The Big Hustle & I Loved Jesus in the Night (2 Book Set)

• Book set pairs Jim Walhberg's struggles & conversion story with the struggles of his mentor - Mother Teresa
• The Big Hustle
• After a life of drugs and jail time, Jim went on to help other addicts on the road to recovery
• I Loved Jesus in the Night
• Encounter St. Mother Teresa's joy and suffering

The Big Hustle

When Jim Wahlberg went to prison the second time at 22 years old, he was sentenced to six to nine years for breaking and entering, bargained down from life for home invasion. He had staggered into a Boston cop’s apartment, helping himself to the sellable stuff and all the beer in the fridge. The cop came home, found Jim passed out at the kitchen table, beat the hell out of him, and arrested him.

But Wahlberg, a 130-pound kid from Dorchester, had learned some things from his life on the street and his first prison sentence. He knew how to survive. And he knew that if he wanted to avoid serving the full sentence, he would have to do something.

He did what he was best at: He hustled. He would create the illusion that he was trying to change, that he’d become the model prisoner, not a guy hell-bent on getting out while he was still young enough to drink more, steal more, and do more drugs.

He didn’t know, though, that the Catholic priest he was trying to hustle was actually hustling him.

The Big Hustle is the story of a redeemed life and a family’s healing. This is the no-holds-barred, unvarnished, and sometimes brutal true story of Jim Wahlberg, the fifth of nine kids growing up in a working-class Irish Catholic neighborhood outside of Boston, hustling for attention any way he could get it, which led him to the biggest hustle of his life. Against all odds he got clean, he got out, and he got the girl. Jim dedicated his new life as a former addict to working with addicts, and for years has spread the word that recovery is possible.

But nothing could have prepared him for what came next. His discovery that his own son was an addict threw Jim into a crisis—one that led him deeper into his faith and led to healing he never thought possible. This book is a testament to God’s power and an invitation to all of us to hope in the darkest places.

About the Author

Jim is the fifth oldest Wahlberg. Like his brothers Donnie and Mark, Jim recovered from his tough upbringing in the streets of Dorchester to become producer, writer, and director of films, including The Circle of Addiction, What About the Kids?, and The Lookalike. Jim is the executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, created to improve the quality of life for inner city youth through a working partnership with other youth organizations.

I Loved Jesus in the Night

I Loved Jesus in the Night is one priest's compelling account of meeting with the saint of Calcutta. Sharing anecdotes and first-hand experiences, Paul Murray offers a glimpse into why Mother Teresa could declare, in one of her letters, that if ever she were to "become a saint," she would surely be one of "darkness."

This very personal yet powerful book is an attempt to come to terms with the dark night experiences endured by Mother Teresa in the light of the Gospel and the mystical teachings of St John of the Cross. And something else as well...revelations of Mother Teresa's sense of humor! 

"I Loved Jesus in the Night by Dominican Father Paul Murray recounts in 24 short chapters his experiences and lessons learned from time spent with Mother Teresa. Since his first encounter with her in a university classroom, Fr. Murray was struck to the core by her "radiant joy" and the simplicity and candor that permeated his heart and mind. This book is easy to read and gives insights into the spiritual life and relationship with Jesus that drove this carrier of God's love to serve the poorest of the poor." —Catholic Missourian 

"Mother Teresa suffered this spiritual darkness most of her life but kept her faith amid the suffering. Murray had several contacts with Mother Teresa and discusses these and other aspects of the spirituality of the dark night of the soul. This small book should be pondered rather than quickly read. It is highly recommended to those interested in Mother Teresa and the dark night of the soul." —Benet Exton, The Oklahoman

Dimensions & Specifications:

The Big Hustle

• Author: Jim Wahlberg
• Pages: 168
• Format: Paperback 

I Loved Jesus in the Night

• Author: Paul Murray
• Pages: 120
• Format: Softcover