A new pope sets out to lift up the impoverished on the entire continent of Africa. That is an incredible and lofty goal, but it is also a successful story plot that Cimini conjures in his epic historical novel. The author's remarkable book lays out what could have been. "You have... authority to do something spectacular... for almost a billion people," pointed out Pope Francis Xavier's secretary, Father Susanto. Readers learn much while fantasizing about saving the world: "At the beginning of World War II, Pope Pius XII established the Vatican Bank for funding charitable services around the world...."

The author also writes a historically accurate description of how Somalia came to such ruin politically, along with facts and a description of life in Sudan. In the story, the planning of operation Bring Africa Together (B.A.T.) considers military implications of restructuring the class system and culturally sensitive ways to invoke change. "Let our actions and our organization be our introduction to what we are planning, not words of explanation, but deeds of improvement."

There can be no doubt that an intellectual penned this book. Cimini includes interesting research regarding the ethics of poverty. "..economic stress can be a factor in a person's cognitive capacity.... If a person is anxious about bills... stress can cause the body to interfere with its ability to exert self-discipline," explains Vitali, a fictitious psychologist, though the research is real. The story is engaging, the writing professional, and the themes are deep. Would it be possible to rebalance the economic playing field on an entire continent? Is it ultimately humanity's moral responsibility to do so? Beyond all that, the book is completely original in plot and wholly engaging reading.

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