HarperNorth scoops 'funny and timely' book by urban parish priest on life during Covid

HarperNorth has scooped Father Alex Frost’s “funny and timely” personal book about the lives of an urban parish priest and his parishioners during Covid and the cost of living crisis.

Jonathan de Peyer, senior commissioning editor, acquired world all language rights to Our Daily Bread: From Argos to the Altar – a Priest’s Story from Jane Graham-Maw of Graham Maw Christie. It will publish in October 2022, with a foreword from Alastair Campbell.  

De Peyer said: “Father Alex has written a wonderful book that reminds us of the bonds that can be forged between people in adversity. Unpretentious, faithful to the stories of those whose lives Alex has touched, funny, and above all timely, Our Daily Bread is a salve in this time of acute crisis.” 

Frost found his calling while running an Argos store in his native Burnley, moonlighting as a stand-up comedian. Once he became a priest, he quickly realised his 17,000 parishioners were in dire need of help. And so it was that during Covid-19 he found himself running a food bank from a car park, helping the desperate amid his flock as the pandemic raged. 

Frost added: “It’s such an honour to give a voice to some incredible people living through these tough times. It’s my wish that the book is read by anyone concerned with the effects of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis upon Britain’s poorest, and I truly hope it helps change things for the better. HarperNorth feels like a natural home with its mission to bring books from the north to the world.”