What You Should be Reading (If Not Wednesday, Then Some Other Day): My Brother Pier Giorgio, His Last Days

I have become so very fond of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the future saint who has been called "A Man of the Beatitudes."  Beatified by John Paul II in 1990, he was named the Patron Saint of World Youth Day in 2000.  I'm joining Jessica over at Housewifespice for my favorite link-up, to share the title of a book about him that I absolutely love: My Brother Pier Giorgio, His Last Days by Luciana Frassati.

I haven't read it recently and I'm not reading it today, so I'm cheating I guess.  But I've read this book written by his sister Luciana so many times, it's a good bet that there was at least one Wednesday in the past where it was the one I had my nose in (and said nose was probably running from all the crying I was doing).

If you haven't heard of this extraordinary young man, or if you don't know a whole lot about him, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati's life story is utterly fascinating and incredibly inspiring.  This particular book deals only with his final week on earth--with his last days: his "passion" and tragic death at the age of 24.  If you want to read more about him, here is a short article.  Or you could read this biography, also penned by his sister.

I admire this man so much that I had to include him in my novel Finding Grace.  My shy little heroine, who is determined to achieve the goal of sainthood while living in the world, is "introduced" to Pier Giorgio (I won't tell you how--you'll have to read the book to find out!), and she becomes enchanted with him to the point of having a bit of a crush, even though he's been long dead.  After discovering Pier Giorgio in a book about modern saints and reading as much as I could find about him, I can imagine that I, too, might have felt like Grace--if at 15 I hadn't yet met the true man of my dreams: the boy who would become my husband, the boy who made crushes on other males forever a thing of the past for me (and the boy who was my main inspiration for the character of Grace's love interest, Tom Buckley).

I can't recommend this book highly enough.  Not long ago, I wrote a short review about it for Goodreads, which I've copied here.  If you do read it, I'd be interested to know if it affects you as deeply as it affected me.

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My Brother Pier Giorgio: His Last Days
by Luciana Frassati

Laura Pearl's review

Sep 18, 13                                                

5 of 5 stars

It's almost impossible for me to put into words how inspiring this book is. Luciana Frassati's memoir about her brother's last week on earth--when he lay dying of polio at the age of 24, surrounded by his unwitting loved ones in his family home, quietly suffering until the bitter end so as not to divert the attention from his elderly grandmother, who was also dying--is one of the most moving and affecting tributes it has ever been my privilege to read.

I was first introduced to Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), a perfect model of Christian faith, hope, and charity if there ever was one, when I read a couple of pages about him in a book about modern saints called Faces of Holiness. Something about his story--and his handsome face with its engaging smile--spoke to me, and I wanted to learn all I could about him.

My Brother Pier Giorgio, His Last Days is the first complete book I ever read about this future saint, who was named a Blessed by Pope John Paul II and is considered a patron of young adults (although I went on to read a biography, also penned by his sister, titled A Man of the Beatitudes). I devoured it in one sitting. And not long afterward, I re-read it. Then I re-read it, and for good measure, I re-read it once again...I truly don't know how many times I've read this beautiful book at this point. It's a slim volume, and a quick read; but so much holiness, self-sacrifice, and love are packed in its pages.

This book will inspire you to become a saint, and it will show you that you can be an "average Joe" like this young Italian man was--an athletic mountain climber, a jokester with countless friends, a student who struggled academically, a son who was misunderstood and underappreciated by his family, a man in love who had to renounce the woman of his dreams because his parents didn't approve of her--and yet, you can make the kind of heroic sacrifices in your daily life that will put you on the path to Heaven. You can love God and revere the Blessed Mother. You can treat the poor and the sick with true Christian charity.

It has been said of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati that he always carried a Rosary in his pocket, and that people were moved to imitate him just by seeing the joy on his face when he prayed. I know that I, for one, have been moved by him. And this heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting, story of his last days is well worth your time--whether you're a Catholic or not.