Some 25 years after I first attempted to write this book, and more than 45 years after I first thought the story of the downtown monks of Newark Abbey had a story that ought to be told in a book, William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, today officially published On This Ground. To make the day even sweeter, this morning's Wall Street Journal carried a full column review, from the top of the page to the bottom, of my book, saying that it will leave readers "with a sense o

My latest opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times, Jan. 15, 2026

P laying on God’s team. In the summer of 1967, Newark, New Jersey, was beset by violence and arson. Civil unrest forced the city’s premier Catholic high school, St. Benedict’s, to close in 1973, but a devoted band of Benedictine monks revived the campus. Over the next 50 years, St. Benedict’s became one of the most demanding and rewarding private high schools in the U.S. DePalma, author of The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times , writes that the school has become t

We're not scheduled to publish until February 2026 but pre-orders help gain attention. Thanks!

How does the toughest prep school in America teach confidence, independence and courage? Come to Maplewood, NJ on Thursday, May 15, at 7...