Convent Wisdom : How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First-Century Life

Pick up Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life for the clever cover art and intriguing title, stay for the fascinating stories and nun-ly wisdom presented by Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita. With impressive research and writerly aplomb, the authors and best friends share their reverence for the 16th- and 17th-century nuns they studied in pursuit of Brown University Ph.D.s. During their time in “the self-flagellating retreat of academia,” the duo realized that, while the nuns lived in the Baroque era, their life experiences were nonetheless relevant today. Garriga and Urbita proclaim that “nuns are everywhere” lately, in a revival of “convent culture [that] feels revolutionary and joyful: a checkmate to the isolation and alienation of our twenty-first-century lives.” Nunhood requires sacrifice, but “how often have you fantasized about finding refuge from the chaos of the world in the tranquility and warmth of a sustainable close-knit community with your friends?” Exactly. The duo enthusiastically populate seven sections—Girlfriends, Work, Body, Love, Money, Soul and Fame—with richly detailed, entertaining stories of indomitable, inspiring nuns. “Anything you are going through right now has probably already happened to a nun living several hundred years ago,” from the “grinding monotony of salaried work” to financial insecurity to realizing “How the Emotional Ups and Downs of Two Lesbians Persecuted by the Inquisition Can Put Your Romantic Misfortunes into Perspective.” The authors also reflect on their scholarly-immersion years, with “grueling schedules that would challenge even the most dedicated Carmelite” and the triumph of learning to compose assertive emails. “We were undeniably members of the people pleasers club—two pathetic, accommodating little worms,” but Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s bold writing inspired them to communicate with confidence. A character guide with capsule biographies (Saint Teresa of Jesus “always tells you what you may not want to hear,” while Santa Catalina de Siena’s “holy-anorexia-triggered downfall” warns against trendy diets) serves as a handy reference for readers seeking to incorporate the nuns’ wisdom—and wit—into their lives. Garriga and Urbita clearly regard the nuns as galvanizing influences and treasured friends; perhaps we should, too.