«« backA Jesuit Off-Broadway by James Martin, S.J. (Loyola Press, $22.95, September 2007) has been named one of the Best Books of 2007 by Publishers Weekly, the bible of the publishing industry. It is the second year in a row that a book by Fr. Martin has received this honor—his previous book, My Life with the Saints, was named one of PW’s Best Books of 2006.
Books in contention for the best books list are those that received one of the magazine’s coveted starred reviews, indicating a book of outstanding quality. “We receive approximately three thousand religion and spirituality books each year, and that number is growing” says Jana Riess, PW’s Religion Reviews Editor. Of those, we can review several hundred in the magazine, and star only a small number.”
The Publishers Weekly starred review of A Jesuit Off-Broadway called it “compelling,” “utterly captivating,” and “a book that is bound to draw applause from a diverse audience.”
The book recounts Fr. Martin’s experiences as a “theological dramaturg,” working behind the scenes with an Off-Broadway theater troupe’s production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s new play, "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot." It was directed by Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and featured well-known actors such as Sam Rockwell and Eric Bogosian. Their dialogue about the historical and theological context for the play turned into freewheeling discussions about broader spiritual questions such as: What is sin? Do heaven and hell exist? Is anyone beyond God’s forgiveness? And who was Jesus?
Fr. Martin is a Jesuit priest and associate editor of America magazine. In addition to the critically acclaimed bestseller, My Life with the Saints, which also won a Christopher Award, he is the author of In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, and This Our Exile: A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa