A Monk's Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World [Hardcover]

Jeremy Driscoll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2006

Monastic literature has inspired and challenged the world outside the cloister ever since monks started putting their thoughts on paper well over fifteen hundred years ago. With his Monk's Alphabet, Father Jeremy Driscoll brings the genre into the twenty-first century, offering a collection of compact and thought-provoking essays on life, faith, and the world around us from the perspective of someone whose existence is structured around the unfolding of the interior life.

The 187 meditations are arranged by short titles in alphabetical order to emphasize that the reader can approach them in random fashion, without preconceived ideas, to be surprised by where they lead the heart and mind.

"If I am a monk," Father Jeremy says, "that means also that I am just a man, connected with all other men and women in my time . . . and in other times. I am searching, like we all do. I struggle to believe, like we all do. Life is lovely, life is hard—this is true for me like it is for us all. That is why I think to share my alphabet. Not because monks are different and so worth a visit to see them in a zoo, but because my monastic life has given me the space to think about things that we all care about and all have to face."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What do the following words have in common—O'Keeffe, Orchard, Oyster? Not much apart from their initial letter, and therein lies a problem with this book of alphabetical meditations. Driscoll, a Benedictine monk who commutes between an abbey in Oregon and a seminary in Rome, claims Marcus Aurelius, Evagrius Ponticus and Blaise Pascal as his literary models (they all wrote "short, provisional essays... to provoke thought") and promises that "the many and varied thoughts come together and begin to sketch certain patterns, not created by ourselves trying to remain in control, but formed from a deeper logic." The book's introduction is actually quite fascinating. But by the time readers hit Bluntly, Breathless, Bugs, they may be longing for Kathleen Norris's Amazing Grace or Frederick Buechner's Wishful Thinking, abecedarian books with fresher insights and more focused ramblings. Much of Driscoll's writing is highly personal, as if lifted from private journals; depression is a recurring theme. Though he tends to belabor the obvious and is sometimes annoyingly self-absorbed, he tells a few good stories, asks some thoughtful questions and will appeal to readers who have always wanted an unedited peek inside a monk's head. Mistakes, Monastic, Moose. (Aug. 8)
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Review

“Driscoll asks some thoughtful questions and A Monk’s Alphabet will appeal to readers who have always wanted an unedited peek inside a monk’s head.”—Publishers Weekly

“With 187 entries ranging from paragraphs to pages of reflections and meditations, Jeremy Driscoll elicits both smiles and tears in these gems from A Monk’s Alphabet.”—The Oregonian

“A Monk’s Alphabet calls forth the reader’s ardor, breadth of spirit, curiosity, devotion, and envy of the life well lived, the thing well made.”—Paul Elie, author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage

 "A rare peek into the world of a committed monk who knows how to have fun with his ABC's. His alphabet will help you find the words of your own religious experience and search for God."—Edward L. Beck, author of God Underneath: Spiritual Memoirs of a Catholic Priest --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590303733
• ISBN-13: 978-1590303733
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,815,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE LETTERS OF "A MONK'S ALPHABET" SPELL EXCELLENT, January 9, 2007

By 

J. H. Andrus (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Monk's Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World (Hardcover)

A MONK'S ALPHABET is a grand little book by Father Jeremy Driscoll, a Benedictine monk. It is an alphabetized list of short reflections, stories and observations. Whimsical humor infuses many of the pieces; a few are downright funny. There are "Ah-ha!" moments of serious truth, expressions of fear and doubt regarding faith, and insight into the human condition no matter what the faith. What binds them all is a refreshing combination of the author's innate dignity and naked honesty.

The dust cover of A MONK'S ALPHABET says that the book's 210 pages contain 187 "meditations." I'm sure that's what they are, but I read them as good literature and got the unencumbered joy that comes from that.

"First Love," a childhood memoir from the middle of the book, is light and airy and so readable you almost slip past the surprise--love cannot survive a lie. Then you realize this cold truth has haunted every life you know. Under Z the last entry is breathtaking in its evocation of friendship and death, sorrow and soaring hope.

You can read the entire book in one sitting, but the letters in A MONK'S ALPHABET: MOMENTS OF STILLNESS IN A TURNING WORL by Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, are best taken in moderation, like caviar and vodka before dinner, and a chocolate or two after.

I bought five copies of the book. One for myself and the other four as gifts for special friends who think about life and would rather celebrate much of it rather than just pass through, bitching and moaning.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and meaningful writing, January 7, 2007

By 

Nanci "Book Dragon" (Tri-Cities, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Monk's Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World (Hardcover)

I found this book through a recommendation in a magazine, and am so glad I bought it. This monk takes each letter of the alphabet and does a meditation on a word beginning with it. Sometimes several words.

You do not have to be "religious" to appreciate this book. The writing is superb.

I plan to read one letter a week, twice this year.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Appreciation, February 12, 2007

By 

Book Lover "Kay" (Oviedo, Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Monk's Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World (Hardcover)

I would love to meet Father Jeremy and say thank you to him for this wonderful little book. It is so well written and thoughtful and tender and at times humerous. He makes you think aobut life in general, your life in particular and some of the essays you will read over and over again just to digest them fully. He writes the way I write so I appreciated his efforts and they are a gift to anyone who picks up these special messages.