What do you think?
Rate this book
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II is one of the pivotal figures of this century, the spiritual head of more than one billion believers and a world statesman of immense stature and influence. Yet, at the age of seventy-six and in the eighteenth year of his papacy, he remains a mystery -- theologically, politically, and personally. Now, through unprecedented access to both the Pope himself and those close to him, veteran New York Times correspondent and award-winning author Tad Szulc delivers the definitive biography of John Paul II. This strikingly intimate portrait highlights the Polishness that shapes the Pope's mysticism and pragmatism, while providing a behind-the-scenes look at the significant events of his public and private life,
624 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
15 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Tad Szulc
30 books10 followersTadeusz Witold Szulc was an author and foreign correspondent for The New York Times from 1953 to 1972
Szulc is credited with breaking the story of the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Szulc was born in Warsaw, Poland, the son of Seweryn and Janina Baruch Szulc.
He attended Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland.
In 1940 he emigrated from Poland to join his family in Brazil; it had left Poland in the mid-1930s.
In Brazil, he studied at the University of Brazil, but in 1945, he abandoned his studies to work as a reporter for the Associated Press in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1947 he moved from Brazil to New York City, and in 1954, he became a US citizen.
His emigration had been sponsored by United States Ambassador John Cooper Wiley, who was married to his aunt.
In 2001, Szulc died of cancer at his home, in Washington, D.C.
Szulc is credited with breaking the story of the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Szulc was born in Warsaw, Poland, the son of Seweryn and Janina Baruch Szulc.
He attended Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland.
In 1940 he emigrated from Poland to join his family in Brazil; it had left Poland in the mid-1930s.
In Brazil, he studied at the University of Brazil, but in 1945, he abandoned his studies to work as a reporter for the Associated Press in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1947 he moved from Brazil to New York City, and in 1954, he became a US citizen.
His emigration had been sponsored by United States Ambassador John Cooper Wiley, who was married to his aunt.
In 2001, Szulc died of cancer at his home, in Washington, D.C.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 22, 2023
Great book!
November 26, 2017
While I haven’t read George Weigel’s official biography of Pope Saint John Paul II, I found this book at our seminary and decided to read it first. It was written in 1995, so the whole story had not been completely told at that point. It is much less known than Weigel’s book, but I cannot do a fair comparison because I’ve only read this one.
What I enjoyed about this book the most was the history up to the point when Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II. The storytelling of his younger days as a bright actor-student, a suffering worker during the war, and a young inspired priest impressed me greatly. Through many anecdotal stories and testimonies, who Wojtyla is became more clear to me.
I also greatly enjoyed the informative dynamic between the Communist state, the Polish Church, and Karol Wojtyla / John Paul II. It was a fascinating appreciation for just how subtle diplomacy can be and must be, as well as how delicate the situation was in Poland, and certainly the other Soviet-controlled countries.
I didn’t enjoy the book toward the end as it began to question certain things about John Paul II’s life. What began as a relatively unbiased commentary on a life became a biased commentary about church politics in many instances. Perhaps that happens out of necessity because access to that period of John Paul II’s life was more limited, but I found it disappointing as the book drew to a close.
The book took me a while to read through and was full of helpful historical context, particularly that of Poland and Polish history. I enjoyed making connections between Wojtyla’s early life and his later life, which Szulc does rather well.
I liked the book, but I’ve also heard great things about the Weigel book. Definitely insightful and worth the time to learn more about a well known and loved pope and saint of the Church.
What I enjoyed about this book the most was the history up to the point when Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II. The storytelling of his younger days as a bright actor-student, a suffering worker during the war, and a young inspired priest impressed me greatly. Through many anecdotal stories and testimonies, who Wojtyla is became more clear to me.
I also greatly enjoyed the informative dynamic between the Communist state, the Polish Church, and Karol Wojtyla / John Paul II. It was a fascinating appreciation for just how subtle diplomacy can be and must be, as well as how delicate the situation was in Poland, and certainly the other Soviet-controlled countries.
I didn’t enjoy the book toward the end as it began to question certain things about John Paul II’s life. What began as a relatively unbiased commentary on a life became a biased commentary about church politics in many instances. Perhaps that happens out of necessity because access to that period of John Paul II’s life was more limited, but I found it disappointing as the book drew to a close.
The book took me a while to read through and was full of helpful historical context, particularly that of Poland and Polish history. I enjoyed making connections between Wojtyla’s early life and his later life, which Szulc does rather well.
I liked the book, but I’ve also heard great things about the Weigel book. Definitely insightful and worth the time to learn more about a well known and loved pope and saint of the Church.
April 17, 2025
Ironic I am finishing this book Easter week!
It was interesting learning about Pope John Paul II because I really didn’t know a lot about him. He is from Poland and was the first non Italian Pope in 455 years - damn the Italians really had that on lock! 🔐
He lost his entire immediate family by the age of 22 which is sad. He didn’t think he wanted to be a priest until later in life which I think is interesting.
I didn’t realize how big of an impact he had from a political standpoint and helping end communism.
Also he dodged death 3 times - Jesus really had his back. Made me emotional when in 1981 he went to the prison where he forgave the guy that tried to assassinate him...I’m a Leo and I don’t know if I could do that.
Interesting to learn that he really pushed for science in religion too - seeing as historically this kinda clashed. Like he hosted top researchers in science at the Vatican every year for a conference where they talked about the Big Bang theory. But what surprised me is that he was still a hardo on contraception - annoying!
Overall I’d say an interesting read and cool guy! Woulda liked to have met him!
It was interesting learning about Pope John Paul II because I really didn’t know a lot about him. He is from Poland and was the first non Italian Pope in 455 years - damn the Italians really had that on lock! 🔐
He lost his entire immediate family by the age of 22 which is sad. He didn’t think he wanted to be a priest until later in life which I think is interesting.
I didn’t realize how big of an impact he had from a political standpoint and helping end communism.
Also he dodged death 3 times - Jesus really had his back. Made me emotional when in 1981 he went to the prison where he forgave the guy that tried to assassinate him...I’m a Leo and I don’t know if I could do that.
Interesting to learn that he really pushed for science in religion too - seeing as historically this kinda clashed. Like he hosted top researchers in science at the Vatican every year for a conference where they talked about the Big Bang theory. But what surprised me is that he was still a hardo on contraception - annoying!
Overall I’d say an interesting read and cool guy! Woulda liked to have met him!
September 16, 2024
boring in spots but very interesting
October 8, 2018
I am truly impressed. Pope John Paul’s biography has me intrigued from the start. He was a true humanitarian with a great heart. His passion was inspirational. He truly demonstrated the love of Christ.
November 19, 2025
BOOK REVIEW - Pope John Paul II, by Tad Szulc (2004)
The author is Tad Szulc’s is veteran foreign correspondent with deep understanding of Eastern Europe. He captures both the man Karol Józef Wojtyła and the moment. Pope John Paul II remains one of the most most consequential popes in modern history. As a Polish priest forged by war, totalitarianism, and the intellectual rigor of Catholic study he redefined the modern papacy.
The book covers John Paul II’s early life in Wadowice through the tragedies of the Nazi occupation and the suffocating surveillance of Communist Poland, and into the drama of his papacy—his theological convictions, his political interventions, his global travels, and his pastoral instincts. The sections on his role in the fall of Communism are particularly strong, showing a leader who understood both the moral and psychological levers of resistance. Szulc avoids hagiography, giving readers an unvarnished portrait: deeply admiring, yet willing to critique moments of centralization, doctrinal rigidity, or missed opportunities for reform.
Szulc is particularly insightful in describing the internal tensions within the Vatican. John Paul II arrived in Rome with a pastoral and philosophical sensibility shaped by the suffering of twentieth-century Poland—a worldview that emphasized dialogue, human dignity, and spiritual encounter. His early impulses were, in many ways, more open, optimistic, and outward-looking than those of several cardinals who had risen during more defensive or institutionally cautious eras of the Church.
These differences mattered. John Paul II’s eagerness to travel, to speak across ideological boundaries, and to emphasize the Church’s presence in the world sometimes clashed with senior curial figures who preferred a more guarded and internally disciplined approach. Szulc notes the quiet but persistent resistance from conservative cardinals who viewed modernity as inherently corrosive and were uneasy with the pope’s willingness to engage other faiths, cultural movements, and even political structures in mutual conversation.
Szulc does not portray these conflicts as open warfare, but as a continual undercurrent: an energetic, globally engaged pope operating within a hierarchy that often felt more comfortable with caution than with outreach. This dynamic adds depth to Szulc’s portrait, revealing how John Paul II’s papacy cannot be understood solely through external events—it must also be seen through the quieter tensions and negotiations within the Vatican’s own walls.
The biography succeeds most in showing the inner life of a man whose public presence was immense. Szulc traces the roots of John Paul’s spiritual imagination—his love of the outdoors, his philosophical humanism, his Marian devotion, and his lifelong belief in the dignity of the human person. These chapters offer more than biography; they reveal the spiritual architecture behind one of the most influential moral figures of the late twentieth century.
The reconstruction of the 1981 assassination attempt is gripping, and his chapters on the pope’s extensive travels illustrate how John Paul II transformed the papacy into a global pastoral office. Regardless of one’s views on the Church, this biography stands as a masterful account of a towering life.
Quotes:
“Wojtyła’s spirituality was inseparable from his understanding of the human person. For him, the mystery of the individual soul—its freedom, its suffering, its capacity for love—was the central fact of human existence. This conviction guided his life under Nazism and Communism and would later define his papacy: a continual call to recognize the inviolable dignity of every person, regardless of ideology or circumstance.”
“Yet John Paul II’s papacy was also marked by a determination to preserve doctrinal boundaries at all costs, even when many within the Church hoped for greater openness. His resistance to dissent was rooted in a profound belief that truth, once revealed, could not be reshaped by the currents of modernity. Admirers praised his conviction; critics argued that this unyielding stance limited dialogue at the very moment when the Church stood at a crossroads.”
The author is Tad Szulc’s is veteran foreign correspondent with deep understanding of Eastern Europe. He captures both the man Karol Józef Wojtyła and the moment. Pope John Paul II remains one of the most most consequential popes in modern history. As a Polish priest forged by war, totalitarianism, and the intellectual rigor of Catholic study he redefined the modern papacy.
The book covers John Paul II’s early life in Wadowice through the tragedies of the Nazi occupation and the suffocating surveillance of Communist Poland, and into the drama of his papacy—his theological convictions, his political interventions, his global travels, and his pastoral instincts. The sections on his role in the fall of Communism are particularly strong, showing a leader who understood both the moral and psychological levers of resistance. Szulc avoids hagiography, giving readers an unvarnished portrait: deeply admiring, yet willing to critique moments of centralization, doctrinal rigidity, or missed opportunities for reform.
Szulc is particularly insightful in describing the internal tensions within the Vatican. John Paul II arrived in Rome with a pastoral and philosophical sensibility shaped by the suffering of twentieth-century Poland—a worldview that emphasized dialogue, human dignity, and spiritual encounter. His early impulses were, in many ways, more open, optimistic, and outward-looking than those of several cardinals who had risen during more defensive or institutionally cautious eras of the Church.
These differences mattered. John Paul II’s eagerness to travel, to speak across ideological boundaries, and to emphasize the Church’s presence in the world sometimes clashed with senior curial figures who preferred a more guarded and internally disciplined approach. Szulc notes the quiet but persistent resistance from conservative cardinals who viewed modernity as inherently corrosive and were uneasy with the pope’s willingness to engage other faiths, cultural movements, and even political structures in mutual conversation.
Szulc does not portray these conflicts as open warfare, but as a continual undercurrent: an energetic, globally engaged pope operating within a hierarchy that often felt more comfortable with caution than with outreach. This dynamic adds depth to Szulc’s portrait, revealing how John Paul II’s papacy cannot be understood solely through external events—it must also be seen through the quieter tensions and negotiations within the Vatican’s own walls.
The biography succeeds most in showing the inner life of a man whose public presence was immense. Szulc traces the roots of John Paul’s spiritual imagination—his love of the outdoors, his philosophical humanism, his Marian devotion, and his lifelong belief in the dignity of the human person. These chapters offer more than biography; they reveal the spiritual architecture behind one of the most influential moral figures of the late twentieth century.
The reconstruction of the 1981 assassination attempt is gripping, and his chapters on the pope’s extensive travels illustrate how John Paul II transformed the papacy into a global pastoral office. Regardless of one’s views on the Church, this biography stands as a masterful account of a towering life.
Quotes:
“Wojtyła’s spirituality was inseparable from his understanding of the human person. For him, the mystery of the individual soul—its freedom, its suffering, its capacity for love—was the central fact of human existence. This conviction guided his life under Nazism and Communism and would later define his papacy: a continual call to recognize the inviolable dignity of every person, regardless of ideology or circumstance.”
“Yet John Paul II’s papacy was also marked by a determination to preserve doctrinal boundaries at all costs, even when many within the Church hoped for greater openness. His resistance to dissent was rooted in a profound belief that truth, once revealed, could not be reshaped by the currents of modernity. Admirers praised his conviction; critics argued that this unyielding stance limited dialogue at the very moment when the Church stood at a crossroads.”
December 5, 2012
Pope John Paul II was a man for a times with a clear sense of purpose, but it wasn't always that way. His first love was acting, which might explain why he had such presence on the stage of life. He lost his mother when he was very young, then his doctor brother, and his father at 21. By the time he decided to become a priest, he had no family at all, so he embraced the church as his spouse. He worked in a rock quarry, which I never realized, so he was no stranger to hard physical labor. In occupied Poland, he helped shield Jews from the Nazis. That experience formed is opinion of socialism and her ugly cousin, communism, philosophies he fought his whole life. He was fluent in seven languages and natural intellectual curiosity. What's interesting is how he managed to do stay obedient to his church, rejecting a more Liberation stance, which many mistakenly believed meant that he was the kind of guy who remained quietly in his place, never making waves. In hindsight, it's humorous how the government at the time, the one that oppressed the Polish people, run by communists, practically forced the church to appoint him as bishop of Krakow. They they thought he wouldn't make waves, so they gave their approval, not realizing they didn't have a lamb on their leash, but a raging lion. And trying to control a lion on a leash is a dangerous thing!
Although the book feels dry sometimes, I expected that with non-fiction, especially when we're dealing with the details of real politics. I learned a great deal about the man, the priest, the pope and have come away from this book with a great respect for the someone I didn't know a whole lot about.
Although the book feels dry sometimes, I expected that with non-fiction, especially when we're dealing with the details of real politics. I learned a great deal about the man, the priest, the pope and have come away from this book with a great respect for the someone I didn't know a whole lot about.
July 4, 2008
Why the fuck am I reading this??? I like biographies. The book was a gift I stole from a bookstore back in '99 to give to my Grandma Arel for her birthday. She passed away last summer and honestly I didn't feel anything. The only momento I have from her that I appreciate is what she wrote on the inside cover of the book after I gave it to her.
October 7, 2011
BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 7, 2011
who ever wroght that comment I agger with you.I what to blow up this with in the first page
August 31, 2012
I'm not a big fan of biographies, but I was interested in learning about our Blessed Pope John Paul II.
November 26, 2012
its about the life of the person, who lead the catholics around the world. Worth reading.
Want to read
March 4, 2016I really didn't finish it. I got bored
March 22, 2018
Very good history on a Saint of today.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews