Speakers from Seeds of Inspiration event (left to right): Bridget Hart, Molly Bardine, Gregg Brandalise, Michelle Murdock (not pictured: Evan Mack).
How a Five-Minute Documentary Clip Inspired a Powerful Novel About Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN
Watch the full interview between Sister Judith Clemens, SNDdeN, and author Gregg Brandalise to learn more about the remarkable journey behind The Death of Us All. This interview was recorded before the Seeds of Inspiration event in February 2025, commemorating the 20th anniversary of Sister Dorothy Stang's martyrdom.
For California author Gregg Brandalise, a brief segment about Sister Dorothy Stang in the environmental documentary Cowspiracy changed everything. What started as inspiration for a musical evolved into a six-year journey to write a novel.
"I started writing her backstory. Before you know it, I had 4,000 words. I'm just going, whoa, it's not a play, it's a book. And I'd never written a book before," Brandalise recalls.
Brandalise's commitment to authenticity led him to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, where he spent hours conducting interviews, read extensively, and connected with Dorothy's family members to gain a deeper understanding of her story.
"I had a very strong foundation of information that I really felt I knew Dorothy quite well," he says.
The Death of Us All delivers Dorothy's timeless message to a world in need of healing. "Dorothy's message is universal," Brandalise explains. "In the world we're in right now, that is so polar—you've got right and left, rich and poor—there's so much that has us at odds."
Sister Dorothy's message of peace, love, sustainability, and equality offers what he calls "the reparation that society needs." Through fiction, he hopes to reach new audiences with her inspiring story. As one reader noted, the book "took me from my all-encompassing world and brought me into a much more important one."
Purchase the novel The Death of Us All on Gregg's website: GreggBrandalise.com