Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider [Hardcover]

Suzanne Clores (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2000

Cultivating a spiritual practice among hip, urbane Generation Next-ers is "as unpopular as letter writing," muses author Suzanne Clores. Yet her exploration of nontraditional religions and her conversations with other seekers offer a fascinating glimpse into the hearts and minds of young women searching for meaning in a secular world. Fed up with a life that is comfortable yet lacking in substance, Clores sets out to find "authentic spirituality." By examining her own and other women's postcollege longing for spirituality, she attempts to unravel the dilemma of a generation that didn't grow up with a religious emphasis. The result is one of the first books to mirror young women's yearning for a spiritual path they can fully and wholeheartedly embrace.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Suzanne Clores gives voice to all the Christian expatriates who find themselves hungering for God and yet cannot find a satisfying meal no matter what religion or spiritual community they break bread with. We first meet Clores when she's an adolescent Catholic girl turned rebel and deserter. By the time she reaches her 20s, though, Clores is beginning to feel the hole in her life where God usually dwells. And so she takes on a familiar quest of the '90s, that of sifting through different beliefs in order to find spirit. At first she explores Wicca, then it's shamanism, then Voodoo, Yoga, Sufism, and Buddhism.

This may sound like a flighty journey, with the narrator drifting from one fad to another. Yet, Clores's honesty makes this read like a respectable quest. In every encounter she finds a souvenir of wisdom. Wicca teaches her to hold up a mirror when searching for God. In yoga Clores learns about the deeper implications of pushing limits. From Buddhism she discovers that mediation is "like love without the grief." In the end, there is no tidy package tied up with strings, no tear-wrenching return to Christianity. Rather, this is a mature memoir that speaks to a common dilemma--how to claim and develop one's spirituality outside of a religious container. --Gail Hudson

From Booklist

Several years ago Clores, a young woman with a fast-track New York life, found herself on the edge of an abyss. Not literally, for the city continued to buzz around her, although she felt as though she were about to career off into nothingness. That moment inaugurated her spiritual crisis and her quest. Since leaving institutional Christianity, after discovering its body- and woman-hating doctrines, she had lived an unquestioning, secular life. But her spirit called out to be nurtured, and finally, she attended to it. Her engaging memoir describes encounters with wicca, Buddhism, yoga, shamanism, vodun, and Sufism, each of which offered her wisdom and the company of other young female seekers. She ultimately determined that her own path is one of questioning all authority rather than resting in any tradition, but she writes with respect and clarity about the various paths she has followed. Her book will speak to many of her generation and to others as well. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Conari Pr; First Edition edition (October 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573241725
• ISBN-13: 978-1573241724
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,956,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wrote my first story when I was eight. It was called "Super Egg to the Rescue" about a hard boiled egg who recovered stolen jewels from thieves even though his head was cracked. He was an outcast, an outsider, and an unlikely hero. In some ways I've been writing about outsiders and unlikely heroes ever since. My book, Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider, tells my story and the stories of other women who seek a spiritual home in far flung places. Native American Women shares the lives of Indian women who hold together their social, political and economic communities by innate strength and resourcefulness. The Wisdom of the Saints is full of teachings from people who underwent extreme sacrifice in order to discover deep knowledge. All of these books celebrate unlikely heroes. My next book, a novel, aims to do the same. Coming soon!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, Honest, Informative, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book for someone who, like the author, is seeking spiritual fulfillment--or for anyone who simply wants to know more about Eastern and "alternative" religions. Clores is brutally honest about the ups and downs of her spiritual quest. She is a likable and entertaining guide, and the tone is light, despite the seriousness of the topic. This probably sounds funny, but I think that this book would make an excellent Christmas/Hanukkah gift. Too many of us forget that there is a rich spiritual world outside the gates of the major organized religions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Try another book, August 20, 2011

By 

Jade Feathers (OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider (Hardcover)

Throughout the book Ms. Clores wrote that there were many things wrong in her life, and because of that, she was searching for the right spiritual answers. Still, she refused to think about committing to any path. She focused her spiritual journey on quick answers, but no relationship is instantaneous. Certainly a spiritual practice is about building a relationship to the divine.

Even when she enjoyed a spiritual event, she found a reason not to participate in a second one. With one excuse or another, she held herself apart. She intellectually analyzed what she might be feeling instead of focusing on what she truly did feel. Most of the time, she did not try to understand the various beliefs. She didn't even ask questions.

And so, she learned next to nothing. Bouncing from one spiritual practice to another, she rarely asked questions and often walked away with incorrect assumptions. There was so much she could have learned, but her assumptions blocked the way. She offered a frustrating lack of involvement in her own journey. Much of the information provided in the book is extremely basic and some of it is totally inaccurate.

5.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs Opens Doors, September 10, 2011

By 

Georgia Whitebear - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider (Hardcover)

I read this book when I was in my late twenties and still "searching". It was the PERFECT book for that time period because it addressed the spiritual angst I was feeling at a similar age. I had accomplished all my goals (get a degree, get a job, get married) and I was still a member of the church/religion in which I was raised. I *SHOULD* have been content. I was not. When I picked up this book, I had hoped it would address some other options for spiritual fulfillment and it did just that. I never anticipated it would show me how I SHOULD worship; afterall, my life had been filled with people doing THAT and look how it turned out. While the score of 1 review points out that Suzanne's path was never committed to any specific religion as a negative, I, in turn, found that to be a positive. It was the FIRST time I'd ever read ANYTHING that--- rather than attempting to persuade me to see it THEIR way--- gave me logical, thoughtful, and non-biased way to look at spirituality and a multitude of paths. Rather than telling me where to look, this book gave me the knowledge and strength of self to begin my OWN search to find a relationship with the Divine. Is it going to answer all your questions? No. If anything, it should raise even more. THAT is what a great book does :)