A 'NEW' (?) BOOK BY TONY

          Bill deMello brought out 'Anthony deMello SJ, The Happy Wanderer - A Tribute to My Brother' (edited by Clifford W. DeSilva)  to commemorate 25 years since the passing of Tony. The much-awaited biography serves a need for the legions who want to know more about Tony. A review of this book by Fr. Alban D'Souza SJ is presented elsewhere in this blog.

          In America Image Books have thought to commemorate 25 years by bringing out a 'new' book by Tony: Rediscovering Life - Awaken to Reality. This is a transcription of the old 1984 satellite conference by Tony which was recorded and had come out in cassette form under the title: 'A Rediscovery of Life'. What one sees is not a faithful transcription. Someone has 'edited' as well as added material in a lame attempt to sound like Tony at times. This is especially seen in the opening lines of the book.

          It is my belief that those who have read and/or heard Tony's Awareness and other books will not find anything new in this  'latest' book by Tony. This book is probably aimed at a new generation of new readers. It is hoped that it will do what it set out to do.

                                                    

                                           Reviews of the book
1. By Thomas Farrell:  Duluth, Minnesota (OpEdNews) June 16, 2012: For me, reading Anthony de Mello's new book REDISCOVERING LIFE: AWAKEN TO REALITY (2012) was like listening to an old friend once again.  When I was in the Jesuits, I had the opportunity to listen to Anthony de Mello, S.J. ....READ MORE
  

 2.  By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat:  Anthony de Mello was director of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling in Poona, India. A member of the Jesuit province of Bombay, he was widely respected for his inspiring workshops and conferences on
the spiritual life.......READ MORE:

BOOK REVIEW OF 'THE HAPPY WANDERER'

By Alban D’Souza SJ

(Anthony deMello SJ, The Happy Wanderer by Bill deMello, Edited by Clifford DeSilva.  Hardbound. 344 pages. 14 pages of photographs. Rs. 240/ $12. GSP, Anand. Available at all Pauline Bookstores.)

 

Bill deMello's biography of his brother, Tony deMello, acknowledged by many as the Guru of Change and personal care, has appeal for two main reasons. One, it gives the interested reader glimpses of Tony as a youngster in a family situation. This lets us in on Tony's 'hidden years' as it were. Already here we see Tony focused and exceptional in many ways.

Secondly, we are treated to interesting insights of Tony's progressive spiritual growth and the various turns that Tony took and new and varied learnings he allowed himself to experiment with.  The thoughts and ideas he explored, worked on and made part not just of his own personal journeying but as means and ways for others to grow as well are graphically described. Bill, as he admits, initially little understood or really cared for this creative spiritual dimension of his brother.

Bill's growing astonishment and gradual grasp of the wonders of Tony's influence and contributions help the reader to understand Tony in a much better way.  The many and diverse collections of information from all over the world that Bill requested for and received makes for wonderful reading. This information shared with Bill gives a very personal understanding of Tony. Bill has been extremely objective in as much as he does include observations of Tony which express criticism of him.  

Another notable aspect of the book is the contextualization of Tony’s impact and striking changes that he brought about among religious and lay people. This well written and insightful elucidation of Tony’s Jesuit formative years is clearly explained by the Editor, Clifford DeSilva who was very close to Tony. In the book, Bill acknowledges Clifford’s contribution with gratitude.  The precision of the editing helps the reader understand much of the background of developments as Tony entered into different areas of reflection and practice, a few of which invited controversy.

This book is a presentation of Tony in all his humanness as well as offers insightful glimpses in the way that Tony grew and evolved over the years on his way to being fully human and fully alive. The impact that Tony made too is brought out clearly in the views expressed by many and the continuing appeal of Tony's publications. Bill, through this biography, continues to 'create people' the way Tony did in his life time.

(The writer is a Jesuit and Counsellor specialised in NLP and the author of ‘A Facilitator'sHandbook: Ready-to-Present Growth Sessions for Resource Persons’ – St. Paul’s Publications, Mumbai)