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The Life and Times of The Almost Reverend William Billow
Table of Contents
About The Book
Product Details
- Publisher: Lyons Press (November 30, 2020)
- Length: 248 pages
- ISBN13: 9781493053070
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Raves and Reviews
“Rev. Billow’s voice is a perfect combination of Father Tim Kavanaugh (from the Mitford Series) and Larry David.”
– Dorothy Bush Koch, author of My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H.W. Bush
Will Billow is sui generis--a storytelling, sometimes profane, belly-laughing, even (at times) saintly priest who has guided and saved the lives of generations. Enjoy the read.
– Vance Wilson, Headmaster of St. Albans, 1999-2018, author of Each Day: A Veteran Educator's Guide to Raising Children
In this book we get more than a chronicling of a great man and minister of God; we get a vivid portrayal of someone who was at home with both homeless people and the movers and shakers of Washington DC, someone who let God work through him.
– Daniel R. Heischman, Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools
Just as Will Billow brightens every room he enters, his book will brighten the outlook of everyone who picks it up. From the stories of family, friends and faith emerge a joy in living that is simply contagious. If you want to learn some of the secrets of a life lived to the fullest, you'll find them on page after page of this poignant, and delightful, chronicle.
– Judy Woodruff, The PBS NewsHour
If you are lucky enough to read this book, you will understand how special Will Billow was as a mentor and teacher to our children and as a cherished family friend. The good reverend, like his book, doesn’t just enter your life. He enriches it.
– Gloria Borger, CNN Chief Political Analyst
Will Billow’s parish knows no boundaries. It runs from Washington DC to LA and then to points south and Midwestern. But all the really important stuff — about birth and love and laughter and death — unfolds here, in helpful and joyous tale of one chaplain’s amazing life of service.
– Michael Duffy, co-author, The Presidents Club
This crazy quilt of homespun musings from Episcopal priest Billow is a raucous and enjoyable ride that mixes kernels of wisdom with funny, insightful anecdotes from Billow’s long life of preaching. Nicknamed Reverend Fun, Billow was the assistant director at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., which was attended by George H.W. Bush, who wrote the book’s foreword. For more than three decades, Billow rubbed shoulders with prominent members of D.C. society, but the majority of his reminiscences are about everyday people—friends, family, coworkers, and students who have impacted his life. Though written with a distinctly humorous tone, the book takes on heavy topics—Billow’s personal battle with depression, and his father’s alcoholism, among them. It also contains lighthearted tales of, for instance, making pizza with a church youth group and the time Billow helped sneak a former congregant’s ashes into Mt. Vernon (in a quilted Chanel bag) for a clandestine memorial service. Billow’s haphazard collection of quips, homilies, blurry family photos, advice, and accounts of personal experiences reads more like a private, unedited journal than a cohesive memoir, but his infectious sense of humor and thoughtful insights shine through. This heartwarming book will charm readers with its unpolished whimsy.
– Publisher's Weekly
This heartwarming book will charm readers with its unpolished whimsy.
– Publisher's Weekly
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Trade Paperback 9781493053070
