On March 22nd, our Weary Travelers men's small group continued our book study on "Gus Busbi," a novel by Catholic author Jim Sano. It is the second book in the Fr. Tom Fritzpatrick series. We covered 14 chapters because we decided not to meet on March 8th but instead attended our Parish Lenten Mission with the Founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Mr. Alan Graham. Please see below for links to my previous blogs related to this book study.
While we had a lot of grounds to cover, it did not diminished the depth of our discussions. A few of the men could related with the struggles of Jamiel Russell because they grew up in rough neighborhoods. As I listened to their stories, I felt blessed that my own teenage years were uneventful in that I did not have interactions with gangs at school or in my neighborhood nor did I ever spent a night in jail.
One of the men commented that author, Jim Sano, did an excellent job with his research for this book. In particular, with the detail of how faith and belief in God are perceived as weak and a woman's thing in the black (and Hispanic) community. Moreover, he captures Jamiel's survival instinct very well when it comes his interactions with the Lennox and Grant Manor gangs, especially with his desire to protect his mom, Celia.
Another theme that we discussed is the respect and trust that Jamiel has for Fr. Tom and how he turned to Fr. Tom in times of need. Fr. Tom, in turn, makes himself accessible to Jamiel, doing what he can to help Jamiel know his self-worth and potential and to keep him on the right path. Fr. Tom teaches Jamiel about forgiveness, reconciliation, and restitution. Fr. Tom encourages Jamiel to get to know Gus Busbi and see past the layers of prickly thorns that Busbi has built up over the years to protect himself. It is as though Fr. Tom knows that Jamiel and Busbi needed each other more than they know.
Moreover, Fr. Tom is trying to help Jamiel realize that his past experiences and environment do not have to enslave him, that he now has opportunities to make the right choices that would have lasting impact on his life. Celia, his mom, made sure of this when she moved him out of the projects. Jamiel now must learn to make the right choices for himself.
This book is a definite page-turning. One of the men has already read through Chapter 30 of the book. Another one said that he and his wife brought "The Father's Son," "Gus Busbi," and "Stolen Blessing," and his wife has finished reading all three novels. We will meet again after Holy Week to continue our book study.
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Invitation to "Gus Busbi" Book Study - https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/01/invitation-to-gus-busbi-book-study.html
"Gus Busbi" Book Study Recap: Chapters 1 - 5 https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/gus-busbi-book-study-recap-chapters-1-5.html
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