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A review by haigro
Hope by Pope Francis
3.25
Pope Francis’s Hope: The Autobiography is a mishmash of memory, experience, and philosophical inquiry. I have not read anything by Pope Francis and my knowledge of his papacy is limited, so I was expecting to read a chronological narrative of his life story. That is not exactly what I received. There is a lot of rumination on his childhood and his general family story. The opening chapters of the autobiography were excellent and they are what I wish the whole text was about. Normally, I decide to pick up a book after a sample of the first few dozen pages or so and I found it to be a misleading representation in this case.
About a third or so of the way through, Francis begins to jump through moments in his life and that is where he lost me. This is where he begins to become more selective in what he chooses to talk about. Whereas the early chapters are rich in detail and I can imagine all of his family members in my mind, the later chapters feel more like hazy recollections. If you were to randomly select a chapter, you would have 30% narration of an event and its characters, 30% discussing why it is relevant to raise, and 40% attempts to connect it to overarching themes of faith and hope. It felt formulaic and forced at a certain point. The anecdotes don’t really flow from one to the next, thoughts don’t flow from one to the next. Moreso, what subject could I raise in this moment to interest the reader? How could I connect this randomly placed anecdote to peace and faith? Not that this is always a bad thing, as you’ll receive thought-provoking passages like this:
About a third or so of the way through, Francis begins to jump through moments in his life and that is where he lost me. This is where he begins to become more selective in what he chooses to talk about. Whereas the early chapters are rich in detail and I can imagine all of his family members in my mind, the later chapters feel more like hazy recollections. If you were to randomly select a chapter, you would have 30% narration of an event and its characters, 30% discussing why it is relevant to raise, and 40% attempts to connect it to overarching themes of faith and hope. It felt formulaic and forced at a certain point. The anecdotes don’t really flow from one to the next, thoughts don’t flow from one to the next. Moreso, what subject could I raise in this moment to interest the reader? How could I connect this randomly placed anecdote to peace and faith? Not that this is always a bad thing, as you’ll receive thought-provoking passages like this:
"Myth [...] is a way of knowing the truth, for reaching the truth. It is timeless because it is linked to human nature viscerally. It questions us, it stimulates us, it digs deep, it encourages dialogue, and is ever changing, because it is sure in itself. We need a myth in order to understand the living reality of the people" (170).
And you’ll get genuinely powerful anecdotes like Francis’ discussions on Hiroshima and other atrocities that have occurred across the globe. In moments like that, his ruminations on faith are compelling, but when he forces them into somewhat engaging memories of his papacy, it falls flat.
I don’t regret reading this autobiography, although it did not fully meet my expectations. I am interested to learn more about the history of the Catholic Church and its role internationally today. I found Pope Francis to be a very progressive and genuine person at heart. I would imagine that in the large specter of Popes that have existed, he would probably measure up to be high. I thought he represented himself and his faith well.