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POPE JOHN PAUL II: CANADA 1984.

Russell, Paul and Robert Jeffrey.

Toronto, Methuen, c1984. unpaged, paper, $6.95, ISBN 0-458-98070-6. CIP

Grades 3 and up
Reviewed by Jane Robinson

Volume 13 Number 2
1985 March


Touted as the public event of the decade, Pope John Paul II's tour of Canada couldn't escape the commercialism of souvenir items, from baseball caps to keyrings. Russell's book numbers among those souvenirs, although the book is actually a collection of many people's work, both writers and photographers. The text, albeit in three different languages (English, French and Italian), is brief and uninspired. But it accompanies page after page of terrific colour photographs that reflect the warm sincerity of Pope John Paul II and the enthusiasm of the welcoming crowds.

Each city on the tour is treated separately, though the photos emphasize more the spirit of the day than the distinctiveness of each place. A "centrefold," containing photos of different mass sites, further delineates the magnitude of this event.

The book will surely appeal to many people who organized, or attended and supported the Papal visit. I can see churches and/or church groups especially, perhaps more than booksellers, buying copies of the book and then selling them within the congregation. It is unlikely, however, that such a book, by its very nature, would circulate well in either a public or a school library. It is strictly memorabilia for those who want yet another souvenir.


Jane Robinson, Christ the King School, Winnipeg, Man.
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