Many people will always believe that the safe landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River a few weesks back was nothing short of a miracle. The pilot, Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger, a genuine American hero, offers another explanation here.

The Washington Post Book World takes note of My Cousin the Saint in a recommendation of new titles.

The cover clearly drew the reviewer in. Like so much else with this project, I have been blessed with the good fortune to have remarkably talented people contributing along the way. James Iacobelli at HarperCollins is responsible for the gorgeous cover design. And the lovely image of Padre Gaetano on the cover is the work of noted Austin, Texas illustrator Marc Burkhardt.

The image was actually commissioned in 2004 by Holly Holliday and Lance Elko at Attache magazine, US Airways former in-flight title, for an article I wrote about the saint and my Italian relatives. For those interested, Marc has agreed to make available high-quality prints of the iconic Padre Gaetano illustration.