Gordon in the News: last updated 06/17/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT
Cyndi McMahon
Office of College Communications
[email protected]
978.867.4236
WENHAM, MA - How does a single woman with a hippie upbringing navigate the religious diversity of New York City? Can she and other newspaper reporters survive media buy-outs? Is it true what they say, that Ivy League universities are anti-religious? And do nice single men exist . . . somewhere?
Quirky religion reporter, Jonna Lightfoot MacLaughlin, confronts these contemporary issues in Jo Kadlecek's newest-and final-installment of her series The Lightfoot Trilogy (published by NavPress). In A Minute Before Friday, Lightfoot has traded her beat in the Big Easy for a dream job in the Big Apple. But with the move, she finds that real witches and holy con men loom larger than anything she's encountered before. And when an old friend (a.k.a. potential date) leaks an Ivy League secret, Jonna begins to unravel some of the city's darker mysteries. In the process, she discovers something more shocking than all of the stories she's ever reported combined.
Kadlecek, an author and member of the communication arts faculty at Gordon College, has created a non-threatening character that invites honest dialogue about the sometimes-awkward religious differences in our culture.
"We live in a pluralistic culture that's too often polarized. I hear people point at others and say 'it's us versus them, politically, spiritually, or ideologically," Kadlecek says. "Jonna, though, wants to bridge the gap and bring people together. Her story gives us a little bit more confidence to engage in discussions."
Released May 26, 2008, A Minute Before Friday is available through bookstores and online. Book #2, A Quarter After Tuesday, set in pre-Katrina New Orleans, was released in spring 2007. Book #1, A Mile from Sunday was released in September of 2006, and takes place in Denver, Colorado, Jonna's hometown. Each book follows the reporter on her personal and professional journey as she searches for good news and a good man, but can't quite find either.
Kadlecek has dedicated A Minute Before Friday to her writing students at Gordon College, who she says, "inspire me."
The Gordon College professor's new book is also getting compelling reviews. Kelly Monroe Kulberg, author of Finding God Beyond Harvard, writes, "Wonderful finale! Beyond charming, Lightfoot finds her voice and her soul. This is great fiction."
For information or to request an interview with the author, contact Cyndi McMahon at 978.867.4236 or email [email protected] in the Office of College Communications.
Gordon College is a Christian college of the liberal arts and sciences on Boston's North Shore. The college offers majors in 37 fields and has graduate programs in education and music education. Leading the way in Christian college merit, Gordon is nationally ranked for its excellence in academics and its role in character building. These achievements recognize Gordon as one of the nation's top Christian colleges.
