false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172432371m/175078.jpg 175078 21 In 1941, a brilliant, good-looking young man decided to give up a promising literary career in New York to enter a monastery in Kentucky, from where he proceeded to become one of the most influential writers of this century. Talk about losing your life in order to find it. Thomas Merton's first book, <I>The Seven Storey Mountain</I>, describes his early doubts, his conversion to a Catholic faith of extreme certainty, and his decision to take life vows as a Trappist. Although his conversionary piety sometimes falls into sticky-sweet abstractions, Merton's autobiographical reflections are mostly wise, humble, and concrete. The best reason to read <I>The Seven Storey Mountain</I>, however, may be the one Merton provided in his introduction to its Japanese translation: "I seek to speak to you, in some way, as your own self. Who can tell what this may mean? I myself do not know, but if you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not written in this book. And this will be due not to me but to the One who lives and speaks in both." <I>--Michael Joseph Gross</I> 982713 1948 The Seven Storey Mountain total:1031|5:378|4:400|3:195|2:43|1:15| 1031 4176 1640 179 4 2 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 07 08:26:42 -0700 2007 Sun Jan 06 08:47:56 -0800 2008
Why did I wait so long to read Thomas Merton? I've known so many fans of his work and had so many opportunities to get to know him. In my mid-twenties I lived for a few years in Lexington, Kentucky, just about an hour from Gethsemani, the Trappist...more...]]> 3 3 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1980 Wed Mar 05 07:15:51 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 05 07:21:28 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat Jun 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jan 26 12:49:30 -0800 2009 Fri Jul 31 09:53:33 -0700 2009
Merton is a gifted writer, and his descriptions of growing up in Europe are interesting. Much less interesting are his spiritual/religious judgments of others. These judgments seem to break down along the following lines:

If you're a bad per...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Oct 27 06:54:29 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 27 06:54:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 06:41:08 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 08 13:31:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Feb 18 16:19:09 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 16:19:09 -0800 2008
First, one neat story. Merton was at Cambridge, studying sociology, economics, history (196). On Merton’s ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Dec 14 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 14:22:11 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 04:25:41 -0800 2008
If I had a different experience of Catholicism as a child, this book might have functioned as some sort of catalyst for rejoining the church. Fortuna...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Mar 23 10:19:08 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 18:17:30 -0700 2009
In this memoir, Merton traces his spiritual journey with frank and revealing honesty that allows you to relate to the man while still admiring the 'old soul' within. Even though Merton is obviously a very learned an...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Feb 27 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 09:46:01 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 09:51:48 -0800 2009
Since his path becomes a Christian one, there is a lot in this book about Christi...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 24 11:06:20 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 21:14:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 06:53:59 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 06:54:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Mon Oct 19 23:44:57 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 23:59:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 17:14:44 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 17:19:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 18:50:02 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 19:22:55 -0700 2009
First, I am irritated by the way that he seems to treat esoteric Catholic doctrines as clear and obvious, thus needing no explanation. For example, he presents Marian intercession as a universal principl...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 17:51:39 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 18:49:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Mar 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 09:20:15 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 09:28:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Dec 09 11:43:19 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 11:47:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 13:19:09 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 26 08:06:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 17 22:04:52 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 20 18:44:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 13 10:00:50 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 18:27:25 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=175078