Prisoner of the Vatican

A Pulitzer Prize winner’s “fascinating” account of the political battles that led to the end of the Papal States ( Entertainment Weekly ). From a National Book Award–nominated author, this absorbing history chronicles the birth of modern Italy and the clandestine politics behind the Vatican’s last stand in the battle between the church and the newly created Italian state. When Italy’s armies seized the Holy City and claimed it for the Italian capital, Pope Pius IX, outraged, retreated to the Vat