I've been waiting for the paperback version of your book to come out and I must say, it was worth the wait. I could not put it down.
My parents shifted us from public to private Catholic school in second grade, and I was always curious about what went on in the convent house, which sat behind a high red wooden fence, adjacent to our classrooms. I remember wondering how the nuns thought we weren't supposed to be curious, and I was often scolded for pressing my nose to the fence boards during recess, trying to catch a glimpse.
Your book gives an inside account and a very human one at that of the life of nuns. To be honest, it was somewhat as I expected, but multiplied a few times over. I would describe your experience as a mash-up of never-ending bootcamp, international-level political wrangling, intense bureaucracy and the isolation of a lock-up facility. What saddens me is the squashing of individual gifts, and the near absence of physical contact and expressions of individual love that would feed the soul and allow for better service to others.
Some may flinch or be shocked by the sexual exploitation (and lack of proper handling of predatory behavior) within the order, but considering the lack of nurturing provided to the nuns, it seemed almost inevitable to me. It was brave to include it, in my opinion. The sisters remind me in many ways of recruits who enter the military with great patriotic zeal and a desire to defend others only to become disenchanted when they find a much different experience once they join. These women arrive devoted and with an intense desire to help, but most are soon crushed--not due to their lack of spiritual fervor but from laboring under an administration that expects not just hard work, but a nearly impossible selflessness and an inhuman ability to work and suffer needlessly.
I think your book is important on so many levels. Brava for writing it. And, should you ever publish the other 750 pages, I will be first in line to read it.
Bernice L. Foster went back to school after many years in the workplace. She changed her major from psychology to a minor because she found her heart and passion in Women's Studies. The first person in her family to go to college, she graduated summa cum laude from Sacramento State University in May, 2012. Today she's seeking a position in a helping field, working with women. In the meantime, she spends her time writing, volunteering, gardening, making a little art and spending some long-overdue quality time with her husband and friends. She lives in Rio Linda, California with her husband of 23 years.