The Frassati Field Guide: A Tiny Book that Packs a Punch

Karen Estep reviews Bobby Angel’s newest book from Ave Maria Press, The Frassati Field Guide: An 8-Day Ascent to Heroic Virtue.  

The Frassati Field Guide: An 8-Day Ascent to Heroic Virtue

By Bobby Angel

Published by Ave Maria Press

Last year, my students had to pick a saint (or a soon-to-be saint) to do some research for a reading group. Several of my young men picked to learn more about Pier Giorgio Frassati and the more they shared about Frassati’s life, the more I needed to learn more myself!  

Ask and you shall receive: Bobby Angel wrote a new book from Ave Maria Press, The Frassati Field Guide, An 8-Day Ascent to Heroic Virtue.  

In the introduction, Bobby explains that this book is meant to truly be a field guide. It is meant to go along on your adventures with you, from the grocery store to park play dates and even “to the heights!” There are places to take notes after each day’s reading — and a huge plus is that this book is small, so it is easy to carry.  

Although this field guide is small and compact, there is so much to learn about Pier Giorgio Frassati’s life while reading this book. For example, I had no idea that Frassati had lived in Germany for a time and tried to help the people there before returning to his home country of Italy. I also learned that although from a more well-off family, his parents had relationship troubles, which ultimately brought Frassati and his sister closer together. Information like that helps me remember that all of us have our own journeys on our paths to sainthood.  

The book is broken into an 8-day devotional schedule of readings. Each day has a virtue assigned to it. You read a bit about Frassati’s life first (honestly, this was my favorite part), there is a short reflection after that to tie your life together with Frassati’s example, a short Bible excerpt/reflection, another personal reflection space, and prayer. Each day is a very quick read, and I found the historical moments from Frassati’s life fascinating.

The next time I read this, I will probably focus more on the reflections that Bobby has written so that I can then use Frassati’s examples of the virtues in my own life. One of the great things about this book is that Bobby wrote it in such a way that a person can read it again and again to gain new insights every time it is read.   

Can Saints Stalk Us?  

Before becoming Catholic, this thought would have seemed slightly alarming. However, after becoming Catholic I totally understand that this is a real thing. Frassati has been trying to get my attention for some time and I am so glad he has! Bobby did such a great job telling stories from Frassati’s life. I learned so much about Frassati’s life that has weird ties to my own life that it is too perfect to be a coincidence; clearly, Frassati has been trying to get me to know him more.

My favorite examples from that have been learning about two of Frassati’s friends who happened to be brothers. One brother was named Hugo (this name happens to go back 15 generations in my family and is my dad’s first name) and the other brother was named Karl (which just happens to be Dad’s middle name). Frassati was really trying to get my attention with that detail, I suppose! Also, Bobby references Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan later on in the book. This cardinal was someone who just a few months ago I had never even heard of, and just a couple of weeks prior to reading this beautiful book, I got to interview Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan’s sister!   

Who Would I Purchase this Book For? 

• Yourself: I know I will read this book again and again. As I said previously, it’s compact enough to fit into a purse. I’ve been trying to challenge myself lately to get off my phone while in public, like when I am in line at the grocery store. This would be a great book to carry around and pull out while waiting someplace. The best part about that idea is, think of it not only as a field guide but an evangelization tool too!   
  
  
• Teens/Young Adults: I think Frassati is such a cool, relatable saint. He literally lived his life daring the edges of mountains! Young people will learn that you can be cool and live your life for God too! You can change the world around you while also having fun.  
  
  
• Husbands/Boyfriends: Once again, Frassati is just very relatable, especially for men, because he was the ultimate “guys’ guy.”   

Let’s all try to challenge ourselves to live our lives like Pier Giorgio Frassati lived his life. We need to live our lives for God, set the world on fire for God in small ways that make huge impacts, and remember that our journey is always moving forward, “to the heights!”  

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Karen Estep
Images: Canva