The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey [Paperback]

Henri J. M. Nouwen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1990

Henri Nouwen's intimate, inspiring diary of his first year in the L'Arche community called Daybreak, where he now makes his home and practices his ministry.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- Nouwen's journal is, on one level, a profile of the selfless dedication of the men and women who care for the physically and mentally handicapped within the international L'Arche communities. Also, it recounts one man's struggle for personal and spiritual growth. In a time when what we have and what we do are all important, it is arresting to read of someone--noted, respected, and positioned--who would give up much of that for a spiritual calling. Nouwen, no holy man on the mountain, is a person struggling with what he realizes are self-absorbed concerns and fears. Students will identify with his returning concern for the loss or slights of friends. A Roman Catholic priest, he projects a spirituality which is not watered-down psychology, but reflective and worshipful. This may be read in collections in which the works of Catherine Marshall are being read.

Carolyn Praytor Boyd, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex.

Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In Lifesigns ( LJ 9/1/86) Nouwen reflected on the vision underlying Jean Vanier's L'Arche communities for the mentally handicapped. Here he returns to the intimate journal format of Gracias ( LJ 7/83) to share his journey from the intellectual milieu of the Harvard Divinity School to his new call to be priest at Daybreak, Toronto's L'Arche home. "How does one follow Jesus unreservedly?" Struggling to answer this question, Nouwen shares his own vulnerability in transparently honest ways that will both nurture and challenge readers to move "closer to the heart of God" in their own lives. EC
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Image (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385416075
• ISBN-13: 978-0385416078
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Henri Nouwen was born in Holland in 1932 and ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He obtained his doctorandus in psychology from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands and taught at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard. He experienced the monastic life with Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Genesee, lived among the poor in Latin America with the Maryknoll missioners, and was interested and active in numerous causes related to social justice. After a lifetime of seeking, Henri Nouwen finally found his home in Canada, as pastor of L'Arche Daybreak - where people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers live together in community.

Henri Nouwen wrote over 40 books on spirituality and the spiritual life that have sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. His vision of spirituality was broad and inclusive, and his compassion embraced all of humankind.

He died in 1996. His work and his spirit live on.

Henri Nouwen pronounced his name "Henry Now-en." For more information on his life and work, please visit www.henrinouwen.org .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging and Inspiring, August 15, 2001

By 

Bethany McKinney (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey (Paperback)

This is a wonderfully inspiring book documenting Henri's journey from Ivy League professor to the priest of a community of people with severe disabilities. His story reminds us that the crux of the Christian life is not flashiness and worldly success, but that it comes from being a servant to the needy and poor of our world. As Henri shares his fears, anxieties, and triumphs of his journey, we are encouraged to face the things keeping us from fully giving our life to the poor (be it mentally, spiritually, financially, emotionally, etc.) and/or are encouraged in the work we are already doing with people society has cast aside. If the 11th chapter of Hebrews was rewritten, Henri Nouwen would be another example of someone who showed great faith in God by taking God at his word and going to a new place where he knew not what would happen to him. As a special education teacher who is involved in the community of people with disabilities, I found Henri to be a true inspiration and encouragement to continue ministering to--and certainly being ministered to by people who have disabilities. This book would be an encouragement to anyone who wants their life to reflect some of the most central teachings of Jesus.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars person of faith, January 26, 2002

By 

catherine guelph "catrina_g" (milano, italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey (Paperback)

I learned a great deal about Fr Henri Nouwen from this book. THE ROAD TO DAYBREAK: A Spiritual Journey is his intimate diary that records the poignant year at L'Arche that began in the summer of 1985, a precious time of inner renewal and self-discovery. In his prologue, Fr Nouwen writes, "In the following pages there are words about L'Arche, about prayer, about living with handicapped people, about art, about city life, about filmmaking, about AIDS, about conflicts in the church, about Paris, London, San Francisco and Los Angeles, about Canada and a future there, and about many other small and great people and events. What binds them together in their wide variety is the spiritual struggle to say 'yes' to Jesus' invitation 'Come and follow me.'" It is this description of his spiritual journey and development over the year that is most intriguing to me. From reading these pages, I feel as though I have spoken to a friend whom I know quite well. Well enough to know his strengths in patience and tolerance, yet, also well enough to become annoyed at his foibles, Particularly, Fr Nouwen's incessant need for validation from his friends. Still, it is most striking to me the complete commitment that he has to serving his LORD. "Being in the world without being of it involves hard work." reads his entry for 10 May, "It requires a clear vision of what I want to do and how to do it. It requires a discipline of the eyes, the mind, and the heart. It requires a deep desire, as well as a strong commitment to live without interruptions in the name of Jesus." I learned of the discipline required by a desire to seek our unity in and through Jesus, the Christ. As Fr Nouwen described his work, I became aware that I am severely handicapped, myself. Although, I am blessed to be physically and mentally capable, I must confess I am spiritually handicapped. I can barely communicate in my spiritual relationship. I am challenged to maintain a consistent spiritual commitment, and I am completely dependent on the grace and mercy of the LORD, my GOD, in whose presence, I am. This insight which I received from reading this book has changed the way I view my own spiritual life and has strengthened that relationship. If you are interested in the life of Fr Henri Nouwen, or in a spiritual relationship as lived by someone, this book will be interesting to you. Although Fr Nouwen is a Catholic Priest, I think that people of all faiths and beliefs who are interested in a spiritual quest will gain from its reading. PEACE

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The journey from self-absorbed to selfless in Christ, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey (Paperback)

Oftentimes, as lay people, we have a tendency to see priests as residing on some sort of moral high ground, but in this narrative, Henri Nouwen reminds us that they are just as human as the rest of us. His candid account of his journey towards selflessness in Christ is one to which all of us can relate. Each entry in this journal contains a spiritual bit of wisdom and the entire book uncovers the blessing that handicapped individuals give to this earth