Spiral Staircase: My Climb out of Darkness FROM THE PUBLISHER
Karen Armstrong begins this spellbinding story of her spiritual journey with her departure in 1969 from the Roman Catholic convent she had entered seven years before — hoping, but ultimately failing, to find God. She knew almost nothing of the changed world to which she was returning, and she was tormented by panic attacks and inexplicable seizures.
Armstrong's struggle against despair was further fueled by a string of discouragements — failed spirituality, doctorate, and jobs; fruitless dealings with psychiatrists. Finally, in 1976, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, given proper treatment, and released from her "private hell." She then began the writing career that would become her true calling, and as she focused on the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, her own inner story began to emerge. Without realizing it, she had embarked on a spiritual quest, and through it she would eventually experience moments of transcendence — the profound fulfillment that she had not found in long hours of prayer as a young nun.
Powerfully engaging, often heartbreaking, but lit with bursts of humor, The Spiral Staircase is an extraordinary history of self.
FROM THE CRITICS
The New York Times
It is a courageous thing to tell a life story in which you sometimes look unglued, and even more so to rewrite a memoir you've already published. What has changed between Armstrong's first stab at narrating these years, and this new account, is the governing metaphor. She no longer imagines that in leaving the convent she was boldly, cleanly ''beginning the world,'' but rather tracing circles upward on a spiral staircase, an image she takes from Eliot's ''Ash Wednesday,'' which begins, ''Because I do not hope to turn again / Because I do not hope / Because I do not hope to turn.'' It is a fitting epigraph for this book. Eliot's poem, Armstrong explains, proceeds with ''the twisting sentences of the verse, which often revolves upon itself, repeating the same words and phrases, apparently making little headway, but pushing steadily forward nevertheless.'' In both Eliot's poem and Armstrong's memoir there lurks wisdom about the making and remaking of a life, the retracing of steps and the relentless pushing forward, from which all of us could learn.
— Lauren F. Winner
The Washington Post
The Spiral Staircase at once combines memoir, theology, philosophy. It's a story about becoming human, being recognized, finally recognizing oneself. And it's written with self-respect but not egomania, compassion that never turns into self-pity. More than anything, it fills the reader with hope -- not the sappy, uplifting kind but the sort that comes from the very best fairy tales. — Carolyn See
Library Journal
In 1962, at the age of 17, Armstrong decided to devote her life to the Catholic Church, entering the convent during a time of great change (pre-Vatican II). The nine months she spent as a postulant were "the old regime at its best." She was allowed to enter Oxford University and found great stimulation in the study of English literature and her preparation to be a teacher. Eventually she applied the critical-analytical skills she was learning to her life as a novice. Finding her vocation as a "natural student," she asked to be allowed to leave the convent. Twelve years later, Armstrong felt the need to write about her depression, her anxiety, and her inexplicable seizures. After having built a life and giving herself some distance from her earlier experiences, she is able to look at her younger self with great tenderness, humor, and objectivity. A lovely rite of passage, this program is recommended for all public and academic libraries with large audio and spiritual collections. Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Adult/High School-This fascinating narrative is the story of Armstrong's personal spiritual quest, which led her at age 17 to join a convent. However, she found that her own skeptical nature and the physical constraints of convent life crippled her intellectually and spiritually. An undiagnosed form of epilepsy, which caused delusions and disorientation, further complicated her adjustment and was dismissed by the nuns as teenage melodrama. After seven years, Armstrong left the convent. The account of her difficult reentry into the "world" is heart wrenching, from her failure to pass her academic exams to the loss of her teaching post to the discomfort of television appearances. Slowly, with the help of a doctor who was able to diagnose and treat her epilepsy and good friends who supported her choices, the author began an academic journey that resulted not only in intellectual fulfillment, but spiritual commitment as well. Along the way, as Armstrong questions her own Catholicism, she delves deeply into other religions and achieves a greater appreciation not only of Christianity but also of Judaism and Islam. Introspective readers who have felt themselves to be outsiders and those who have questioned the values they have been taught will empathize with the author's struggle. Students interested in comparative religion will learn a great deal from her clear, objective descriptions, and her quest to find meaning in religion will inspire lively discussion.-Jackie Gropman, Chantilly Regional Library, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
AudioFile
This account of Karen Armstrong's spiritual and psychological journey is so detailed, and winds down so many different passages, that it's hard to imagine anyone besides the author reading it successfully. Only she knows precisely how the different stages in her life affected her, and honestly, this may be a better work for the ear than the eye. Armstrong's delivery is habitually reserved, portraying the emotional reserve trained into her when she was a nun, but passion and humor repeatedly break through. When Armstrong has a story to tell, she performs it with glee, mimicking voices and nearly bellowing. The result is quite accessible. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
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