I am a fan of Karen Armstrong. Her contributions to religious history are very large. And I always took her as presenting evidence fairly while not being prejudicial to one or other particular religion. I have read many of her books.

The Spiral Staircase was intimately entertaining. I always knew of Armstrong's experience in the convent and rejection of the same but the book goes on into much more detail of her experiences.

She says, at one point, that if Satan were mythology and God was mythology, then she had spent a great portion of her life studying nonsense. I too came to this conclusion years ago. My journey, however, is like Armstrong's in that I am still drawn to it the reality of God.

It is only after her ordeal, mental breakdown, that she picks up and does what she has always been good at: writing. And her writing is lovely. But getting there sees a lot of Karen's burden from being conditioned as a nun.

This is a great book to get to know Karen Armstrong and to relate to the brainwashing of religion and escape.