Nishant Rana Rana থেকে Katiliai 13266, Lietuva
This book changed my life. It's hard to explain. You really have to read it. (Based on my experience, it helps to be a Catholic who loves books.) Kathleen Norris is a poet and has a poet's perspective on Catholicism and the ways of Benedictine monks. But she's also a Protestant, with a refreshingly level-headed outsider's perspective on the seemingly impenetrable world inside a monastery. The monks and nuns she describes are real, honest, witty and faithful people, with great stories and a passion for their religion that seems very accessible. My favorite of the chapters in the book are her essays on Catholic women saints (one on St. Maria Goretti and 1950's American Catholic misogyny, and one on the virgin martyrs). They're very frank about the problems in the way the church has treated women and how Catholic women of faith, including nuns, have struggled with that over the years. Very fresh, compelling stuff.