The Desert Pilgrim: En Route to Mysticism and Miracles [Paperback]

Mary Swander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2004

In this exquisite memoir, critically acclaimed writer Mary Swander recounts her extraordinary trek from suffering to emotional, physical, and spiritual recovery. After a car accident left her almost completely paralyzed and in chronic pain with no medical cure in sight, Swander—a lapsed Catholic, without any family to speak of—headed for New Mexico in search of the alternative medicine that the region is known for. Amid the stark beauty of the desert, she meets two unusual healers: Father Sergei, a Russian Orthodox monk who helps restore her faith, and Lu, a curandera, whose herbal remedies help restore her body. Using her own transcendent experiences, Swander weaves an investigation into the history of healing and such mystics as Teresa of Avila, St. Francis of Assisi, and Hildegard of Bingen. Beautifully written, The Desert Pilgrim shows readers how to restore their faith in the modern world— and how to believe in miracles again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This nonfiction memoir of a chronically ill poet who rediscovers her Catholic faith and perceives its healing power reads like a cross between Kathleen Norris and Carlos Castaneda. Swander, an Iowa poet who developed a paralyzing neurological condition when her car was hit by a drunk driver, weaves family history and an introduction to historic Catholic mystics into a tale of her recovery from illness when she journeys from snowbound Iowa to the desert of New Mexico as a visiting professor. She meets two "everyday mystics"-a Russian Orthodox priest named Father Sergei, whose theology has a discernible Buddhist accent, and a Hispanic herbal healer named Lu. Both tend to her body and soul as they help her to recover. The author writes movingly and keenly about the death of her mother from cancer, and her details of landscape and situation are lively in their particularity: a yapping pack of Chihuahuas, the lusty zucchini growing in Father Sergei's garden. Swander's language of faith is more hesitant as she searches for its embodiment in her lived experience. The timeless Christian allegory of pilgrimage to belief is freshly rendered. This poet-pilgrim joins a literary tradition of others before her who journeyed through the dark nights of doubt to the convinced light of faith. This is a beautifully written book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Beautifully written... a cross between Kathleen Norris and Carlos Castaneda. (Publishers Weekly) Reads like an epic... In a journey from despair to healing, [Swander] finds the power of faith and love and what is truly significant. (Linda Hogan, author of Power)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142196304
• ISBN-13: 978-0142196304
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,586,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Healing Journey, December 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Desert Pilgrim: En Route to Mysticism and Miracles (Hardcover)

In The Desert Pilgrim, Iowan Mary Swander shares her journey from debilitating illness to physical and spiritual healing with the help of an Orthodox monk and an herbal healer in an Albuquerque barrio. Swander doesn't exaggerate the extent of her recovery or the power of her regained faith, yet there is no doubt she has been transformed by this experience and by the wisdom and generosity of Lu and Father Sergei. Swander's writing is clear and accessible, and her story is an inspiration.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meaningful and Inspiring, January 24, 2004

By 

Kelley Hunt (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Desert Pilgrim: En Route to Mysticism and Miracles (Hardcover)

Swander does some important legwork for everyone who has suffered chronic illness and/or pain and wondered why, why, why, and how can I be healed ?!
She describes her journey to New Mexico and her hopes for finding healing there, but she discovers so much more than healing. She shares with us the wisdom of a Catholic monk, a woman with a gift for prescribing herbal remedies, and mystics such as Hildegard of Bingen, St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and St. Francis. The book also touches on other topics such as the medical establishment, meditation, the history of women healers, and relevant episodes of the author's family life. This book is a wonderful treat stuffed full of inspirational messages, information and ideas that most of us can relate to.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars remarkable, January 6, 2007

By 

A. Santangelo (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Desert Pilgrim: En Route to Mysticism and Miracles (Hardcover)

this is a heartfelt, truthful work. mary swander is an inspiration and her writing is comforting and honest.