Television preacher John Avanzini puts forward 25 reasons why he believes prayers are not answered, most of them having to do with faulty actions or beliefs on the part of the petitioner.

"Brother John is the true story of a monastic encounter between the author, going through a mid-life crisis, and an umbrella wielding Trappist monk. A magical Christmas Eve encounter that eventually leads the author and us all to the redemptive power of an authentically purposeful life. Uplifting, deeply moving, and set in the magnificent Trappist monastery of Mepkin Abbey, Brother John is dramatically brought to life by over twenty full color paintings by Glenn Harrington, a multiple award-winning artist." --Publisher description.

The book is a collection of memories of childhood and adolescence, of growing up as one of a family of seven in a small South Staffordshire mining village in the 1940s and 1950s. The family home had no electricity and relied on an open fire for all cooking and heating. The book looks at different aspects of life, such as earliest memories, starting school, wartime experiences, chores and scavenging for fuel, Christmas and leisure activities, immersing the reader in a time, which, though still within living memory is a world away from the 21st century. It is very much a personal account of how a less fortunate family coped in these difficult times and is very different from the usual memoirs of these times. Its final two chapters deal with the death of the parents, when the writer and his brother become the legal guardians of their five younger siblings and can now be considered as finally out of childhood and adolescence.

John Carthy was an average guy, a hard-working young man devoted to his mother and sister, who also happened to suffer from depression - in common with one in four Irish people today. But in April 2001, in the grip of a bi-polar episode, John was shot dead by gardai after emerging from his home in Abbeylara after a 25-hour stand-off. It was a shooting that could have been avoided. What had begun as a private family happening in a small Irish town had quickly turned into a national media event, with journalists given more access to the scene than ultimately even his own sister was allowed. In the wake of his death Marie Carthy fought relentlessly for an independent inquiry into her brother's shooting, withstanding personal humiliation and attempts to discredit her along the way. Six years on she and her mother Rose found themselves vindicated by the findings of the Barr Tribunal. Yet nothing can ever bring John back. My Brother John is a tribute to a beloved brother and son. From their carefree childhood as inseparable siblings to the untimely death of their father when they were teenagers, it describes the onset of John's depression and how he learned to cope with his illness. It also tells the family's story in the grim aftermath of his death, and how their pledge for justice in his name kept them fighting throughout the darkest of days.

'Honest and poignant' THE SUN The honest and revealing story of John Lennon's childhood by his sister Julia. Through her own personal journey, Julia reveals the battle between two strong, self-willed women - John's mother and his Aunt Mimi - to have custody of John in his early years. It was Aunt Mimi who finally won and removed John from his mother at the age of five. But as John grew up, he would frequently return home - spending time with his mother and half-sisters, Julia, Jackie and Ingrid, learning his love of music from his mother, and hanging out, playing guitar with his childhood friend Paul McCartney. Julia is candid about the sadness as well as the joy of their broken family life. She details the devestating loss of their mother Julia in a road accident - and describes the painful legacy for the entire family, especially John as he moves into a life of stratospheric fame with the Beatles.

"Brother John an ex-policeman turned Carmelite monk finds himself caught up in a search for a missing Italian aristocrat. The colourful procession of characters from the Byzantine past and the Vatican bring out the enduring strengths of tradition and religious faith and gives the reader an insight into the world of icons and precious relics as well as an exciting chase by yacht in stormy weather in American waters. The action takes place in Rome and the waters around New York but is set against the history of Constantinople and Armenia. The historical facts presented are accurate."

Big Book Script