Nonni in America

Auteur

"Nonni in America: Around the World at 80 Years Old!" won the Gold Medal in the 2021-2022 Reader Views Literary Awards! Here is its Five Star Review: "Jon Svensson begins his story when he was a boy in Iceland and got a world map globe. It was then that Svensson began his lifelong love affair with the idea of traveling. At 12 years old, Jon left home to pursue his education with the Jesuits. During that time, he discovered Jules Verne's book "Around the World in 80 Days." He not only loved the book but actually decided to visit Jules Verne (who was living in Amiens where Jon was at school). During his visit, he told Verne that he would become an author like him; and he did! Yet his dream of traveling the world did not happen until he was 80 years old. Jon Svensson became a Jesuit Priest and, later, an author who traveled all over Europe as speaker. He was known and greatly loved for his stories published in his 'Nonni' series. The opportunity to travel the world finally came when he was 80 years old. He took it and recorded the first part of his journey in 'Nonni in America.' In this translation, the author's simple and heartwarming voice comes through intact in this narrative work. The places he visited, the wonderful characters he met, and even the ordeals he went through create a captivating, endearing, and colorful couch adventure for all readers. Having grown up myself reading Vespucci, reading this book took me back to the era of the stories I loved as a child. It was a time of real adventurers, as they traveled knowing so little of the world, knowing only through the accounts of others... so much different from experiencing a place virtually. I loved 'Nonni in America: Around the World at 80 Years Old!'" -Susan Violante

Texte du rabat

(Special large print edition with over 50 period photos). Jon Svensson was born in Iceland and is the only Jesuit priest from that island at the top of the world. After a career in teaching and ministry, he became one of the world's best loved authors by writing his series of "Nonni" books. For anyone else, such a life would seem full yet, even at age 80, he still held in his heart a boyhood dream to travel around the world and meet all of God's people. Here, for the first time in English, is the incredible true story that proves that life does not end, but really begins, at 80! "Nonni in America" features encounters with historical figures like Jules Verne, Thomas Cook, and James Garfield. It also has great descriptions of early air passenger flight, the great passenger steam ships, and the golden age of train travel. Beyond the history, "Nonni in America" has much to offer to the reader of today. For in an age when America seems to be suffering from a certain lack of confidence, Svensson takes us back to a time when American greatness was imbued in the generosity and pride of her people.