Donna Freitas Book Title: The Possibilities of Sainthood Publication Date: September 2008 Publisher: Frances Foster Books/FSG ISBN: 978-0-374-36087-0 Author's Website: http://www.donnafreitas.com

Description of Book:

Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she's still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty and she wants her chance at being a princess. All her life she’s kept company with these kings and queens of small favors, knowing exactly who to pray to on every occasion. Afraid of tripping in gym class? Try Sebastian, athletic and golden. Working in the family store? Light a candle for St. Leonard, Patron of Grocers. A good all-purpose one for school-day sneakiness: St. Jude, Patron Saint of Desperate Situations and Hopeless Causes. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia’s waited for her whole life seem equally unlikely to happen. It’s not for lack of trying. Every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to The Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself for the post. (So what if she’s not dead?) And for how long has she been praying for the attention of the love of her life—the tall, dark, and sooo good looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. But as Antonia learns, in matters of sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguine, and in matters of the heart, she’s on her own.

About the Author:

Donna Freitas is a professor of Religion at Boston University. Her writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Salon, and The Wall Street Journal. She contributes regularly to “On Faith,” an online panel co-sponsored by Newsweek and The Washington Post, and she is an occasional commentator for NPR’s All Thing’s Considered. Donna is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses forthcoming from Oxford University Press, and Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials (Jossey-Bass, 2007). Growing up, Donna could often be found covered in flour in the wee hours of the morning making pasta from scratch with her Italian mother and grandmother, listening to them pray to one saint or another. She lives in New York City. This is her first novel.

Excerpt:

Reviews: