From the Holocaust to the moon landing, from Maradona’s unforgettable goal to the fall of the Berlin Wall—global history turns deeply personal in Life, My Story Through History, a compelling 240-page memoir that follows Pope Francis's journey from a boy in Buenos Aires to the spiritual leader of the Catholic world. Unlike traditional autobiographies, this work intertwines the Pope’s life with humanity’s most defining events, reflecting how deeply the personal and the historical are interwoven.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was just three when the world was plunged into the chaos of World War II. He opens his story by recounting those early years, shaped by the fear and sorrow of global conflict, particularly the horrors of the Nazi genocide and its emotional toll on his family—most notably his mother.
As he grows, history unfolds around him. The autobiography revisits watershed moments like the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the financial upheaval of the 2008 recession, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and the dramatic events of his own papal election. Maradona’s legendary World Cup goal also finds a place, a nod to Argentina’s shared national pride.
In these pages, Francis reflects on humanity’s triumphs and tragedies: the awe of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, the unraveling of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the seismic impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He does not shy away from the rawness of recent history either—detailing the Covid-19 pandemic, its isolating lockdowns, and the collective grief it stirred.
He also addresses ongoing conflicts in Yemen, Sudan, and Ukraine—drawing haunting parallels with the global despair he witnessed as a child during World War II. These reflections lead him to speak openly about injustice, ecological collapse, warfare, nuclear threats, and the atrocities of genocide, urging younger generations to learn from the errors etched into the past.
“This book,” Pope Francis declares, “is the story of my life seen through the great trials and milestones of the past eighty years. It is written especially for young people—to help them hear the voice of an old man who has watched the world stumble and rise again. We must revisit the painful memories and the sins committed—to reflect, to discern, and to change—before time runs out.”
Penned by Italian journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona and released by HarperCollins, Life, My Story Through History is more than a personal narrative. It is a testament—an invitation to remember, to learn, and to strive for a future that does not repeat the mistakes of yesterday.
In sharing his past, the Pope offers us a lens to reexamine our own, leaving behind a legacy of reflection and hope.