{"product_id":"parish-the-thought-4","title":"Parish the Thought","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn a warm and affectionate narrative that \"transports readers back to a time before cable television, cell phones, and the Internet\" (\u003ci\u003eAtlanta Journal-Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e), John Bernard Ruane paints a marvelous portrait of his Irish-Catholic boyhood on the southwest side of Chicago in the 1960s.\u003c\/b\u003e Capturing all the details that perfectly evoke those bygone days for Catholics and baby boomers everywhere, Ruane recounts his formative years donning the navy-and-plaid school uniform of St. Bede's: the priests and nuns; bullies, best friends, and first loves; and most memorable teachers -- including the miniskirted blonde who inspired lust among the fifth-grade boys but was fired for protesting the Vietnam War. Here are stories from the heart of his hardworking, blue-collar family: the good times and bad; sibling rivalries; summers by the lake; delivering newspapers in the frigid Chicago winter; the fire that destroyed the family home; and the loss of their beloved mother to cancer. And here are priceless accounts of Ruane's days as an altar boy: from an embarrassing bell-ringing mishap, to serving a strict pastor who built a magnificent church but couldn't inspire Christian spirit, to the Heaven-sent guitar-playing priest who turned worship around for a generation of youth.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Product","offer_id":57297378476376,"sku":"9781416589495","price":17.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781416589495.jpg?v=1778834785","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/parish-the-thought-4","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}