I loved this book! A beautifully written and very compelling story, with a poignant blend of blunt honesty and compassionate empathy. A real page turner that stays with you long after you finish reading.

-BR

Tony Beadle’s book is a sensitively examined account of a gut wrenchingly singular life, his life, told with clear eyed honesty, fairness, and love. His life unfolds in changing times, but his conservative Catholic world never quite catches up to his boyhood needs. Kudos to Tony for sharing this intensely personal story, so thoughtfully, and so compellingly. If you’re even thinking about buying this book, buy two. You will definitely be giving one to a friend.

FSS

This is one of the most uniquely compelling memoirs I’ve ever read. It’s a story that reminds us that the complexities of life and the search for truth can become can be painful and almost impossible to reconcile. The author, Anthony Beadle, was raised by his single mother and “the friend” of his father, who supposedly died just before Beadle was born. That story turned out to be a myth of almost unbelievable proportions. The truth, never quite within reach, haunted Beadle for decades throughout a bizarre childhood as he gradually pulled away the layers of an intricate, if well-intended charade.
My Father, The Father forces the reader to consider their own pasts. It is a revelatory must-read!

GE

This is quite simply an extraordinary book. It is a harrowing account of a boy, his adults, and their Church colliding. Beadle’s prose is clear-eyed and non-accusatory, and that makes the book even more powerful. I couldn’t put it down.

GV

Gently compelling from the start, this unique story captivates with the candor, wit and grace of Mr. Beadle’s account of a most unusual upbringing as the son of a prominent Roman Catholic priest and a musically gifted and expressive mother. Juxtaposition of abiding LOVE and the establishment of seemingly necessary webs of DECEPTION defined this author’s young life, and this reader found it awe-inspiring to consider how these two devotees of the faith managed the complications arising from adoration of their son and their concurrent compulsion to maintain adherence to the commands of Catholicism. Ultimately, it’s a story of redemption in the face of human frailty.

KMN

This is a terrific book. Remarkably, Beadle combines a sense of the emotional reality of living his unusual life with clear-eyed objectivity. For those who have known of him as an accomplished musician and music administrator, the surprise is that he is also such a good writer. I read the book in two sittings as I couldn’t put it down–it is such a compelling read..

TW

 My jaw was on the floor from the beginning to the end of this book. The distortion the author was born into via the Catholic Church is a story unlike anything I have ever read. But the biggest takeaway is the grace, kindness and compassionate understanding for others displayed by the author at every challenging moment of his life. It is a story that will have you reeling and thinking about what YOU would have done in the same circumstances. I am just blown away. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

JL

As someone who starts to read more books than I finish, I found this book positively captivating. It’s an amazing story, and Tony Beadle tells it exquisitely. It is most definitely worthy of being made into a movie.

CA

This is a riveting read, a wrenching (true) story of deceit, lies and above all familial love- written with wit, pathos and great insight. It’s a book that will speak to Catholics, ‘illegitimate’ children and classical music lovers, but also basically anyone who comes from a family-i.e. everyone. A “can’t put it down” tale that asks more questions than it answers: Why does celibacy persist in the Catholic church in the 21st century? Why do some parents, in extraordinary circumstances like those in this book, really step up, even when it involves a web of guileful maneuvers? What is true forgiveness? Tony Beadle has authored a compelling memoir, as painful as it is funny. Superb and powerful.

DD

An honest, unvarnished telling of a childhood shrouded in mystery, and a powerful reckoning with the truth. The story is one of forbidden loyalty and love, but also betrayal, family divisions, and obfuscation of the truth that were deeply hurtful. The Catholic Church’s rules for clergy are revealed in this story to have caused significant suffering and tragic secrecy. Beadle’s reckoning with learning the true story of his origins, and coming to a place of inner peace and reconciliation is heartfelt and moving. This memoir reads like a novel, and is a genuine stay-up-late page turner!

PCW