The Road to Damietta

The Newbury Award-winning author delivers ';what may be his finest novel' in this young adult narrative of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Fifth Crusade (Publishers Weekly). Rich in the atmosphere of thirteenth-century Italy, The Road to Damietta offers a fascinating new perspective on the man who became Saint Francis of Assisi: the guileless, joyous man who praised the oneness of nature and sought to bring the world into harmony. Thirteen-year-old Ricca di Montanaro, who secretly loves the young Francis, watches in awe as he disavows his rich father and declares himself a servant of Christ. Following him on his journey, Ricca recounts Francis's attempt to bring peace amidst the bloodshed of the Fifth Crusade. ';Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace,' he said. ';Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.' And so he set off on the road to Damietta