When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.

He had no money and no home; he lived entirely on the road of the racing circuit, sleeping in empty stalls, carrying with him only a saddle, his rosary, and his books...The books were the closest thing he had to furniture, and he lived in them the way other men live in easy chairs.

When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.

I just thought I was empty and now I'm being filled...and I just wanted to keep being filled.

We just sat there and watched the plane pass the island, and it never came back," he said. "I could see it on the radar. It makes you feel terrible. Life was cheap in war.

Honestly, I expected to get a cold reception because of my subject matter. But when editors took a look at the story I had to tell, and saw that this was not a parochial story at all, they really warmed to it

I think authors can get into trouble viewing the subject matter as their turf