The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison

By Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận

Book Overview

Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan is one of the most inspiring voices of the twentieth century, a true modern-day hero. During a time of political unrest in Vietnam, he was arrested for his faith and spent the next thirteen years in prison. There he endured harsh treatment and deplorable conditions. Nine of those thirteen years he spent in solitary confinement.

During those long years of isolation and imprisonment, instead of giving in to despair and self-pity, Van Thuan learned his greatest lesson. He found God in the darkness; he was never alone, never without comfort. He discovered that his life still had purpose, even in the midst of incredible suffering. He began using scraps of paper to compose messages of hope and courage for his fellow believers, which were smuggled out and eventually published.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1929266561
• ISBN13: 9781929266562
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Wellspring
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Wisdom for today

Everyday I would open the Road of Hope and read a paragraph from the little book that Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan wrote while in captivity. The entire book is full of hopeful messages from someone who we think should not have any hope. One paragraph that I read today begins: "(#532) Holiness does not consist in putting on long faces or being sad and miserable. Holiness is continuously joyful because it is the possession of God." I am inspired by the book and will continue to read it; passage by passage. It brings me closer to God and I believe it will bring you closer to God too; for our journey will be full of hope, like the Road of Hope.

The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison

This book gives you a wealth of wisdom and guidance in brief "doses" so you can actually apply it to your everyday life. Definitely, worth reading!

Best book

You have to imagine yourself in a dark prison to understand the faith of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan. There is no word i can tell you the feeling of reading this book except i know my faith grows. No wonder the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI speaks so highly of the cardinal in his encyclical letter

One of the most gripping books about prison life I've read!

I could not put this gripping, haunting, and unforgettable book down! Nguyen suffered a tragedy that no human being should have to undergo. The pain, the emotional trauma, the physical attacks that Nguyen endured will burn in your memory for a long time to come.