By Jim Towey. Published by Simon & Schuster, 2022. (USD 27) Reviewed by Julie Randall

Jim Towey writes from the heart about the Mother Teresa whom he came to know in the last 12 years of her life. From his first encounter with this “living saint” Jim became an ardent worker and trusted ally of the Missionary Sisters of Charity and a loving friend to Mother Teresa.

To Love and Be Loved is primarily Jim’s personal memoir. He overlays historical, well-known and lesser-known details of this globally recognised woman, with descriptions of his own encounters with Mother Teresa and the connections he made through her.

Because of his close association with the Missionaries of Charity Jim was able to interview some of Mother Teresa’s closest confidants. And he had access to correspondence and documents which enabled him to “flesh out” her story — the story of a woman who even before her death many perceived to be a saint. He discusses her experience of “the dark night of the soul” and the persistent criticism of her detractors.

This book is an easy read, and though a bit sentimental, it focuses the life and work of Mother Teresa who believed we are “created by God for great things, to love and be loved.”

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 280 April 2023: 27