Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns

by Cheryl L. Reed

Book Overview

When reporter Cheryl Reed set out to examine the lives of nuns, she was determined to find out what was behind the enigmatic image reinforced by Hollywood clichés, misguided speculation, and her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425195112
• ISBN13: 9780425195116
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Compelling, informative for anyone educated by nuns!

I spent 16 years in Catholic schools, and experienced many different types of sisters. As a post-Vatican II child, I still encountered many sisters who clung to the pre-Vatican II way of life, and this book helped clarify some of those reasons. As a student who encountered nuns who were scary, mean, and cold, this book gave me a sense of compassion for their difficult lives, and a truer knowledge of the "mystery" that we all have wondered about. Much of it is quite shocking, alarming, and dehumanizing. As a student who encountered nuns who challenged me, and allowed me to believe in my own independence, this book affirmed the power that these women have within the Church. I love the quotation from one of the Benedictines (from my alma mater, no less!) who states that she isn't sure that she would even be in the Catholic Church were it not for the Benedictines. Her commitment to her community and her order is stronger than the hierarchy of the Church. This confirmed my own struggles as a Catholic woman. I found the book to be exceptional. I agree that the author chose to not focus on WHY the more conservative orders are attracting new members...that was not her purpose in writing the book. It seems to me that is the question that should be plaguing the Catholic Church! Do we really want to be moving backwards? I certainly hope not.

Well-reported insight into the lives of Catholic nuns

Author Cheryl Reed spent years researching her nonfiction book on the lives of Catholic nuns in the U.S., and her diligence shows. She visited numerous orders at convents all over the country, often living with the nuns for brief periods. As a result, her book reveals a hidden life that even most Catholics aren't aware of. Most surprising to me was the diversity of the various orders, which enjoy a level of autonomy I didn't know existed within the tight confines of a Church steeped in centuries of tradition. To a great degree, each order sets its own rules and pursues its own goals. Of course, the Roman Catholic Church has ultimate authority over the orders, but as the author reveals, many nuns veer from the strict letter of Church doctrine, in ways both large and small. To some extent, the nuns are an engine of change with the Church. In my opinion, the Church would be healthier if it listened to them more often. Although the author is an experienced newspaper reporter, her writing in "Unveiled" is more subjective than straight news reporting. She approaches her book from a more personal point of view. I believe her style is more suited to this subject than dry, purely objective writing. She is not afraid to include her personal reactions and feelings as she recounts her experiences with the nuns. I think she comes across as honest and forthright. She doesn't hesitate to discuss her biases and preconceptions. Any book about religion is sure to be controversial for some readers. Yet "Unveiled" avoids sensationalism and religious prejudice to give a realistic and humanistic look at people who choose a life very different from our own. I think everyone has something to learn from this book.

Realistic

Nuns for centuries have been shrouded in mystery and kept on a pedestal. As the title implies, Unveiled lifts the veil of this mysterious subculture and provides an upclose and intimate look at these fascinating women. Roughly 90 percent of the book is told through the sisters themselves. It's their views, and told in their own words, on everything from their perspective on the male-dominated Catholic church to their own spirituality to the future of their orders. And yes, the sisters speak openly and candidly about their own sexuality and their weaknesses as well as the strength they derive from their orders. In other words, the women are portrayed as real women--in style akin to the work of Studs Terkel. Every chapter is a unique story unto itself. So the book can be enjoyed in pieces. Yet Reed connects the stories together by trying to answer the big question: is sisterhood still a a viable calling in today's world? I especially enjoyed the chapter about the sisters who set up their order in a drug-infested and violent neighborhood in the Twin Cities, the heart-rendering look at sisters helping poor Mexican women give birth on the Texas border, and the chapters about the mystic mother superior and the fiery Sister Traxler of Chicago. There's even a chapter about an order in Indiana that has tried to become TV hip, but then doesn't like the questions Reed asks of some of the sisters. I guess the order only wants to be designer cool. But that's ok. The diversity of the sisters is amazing and helped me understand --and appreciate --these incredible women. Unveiled is an important book, written at a time when sisters are dying and not being replaced in any great numbers. Will any sisters be around in 15 or 20 years? Yet the book offers hope in providing a glimpse into what could be a new kind of order in the last chapter. I recommend this book to both Catholics and non-Catholics because it takes readers into a world that has mostly been concealed from public view or written about mostly from the exterior. This book reflects the more difficult terrain -- the interior, what the sisters themselves think and have to say.

Unveiled is a Revelation

One doesn't have to be a Catholic or a nun to find great satisfaction and life lessons in this revealing book of a subculture of women little known or understood. Having been raised a Catholic but currently distanced from the Church, I approached Reed's book with curiosity and a bit of trepidation. The title made me wonder what deep, dark secrets Reed would reveal. I imagined the women she profiled would be shown to be uptight, sexually-repressed creatures out of touch with our modern world. This, despite the fact that I was taught by nuns in my high school in the late '70s who were, in fact, vibrant, progressive, socially-conscious and encouraging women. Of course, my fellow students and I always wondered about the path these women had chosen, and why, but it was not our place to ask, we felt. Reed has answered these questions, and more, in a work of great compassion and depth. Having lived with and shared the lives of more than 300 nuns over several years, she comes away with not only a greater understanding of their complex lives, but with a deeper understanding of her own spirtual life.From the strictest cloistered nuns to the most radical feminists, Reed describes the choices they made, and why, and how they live their lives today. These women open up to Reed and reveal their daily lives, their joys, their regrets, their faith or lack of it, their frustrations with the Church and their hopes for the future. Their choices and current situations are as varied and complex as those any modern woman faces. Some nuns are passive and joined to escape the world, others to embrace it and make a difference. Some believe they can make the world better through prayer and silence, others through working with the poorest of the poor, the substance-addicted and the hopeless. Some of the nuns rebuffed Reed and what they considered an intrusion into their lives, other welcomed her with open arms. Unveiled accomplishes a great thing: it provides a fascinating look at another culture while compelling the reader to examine his or her own life choices and spirituality more critically. It is a deeply satisfying read.

Accurate and Moving Portrayal of Sisters Today

As a woman religious, I am always looking for books and articles that portray us in the mainstream press well and accurately. "Unveiled: the hidden life of nuns" does exactly that. It is wonderful book with stirring and clear accounts of various Sisters across the U.S. Ms. Reed captures the diversity of our lives, the realities of our Congregations and the challenges in our ministries with a richness and depth that is not seen in most mainstream writings about Sisters in America today.The fact that Ms. Reed spent 5 years actually visiting and living with Sisters speaks well of her research and the clarity with which she writes. Too often, we are made fun of or talked about with some sort of mysterious "veil" of sanctity that doesn't capture us as real, very human women who have made a choice to live a life that grapples with spiritual questions, while trying to serve God's people in ways big and small. I believe that this is the journey of most people and Sisters (or nuns) are no exception.I recommend this book for anyone who would like to have a better understanding of who we are and why we have made this choice. We are just regular women who search for the journey of life that allows us to become whole persons and contributors to the overall life of God's people.Thanks to Ms. Reed for this wonderful book.