The Patron Saint of Butterflies

The Patron Saint of Butterflies is a young-adult novel by author Cecilia Galante. It was first published in 2008.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies
AuthorCecilia Galante
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult
Published2008 Bloomsbury
Media typePrint (Hardcover), (Paperback), (Audio CD), (Kindle)
Pages292 (Hardcover), 320 (Paperback)

Plot

Honey and Agnes are best friends growing up in Mount Blessing, a religious commune in Fairfield, Connecticut. Honey and Agnes could not be any more different, and the older they get the more they are growing apart. Honey was abandoned by her mother as a newborn, but she lived in the nursery with Agnes until she turned 7 years old; Honey lives with Winky and Agnes lives with her parents and her brother, Benny. Ever since Agnes got The Saints' Way (The Saints' Way is a book that everyone in Mount Blessing gets when they turn twelve; it is given by the leader Emmanuel), she has changed. Agnes now abides all the rules in Mount Blessing, and she goes by whatever Emmanuel says. Honey on the other hand, never listens to Emmanuel or Veronica, never follows the rules and hates living at Mount Blessing. Whenever they, or anyone, do something wrong they are sent to the "regulation room". There they get whipped by Emmanuel and Veronica. Everything stays this way until Nana Pete, Agnes' grandmother, shows up unexpectedly and finds out the truth behind Mount Blessing.

Awards

The Patron Saint of Butterflies received the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers (NAIBA) Best Book of the Year award for Children's Literature in 2008; it was also selected as one of Oprah’s Best Teen Selections in 2008.[1] The Patron Saint of Butterflies earned the award for the Young Adult Book of the Year by the Northeast Independent Booksellers Association and was a Top Ten Pick for 2008 by Amazon.com.[2] The novel was selected to be a Book Sense Pick and a Banks Children Book of the Year Selection.[3] It was also a Golden Sower Award Nominee and a Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee.[4]

Book Ban

In 2011, The Patron Saint of Butterflies was banned from a school in Minnesota.[5] The effect of which was to increase the popularity and visibility of the novel.[6]

The Author's Basis for the Story

The story is a fictionalized account of the little-known religious commune run by Herbert T.(Thomas) Schwartz (1903-1980) at Mount Hope in New York in the mid-20th century.[7] (Unlike the Mount Blessing community, the Mount Hope religious commune was quite mobile. Schwartz started the community by gathering laypeople around himself in Greenwich Village.[8] The community was housed in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, and then moved 75 miles north to Mount Hope near Newburgh, New York.[9] After Schwartz died, the commune "headquarters" moved to Milford, Pennsylvania.[10][11]) One who was an adult at Mount Hope, Laura Mead Jones, describes the author, Cecilia Galante, as a woman who lived the life of the children described in The Patron Saint of Butterflies: "Cecilia Galante was born at Mt. Hope and her book is something of a parody of life as seen through the eyes of many of her generation."[12] In a 2007, Laura Jones, also, wrote that it appeared to her that author Cecilia Galante actually enjoyed Mount Hope, but only changed her views about the religious commune when convinced to do so as an adult by her mother, Terry Plummer.[13] Similarities between Mount Blessing commune and Mount Hope commune are only slightly veiled. The character "Emmanuel" stood for cult-leader Herbert T. Schwartz while the character "Veronica" represented his wife "Charleen" (some reports call her "Catherine," also)[14]. The fictional book, The Saint's Way represents the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux which is called The Little Way. Schwartz considered himself to be the official and proper (though never pronounced by any ecclesial authority and thereby self-proclaimed) interpreter of St. Therese's description of her path to holiness.

Many adults who were children at the commune wrote blogs confirming abuse (physical and sexual) by Schwartz at Mount Hope.[15][16][17] A private Facebook page was created for survivors to contact one another.[18] Some remaining adults defend Herbert T. Schwartz as a great and holy leader while the grown children are confused and depraved.[19][20] Then there are some who were there or who knew Schwartz who are non-committal about the whole event.[21][22] The author of The Patron Saint of Butterflies, Cecilia Galante, reported that it was a place where she was always writing, including early stories "passed down from her father," Tom Plummer.[23]

Audio Book

A nine (9) hour audio version of Patron Saint of Butterflies was produced in 2011.

Reviews
  • John Sellers of Publishers Weekly called The Patron Saint of Butterflies "required reading" in February 2008.[24]
  • Publishers Weekly described the book as having "ripped from the headlines fascination for readers" in May 2008.[25] (In this review, the author's first name is misspelled and the text is attributed to "Cecelia Galante.")
  • Ilene Cooper of Booklist described the climax as "realistic and emotionally charged." [26]
  • Joel Shoemaker of School Library Journal described the main characters of The Patron Saint of Butterflies by writing that both girls "occasionally seem wise beyond their years;" however, he noted, "readers will nevertheless cheer them on as they ponder the limits of faith and duty."[27]
  • Regarding the audio recording of the book, Heather Booth of Booklist reported that "This compelling story is well handled by a full cast of actors" and that "echoed voices are used to good effect for internal thoughts, and a church choir adds an extra boost in an especially powerful scene in this story of faith, doubt, and friendship."[28]
  • Also regarding the audio recording of the book, Amanda Raklovits writing in the School Library Journal said that "Despite some contrivances, listeners will be propelled along by the inherent tension in the narrative and the strength of the friendship between the protagonists."[29]
gollark: Why did you interact with liquid nitrogen?
gollark: ... Rust.
gollark: Alternatively, bees carrying liquid nitrogen.
gollark: An apiocryohazard is a hazardously cold bee.
gollark: Do you know about apio**cryo**hazards too?

References
  1. Luzerne (Wyoming) County Library System. "Meet Cecilia Galante". Wyoming Free Library. Luzerne Libraries.org. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  2. Wilkes University Faculty Pages. "Wilkes Cecelia Galante". Wilkes University Press. Wilkes University. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  3. Galante, Cecilia. "Author Bio". Cecilia Galante. The Official Website of Cecilia Gallante. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  4. Galante, Cecilia. "Author Bio". Cecilia Galante. The Official Website of Cecilia Gallante. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  5. Islar, Hilal (5 August 2015). "The Invisibles: An Interview With Author Cecilia Galante". HuffPost. HuffPost Entertainment of Verizon Media. U.S. Edition. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. Galante, Cecilia. "The Results of Being Banned". Author Blog. The Official Website of Cecilia Galante. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  7. TheVillagesFL. "Mt. Hope and Herbert T. Schwartz". city-data.com. City Data. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  8. Ashley, Benedict M. "ATHEISM BUMPS INTO REALITY: A CONVERSION STORY" (PDF). Benedict Ashley Works. Dominican Central. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  9. Jones, John. "may the hidden become unhidden". Blessings Shared are Blessings Multipled. Blogger. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  10. Scholten, Steve. "Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 11:10 AM CST". Mount Hope Commune -- From a child. Angel Fire. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  11. Jones, Laura Mead. "Current Updates--Metanoia for Kids". Mamelah-Larisa. Harris and Nelson Consulting Virtual Museum.com. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  12. Jones, Laura Mead. "Program for the New World Order –Patron Saint of Butterflies". Mamaleh-Larisa.com. Harris and Nelson. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  13. Jones, Laura Mead. "Cecilia Galante, Herbert Schwartz, Laura Jones". Mamaleh-Larisa.com. Harris and Nelson. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  14. Ashley, Benedict (25 January 2013). The Glory of Thy People: The Story of a Conversion (First ed.). Chicago: New Priory Press. pp. 110–113. ISBN 1623110017. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  15. TheBionicCow/Jones, John. "May the hidden become unhidden". Blessings Shared are Blessings Multiplied. Blogger. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  16. ma4/ma428. "From a Child of Mount Hope". Survivors of Mount Hope. Angel Fire. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  17. Scheibner, Lisa. "Me And My Milky Way - A child of Mount Hope Foundation Commune". Blogger Survivors of Mount Hope Commune. Blogger. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  18. Anonymous. "Facebook Group". Mount Hope Commune. Angel Fire. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  19. Jones, Laura. "How Soon Jerusalem--A Number of Things Lacking". Weebly. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  20. Jones, Laura. "Mamaleh Larisa's Guide for the Perplexed". Harris and Nelson. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  21. Mulholland, John A. "MT. Hope / Herbert Schwartz (friend, name, USA, information)". city-data.com. City Data. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  22. Ashley, O.P., Benedict M. "ATHEISM BUMPS INTO REALITY: A CONVERSION STORY" (PDF). Studies and Reflections by and about Benedict M. Ashley, O.P. Dominican Central Province. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  23. Galante, Cecilia. "Author Bio". Cecilia Galante Website. Official Cecilia Gallante Website. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  24. Sellers, John (2008-02-18). Publishers Weekly. 255 (7): 64. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. "BOOKS -- Reviews: Patron Saint of Butterflies, The (Book)". Publishers Weekly. 255 (18): 63. 5 May 2008.
  26. Cooper, Ilene (2008-04-15). "BOOKS -- Reviews; PATRON Saint of Butterflies, The (Book)". Booklist. 108 (16): 41.
  27. Shoemaker, Joel (June 2008). School Library Journal. 54 (6): 140–142. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. Booth, Heather (2012-01-01). "The Patron Saint of Butterflies. By Cecilia Galante. Read by Lydia Rose Shahan and others". Booklist. 108 (9/10): 127.
  29. Raklovits, Amanda (January 2012). "The Patron Saint of Butterflies". School Library Journal. 58 (1): 62.
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