Former US ambassador to Malta Douglas Kmiec shall be returning in a few days to launch a book about a tragic accident in August, 2010 during which he lost two of his closest friends.

The book 'Lift Up your Hearts' is being launched at the Aula Magna in St Paul Street, Valletta on April 19 at 1.45 p.m.

The book with a foreword by Ambassador Kmiec's friend, actor Martin Sheen, is an inspirational work written after the accident in California in which a nun and a priest died and Ambassador Kmiec had to undergo several interventions.

The accident happened when the Hyundai Accent driven by the ambassador crashed into a ditch. Prof. Kmiec had said in The Sunday Times that the car crash that resulted in the death of his dear friend and the serious injury of his confessor would ­forever haunt his days and nights.

The book talks of the ambassador's resignation when he saw that his inter-faith diplomacy in Malta was not supported by the State Department.

It provides insights and reflections that may be transferable to one's own challenges in life.

People wishing to attend the launch should book by e-mail at: comms@um.edu.mt tel. 2340 2202.