John Paul Godges

In episode 3 of a Jesuit video series on gay Catholics, author John Paul Godges characterized parishes that have been welcoming to gay Catholics as “few and far between” and called for greater integration of openly gay Catholics into parishes.

“A gay identity can inspire and deepen a Christian faith,” author John Paul Godges told the Ignatian News Network in its new video series on gay Catholics. The quote made the headline of a news item in The Raw Story, a progressive news site.

As keynote speaker for the 2013 retreat hosted by the Gay & Lesbian Outreach group at St. Monica Church in Santa Monica, California, author John Paul Godges encouraged retreat participants to explore their own narratives of faith and family.

At the first annual IndieReader Discovery Awards, announced this week at BookExpo America in New York City, the award in the category of American Studies went to Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century by John Paul Godges.

Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century placed as first runner-up in the 2012 Eric Hoffer Book Award category of Culture, the awards committee announced this week.

Selling at a steady clip, Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century rose to #3 on the Amazon bestseller list this past week for paperbacks in the category of U.S. genealogy.

Often called “the world’s toughest book critics,” Kirkus Reviews has named Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century to its Best of 2011 book list. The book titles making up the five categories of the list were announced this week.

The Huffington Post and the IndieReader have released a list of “7 great indie books to read whilst you occupy Wall Street.” Included on the list is Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century, by John Paul Godges.

Lynn Palermo, also known as The Armchair Genealogist, asked author John Paul Godges for tips about writing and publishing a family memoir and also about involving family members.

Kirkus Reviews, long recognized as the gold standard for tough and impartial book reviews, has awarded the coveted Kirkus Star to Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century, a self-published family memoir by John Paul Godges.