'Going Rogue' book review from Catholic POV

Brian Caulfield, the editor of Fathers for Good and a columnist for Headline Bistro, a website sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, has posted a review written from a Catholic perspective of Sarah Palin's Going Rogue:

"The Palins are like most American families. We, too, teach and expect abstinence from our teens, and a significant number of us are dismayed to find our teenagers involved in hook-ups or pregnancies. The difference is that few of us are placed on a national stage when this happens."

"The book contains a host of other issues of interest to Catholics that have not been noted widely, including:"

"1. Palin starts the book by revealing a significant pro-life fact: her adorable 8-year-old daughter, Piper, was the model for the Alaska Right to Life poster of a baby in pink with plastic angel wings fastened to her shoulders."

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"2. Although her mother was raised Catholic, at some point she 'became interested in an expanded faith. She sought further spiritual fulfillment in addition to the liturgical traditions of the Catholic Church.' Palin and her siblings followed, attending Sunday school at the Wasilla Assembly of God church, 'the most ‘alive’ congregation in the area.'"

"3. From beginning to end, Palin writes about her relationship with God, even encouraging readers to do as she did and hand their lives over to Jesus. She is clearly a true believer, and describes numerous times when she and her husband, Todd, clasped hands to pray, especially when they learned that their fifth child, conceived when she was serving as governor, would have an extra chromosome."

"4. Much has been made, by friendly and hostile reviewers alike, about Palin writing 'in the voice of God' to her children about Trig’s condition. When I read the passage, my first thought was that the critics don’t know much about Christianity of the past 40 years."

[...]

"5. She says that the thought of abortion flashed across her mind when she received the Down syndrome diagnosis, and she has sympathy for women who feel they have no other option. She also says that although she prefers abstinence education to explicit sex ed, she does support contraceptive options."

"Overall, the book does a good job of fulfilling its subtitle, An American Life. Sarah Palin is unapologetically pro-American, and her life has cut across a section of our nation’s political history and attracted fervent loyalty and enthusiasm from a large sector of the populace. Readers without a pronounced animus toward the author will find, perhaps despite themselves, a lively and upbeat story..."

Brian Caulfield's full review of Rogue is here.

- JP