Jude: A Pilgrimage to the Saint of Last Resort

Veteran journalist Trotta examines the popular devotion to Jude, the patron saint of hopeless situations. While Trotta's account may contribute to Jude's popularity, this is not simply another pious hagiography. Trotta's book is part celebration of the devotion to Jude and part travelogue, as she sets out in quest of Jude's legacy from Baltimore to New York and from Edessa to Rome. Along the way, Trotta reports the stories of countless ordinary people who are devotees of Jude, among them Catholics, Protestants, an occasional Jew, AIDS patients, the superstitious and the theologically adept. Because of Jude's great and enduring popularity, Trotta concludes that St. Jude is the ""rising saint of the age."" Because Trotta lets Jude's admirers speak for themselves, the book is bound to gather many readers. (July)