Wake up with purpose! /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Known to millions as simply "Sister Jean," the Loyola Chicago matriarch and college basketball icon invites you into her remarkable memoir filled with history, wonder, and common-sense wisdom for this century and beyond. As Sister Jean wisely says, "I've seen so many changes in the last 102 years, but the important things remain the same."

Part life story, part philosophy text, and part spiritual guide, Sister Jean's wit, wisdom, and common sense has broad appeal and application that transcends religious creed, belief, and even feelings on Loyola's basketball team.

Along with her collaborator Seth Davis, an award-winning writer, broadcaster and New York Times best-selling author, Wake Up with Purpose! lets you experience:

Sister Jean's words and her spirit. her sharp sense of humor. life lessons gleaned from one hundred years of living. universal themes that connect us all. priceless wisdom.

The driving force inside Wake Up with Purpose! is the narrative of Sister Jean's fascinating life--from teaching at a Catholic school during the Second World War to serving on a Chicago college campus in the sixties and beyond to cheering from the sidelines of a men's basketball tournament in March 2018.

As you learn about Sister Jean's century-long life, you'll feel just like the Loyola students do when they knock on her office door, plop down in a chair, and ask if she would have time to chat, an activity that she still does daily.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Prologue (vii)
• Chapter 1 It Starts with Belief (1)
• Chapter 2 The Blessings of Acceptance (13)
• Chapter 3 The Power of Dreams (25)
• Chapter 4 Becoming a Teacher (39)
• Chapter 5 Coach Jean (51)
• Chapter 6 Principal Jean (65)
• Chapter 7 Mundelein (79)
• Chapter 8 War and Peace (93)
• Chapter 9 Loyola (107)
• Chapter 10 Jumping into Hoops (121)
• Chapter 11 Worship, Work, Win (133)
• Chapter 12 From Arch Madness to March Mdadness (149)
• Chapter 13 The Sister Jean Bounce (159)
• Chapter 14 The Final Four (167)
• Chapter 15 Wins and Losses, Hellos and Goodbyes (179)
• Chapter 16 That Old Community Spirit (189)
• Chapter 17 Getting Old and Staying Young (201)
• Epilogue: Life and Death (211)
• Acknowledgments (217)
• About the Author (221)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

The 103-year-old nun, famed for her courtside presence at multiple NCAA men's basketball tournaments, serves up anecdotally driven lessons for life. "Thank you, God, for all our blessings and the chance to serve You. But goodness gracious, can't we make March Madness just once?" So writes Sister Jean, as she's known, who doesn't shy away from opining about the mixed quality of the coaches with whom she's worked as the longtime chaplain for the Loyola Chicago Ramblers. Neither does she shy from puns or pronouncements on all sorts of matters, from the utility of the iPad for studying Scripture to the power of positive thinking and even self-praise ("As I nod off, I pat myself on the back for all the good things I've done that day"). As the author writes, assisted by longtime CBS college basketball guru Davis, those good things include simply waking up, purpose or no. Clearly beloved by Loyola's students and players--who, she notes, are religiously diverse, with a large Muslim population--Sister Jean is both deeply religious and fond of poking fun at life's foibles, not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Charles Barkley. On that note, she is solid in her courtside commentary, as when she breaks down some of the key moments in the team's historic run to the Final Four in 2018. Throughout, she acknowledges that her constant presence next to the bench has made her an icon, though she pokes fun at herself as well, saying, "Let's face it, people love little old ladies!" Clearly people love underdogs, too, and though Loyola Chicago went for three decades without making it to March Madness, they've had a good run in the last few years thanks to strong coaching and, of course, excellent players. A pleasure for college basketball fans, especially those of religious inclination. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.