A Child Shall Lead Them: Stories of Transformed Young Lives in Medjugorje

Readers searching for a syrupy dose of Christian inspiration with a strong Catholic flavor need look no further. Weible, author of two books about appearances of the Virgin Mary and her messages to children for over two decades in Medjugorje, now in Bosnia, gathers stories by young people whose lives have been affected by this holy site. This is a potentially fascinating topic, but the title says it all, since Weible's overall message (repeated many times) is that childlike innocence is God's answer to everything, as mediated by Mary. In a world corrupted by sex, drugs, alcohol and family dysfunction, everyone must strive to become "once again, a little child of God" if not still a child already. Weible assumes a Catholic, believing audience and is as severe in his condemnation of sex and drugs as virtually irreparable pollutants among the faithful as he is self-aggrandizing in his role as storyteller of all things Medjugorje-inspired (at one point describing himself literally acting for Mary at a talk). Readers will come away either skeptical of Weible's claims that a visit to Medjugorje is a cure-all for sin, or inspired by the idea that Medjugorje is the all-purpose Catholic answer to evil in this world. (Oct.)