both of the Catholic Church and of Karol Wojtyla allows Weigel to explore previously unknown territory and to explain more fully John Paul's place in history, both as a foe of the poisonous ideology of Communism and as the greatest evangelist of the Christian Gospel in many centuries. And more to point, with a deft combination of the disciplines of history, theology, political philosophy, and biography, Weigel explains that it was precisely Wojtyla's faith in the Lord Jesus and his skill as an evangelist that made him such a deadly foe to Communism. Anyone who wants to understand either the present shape of Catholic Christianity or the end game of the deadly ideological conflicts of the 20th century should read this book deeply.
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5.0 out of 5 starsI strobgly disagree with criticism
By Michal Jastrzebski on January 9, 2011
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I was originally reluctant to get this book since I feared (based on some of the reviews and comments) that this was going to be an inferior version of Weigel's "Witness To Hope". But ultimately I bought it and I am very glad I did, in some aspects I actually prefer this book over the other one - it is perhaps shorter on theology and longer on politics (suites me just fine), the author shares with us wealth of data based on the cold war files and in places it reads like a spy novel. The topic of the Russian Orthodox church, so important to JPII, is treated in depth, which butts another touchy subject - the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic church, this book weaves through this whole explosive cocktail with ease. Also cardinal Casaroli and his Ostpolitik gets in depth treatment, I have to say he was a peculiar fellow. The book doesn't have the volume nor weight of the "Witness" but in some aspects it more than compensates this with very intelligently collected and presented material that had not seen daylight before.
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5.0 out of 5 starsGreat read, great achievement
By Michael Degnan on October 5, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Whether one likes or dislikes his teaching, Karol Wojtyla is one of the central figures of the 20th and early 21st centuries. And for good reason: It will be a long time before any world religious leader rivals his combination of intellect, energy, vision and wisdom learned from his personal experience of war and repression. This biography is really the crowning achievement of George Weigel's career. It's elegantly written, thoroughly researched and a vividly engaging portrait of Wojtyla and his legacy; a worthy conclusion to the story begun in Weigel's "Witness to Hope."

We often learn best from the lives of other people. Weigel has chronicled with uncommon skill one of the pivotal lives of our age.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsThe end and the beginning

I liked the book very much and I enjoyed it too, I would recommend this book to any one, I am sure they would like it.

Published 3 months ago by Arturo E Ceron
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent service and excellent book; thank you!

Published 13 months ago by Winston G. Galusha
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent book on a great man!

Published 14 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

another valuable perspective on a great Shepard and world leader

Published 18 months ago by R. Denley
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great Book!

Published 18 months ago by Patrick
5.0 out of 5 starsPope St. John Paul II

Loved this book. I also bought copies as Christmas gifts!

Published 19 months ago by Carol D.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

A worthy story of the great man's life---
always worth time and thought.

Published 20 months ago by Roger A. Kvam
5.0 out of 5 starsThrilling read

This is yet another thorough, well-written book by George Weigel. I especially like the first section on his battle with communism. Go JPII!

Published 20 months ago by Nick
4.0 out of 5 starsGood read.

An enjoyable read and a good conclusion to Witness to Hope by George Weigel.

Published on July 8, 2014 by Michael Bird
5.0 out of 5 starsIt is an excellent book

The author presented St. John Paul as the God's man of faith and a wonderful human being who has positively influenced Catholicism and changed the world for better.

Published on May 21, 2014 by Andrzej Goscinski

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