Just in time for the Pope's April 2008 visit to the US Highlighting a little-known personal side of Pope Benedict XVI, this book places him in the context of his homeland, Bavaria a place which Brennan Pursell has come to know well through extensive travel and study over the last 12 years. Explore the extraordinary brilliance of Pope Benedict's mind and the universality of his vocation within the context of his identity as a simple Bavarian son. Includes color photos and a rare look at a day in the life of the Pope. Benedict of Bavaria took two years to write, and was born of an overwhelming desire Dr. Pursell felt to make the life and work of his favorite theologian better known to the American reading public. Much of the media coverage about the Pope has demonstrated a general lack of knowledge about the culture that contributed so decisively to his youth and formation. This book helps change that. Since 2001, Pursell has served as a professor of history at DeSales University, a Catholic liberal arts college in eastern Pennsylvania, where he teaches a wide range of courses in European history and leads summer tours of Bavaria for students and community members.