Voices of Silence: Lives of the Trappists Today

by Frank Bianco

Book Overview

A blend of case history, anecdote, history, and spiritual quest, this intimate and fascinating look at the world's oldest and most reclusive monastic order provides a rare understanding of day-to-day Trappist existence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385424302
• ISBN13: 9780385424301
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Very Fine Book

This was a very fine book, very moving. It was sad, actually, to have finished reading the book as I thought I was putting away a good friend. The book was informative enough in teaching readers about the Trappist way of life---yet revealed the Trappists to be very real individuals. For those looking for scandal, they are in for disappointment. The humanity of these fine men is amazing. And, do not forget to read Mr. Bianco's introduction as it reveals the heart and soul of the man and what he learns about God and himself in his time with the Trappists.

Food for the Journey

I recommend this book to those who find themselves on a spiritual journey. Having glanced at other reviews of the text, I agree that it is less a general introduction to the Trappist way of life and more of a documentary of the author's personal exploration of their spirituality. This exploration is in the context of the loss of his son; the tragedy is actually the impetus for his spiritual quest. In that sense, I believe readers that are similarly engaged will find the book much, much more meaningful and accessable than those who may be reading out of detached academic interest.More than anything, I think the book provides a great insight into the charism of the Trappists Mr. Bianco lived with, and for anyone considering spending some time "off grid", it sheds a lot of light on the potential experience. If you are on the journey, or perhaps more accurately, engaged in the battle, I think this book will help.

Powerful account of a very personal spiritual journey

I highly recommend this book for several reasons. None of them have to do with giving the public a picture of what really goes on behind closed doors at a Trappist monastery. If your only interest in Trappist life is some voyeuristic urge to know the secret life of monks, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.The review that suggests that Bianco's book isn't an accurate picture of Trappist life doesn't make much sense to me. Bianco's assignment was to go to several Trappist monasteries and write about what he found there. His writing is crisp, and I am sure he would say he relayed the facts as he witnessed them.There is a more important reason to read Bianco's story of his time amongst the Trappists. Bianco went to the monastery to do his job as a reporter, showing voyeurs what monks really do in that cloister. What he encountered in the monastery was an unexpected connection with his hidden brothers in Christ who prayed out their lives "known only to God." More importantly, Bianco encountered a God who loves him intensely and used his experience with the Trappists to bring him through a profound grief to a place of peace and security in his life. I suppose his journalistic detachment and objectivity slipped a bit in the telling of his story.If Bianco had emerged from his time with the Trappists unchanged, I would have been disappointed. He tells an important story with courage and sensitivity, and we are the richer for his efforts.If you really want to know what life in a monastery is like, go spend time in one. St. Benedict's rule still requires the reception of visitors, and all the Benedictine foundations I know have made terrific provisions for those seeking times of recollection. If you to hear what happened to Frank Bianco when he went through the cloister gates, read this book.

Finally, the truth about Trappist life

Don't read this book unless you're prepared to handle the cold, hard truth about the spiritual life and monks who make it their profession. It isn't easy and it isn't abstract, and monks will be the first to admit, that for all their honest effort, they fall on their faces just as this book reveals in fascinating detail. More than one monk took the time to praise this book "as a major contribution to the understanding of modern monasticism." Those are the words on the book's back cover, written by the Washington Post's respected columnist and critic, Coleman McCarthy, who was once himself a Trappist. Better yet, consider what Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland, O.S.B., onetime Benedictine Abbot General, wrote about the book: "Frank Bianco brings monks to life in his book and lets the human and the spiritual shine through. Most graciously he shares with the reader his own spiritual transformation that resulted from encounters with monks, men whose lives are devoted to seeking God." A Trappist Master of Novices recommended this book to me while I was living at his abbey for an extended period, trying to come to terms with my marital problems. I saw for myself how the book was right on target. The spiritual life is all about finding God as he offers himself in the day-to-day, seemingly ordinary people and events, which is what the author learned. It's not for anyone who's trying to hide from life. To his credit (and to the reader's benefit ultimately) the author submitted himself to the life just as an ordinary monk does. He wanted to learn why God brought him to the monastery seemingly by accident and why he was able to regain his faith by opening himself as monks do - to what only seems to be ordinary in everyday life. There's all too many books on the spiritual life that duck life's tough questions by labeling them as "mysterys." That wasn't good enough for the monks whose struggles are revealed in this book and who trusted the author to tell people what other writers didn't understand or never learned. This may not be the best book ever written about monastic life, but a better one has yet to published.

Contemporary view of Trappist monastic life.

This is an excellent introduction into the Catholic monastic tradition. If anyone is interested in knowing more about the Cisterican type of monasticism and fundamental spiritual principles, this is the book. It reads easily and gives a good presentation of this once very mysterious type of monastic community. Referring to it time and time again, it provides glimpses into contemporary Trappist life and experiences but also provides key if not very basic, yet deep, concepts of the spiritual life. This book can be a springboard going to other reading on monastic values and the Trappist tradition. Highly recommended. I would accompany this book with a recent presentation by Michael Downey called Trappist.