BOOK REVIEW: "Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life" by Kathleen Norris

This thoughtfully written part memoir/part meditative essay centers on the idea/term "acedia," a complex and interesting word imbued with layered meanings, which traces its origin back to the early and medieval church texts, in which it is described as a "noonday demon."

Norris, through a series of personal and poignant narratives, defines this timeless concept as a kind of modern-day spiritual torpor characterized by apathy and slothfulness (both on the level of the individual and society). She explores the word by relating it to many facets of her life, in particular to her personal struggles with respect to her marriage (including seeing her husband through illness and subsequently to death) and her writing life, as well as other episodic biographical sketches.

To help clarify and demystify the concept, Norris weaves select etymological and historical accounts of acedia into the fabric of her own personal contemplations on her struggles, while at the same time illustrating the trying nature of coping with this modern-day spiritual indifference and the negative after-effects of it that permeate our culture. In the end, what we get through her search for meaning is the realization of the need for a balancing act. Whether it be through reciting the psalms in silence, or finding a spiritual connection inside an ancient religious text by Evagrius (or a modern-day thinker like Kierkegaard), or through counseling and treatment with or without drugs, the balancing of all of the options one has at his or her disposal in managing acedia or depression is ultimately a personal choice.

Through the various accounts she gives of other people's experiences in dealing with acedia, Norris illustrate how important is is to pick and choose the right support system that works. Religion, psychiatry, and psychology ultimately support this idea of balance, which leaves much room for a broader exploration into this important topic.

Norris' prose is direct and honest. This, along with the inclusion of many insightful quotations from thinkers across the centuries, makes Acedia & Me an enjoyable, worthwhile read.

--Jung Hae Chae
imagineatrium.com

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