Scary Nuns
Scary Nuns

Author: Essential Works

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2007-03-13

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0061231495

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They are known as the Brides of Christ. They wear all-black robes tied with heavy rosary beads and crucifixes that would make any child wince. They cover their heads with vast, winglike hoods. They have no legs but roll along on silent casters. They do not flinch from handing out swift and painful smacks with a switch, cane, or paddle. With photographs of these secretive sisters doing a few of their favorite things—frolicking in the sea, shooting guns, and lying prostrate on the floor, among them—Scary Nuns explores what goes on behind closed convent doors. Included are brief histories of some of the most notorious nuns and orders, as well as thoughts from famous thinkers on what it is to be a nun, that illuminate the mysteries of these wimple-wearing women who roam Gothic cathedrals around the world. Nuns are scary. You don't have to be a lapsed Catholic to think so. But if you are, you'll find Scary Nuns terrifying.

Escaped Nuns
Escaped Nuns

Author: Cassandra L. Yacovazzi

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-08-21

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0190881011

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Just five weeks after its publication in January 1836, Awful Disclosures of the Hotel Dieu Nunnery, billed as an escaped nun's shocking exposé of convent life, had already sold more than 20,000 copies. The book detailed gothic-style horror stories of licentious priests and abusive mothers superior, tortured nuns and novices, and infanticide. By the time the book was revealed to be a fiction and the author, Maria Monk, an imposter, it had already become one of the nineteenth century's best-selling books. In antebellum America only one book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, outsold it. The success of Monk's book was no fluke, but rather a part of a larger phenomenon of anti-Catholic propaganda, riots, and nativist politics. The secrecy of convents stood as an oblique justification for suspicion of Catholics and the campaigns against them, which were intimately connected with cultural concerns regarding reform, religion, immigration, and, in particular, the role of women in the Republic. At a time when the term "female virtue" pervaded popular rhetoric, the image of the veiled nun represented a threat to the established American ideal of womanhood. Unable to marry, she was instead a captive of a foreign foe, a fallen woman, a white slave, and a foolish virgin. In the first half of the nineteenth century, ministers, vigilantes, politicians, and writers--male and female--forged this image of the nun, locking arms against convents. The result was a far-reaching antebellum movement that would shape perceptions of nuns, and women more broadly, in America.

Predatory Nuns
Predatory Nuns

Author: Brian Titley

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2022-06-08

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 1476647178

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Since the first scandals broke in the mid-1980s, the sexual misconducts of priests have cost the Catholic Church in America more than $4 billion in compensation settlements and incalculable damage to its reputation. Although their crimes have attracted far less attention, predatory nuns have also caused harm. The depredations of these nuns took place in convent novitiates, orphanages, boarding schools for Native Americans, and in Catholic schools, both elementary and secondary. Their victims, male and female, ranged in age from six-year-olds to young adults. This book focuses on the criminal behavior of North American nuns and the responses from church leadership. Mothers superior were outspoken in their refusal to accept responsibility for the crimes committed under their watch, and their inclination was to close ranks and protect the predators, endangering many children and young people in the process. The complainants, on the other hand, were considered nuisances to be pushed aside with the least amount of exposure and expense possible. Straightforward and informative, this text begins by exploring the nuns' vow of chastity and its relationship with human sexuality, followed by dozens of case studies detailing the sexual abuse that nuns committed in various settings.

The Red Skirt
The Red Skirt

Author: Patricia O'Donnell-Gibson

Publisher: Self Publisher

Published: 2011-07-29

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 9780983611202

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Impressionistic and dreamy, a nine-year-old girl immediately feels that she might be called by God when a Catholic missionary speaks to her third grade class at a Catholic school. The idea of this calling embeds itself into her, haunting her through elementary and high school, after which she chooses to enter the convent. Her story follows the five years she spent as an Adrian Dominican nun struggling to balance her desire for a secular life with her great fear of turning her back on God's call. Her stories are sad as well as joyous, inspiring as well as unsettling.

The Rite
The Rite

Author: Matt Baglio

Publisher: Image

Published: 2010-06-15

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0385522711

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The inspiration for the film starring Anthony Hopkins, journalist Matt Baglio uses the astonishing story of one American priest's training as an exorcist to reveal that the phenomena of possession, demons, the Devil, and exorcism are not merely a remnant of the archaic past, but remain a fearsome power in many people's lives even today. Father Gary Thomas was working as a parish priest in California when he was asked by his bishop to travel to Rome for training in the rite of exorcism. Though initially surprised, and slightly reluctant, he accepted this call, and enrolled in a new exorcism course at a Vatican-affiliated university, which taught him, among other things, how to distinguish between a genuine possession and mental illness. Eventually he would go on to participate in more than eighty exorcisms as an apprentice to a veteran Italian exorcist. His experiences profoundly changed the way he viewed the spiritual world, and as he moved from rational skeptic to practicing exorcist he came to understand the battle between good and evil in a whole new light. Journalist Matt Baglio had full access to Father Gary over the course of his training, and much of what he learned defies explanation. The Rite provides fascinating vignettes from the lives of exorcists and people possessed by demons, including firsthand accounts of exorcists at work casting out demons, culminating in Father Gary's own confrontations with the Devil. Baglio also traces the history of exorcism, revealing its rites and rituals, explaining what the Catholic Church really teaches about demonic possession, and delving into such related topics as the hierarchy of angels and demons, satanic cults, black masses, curses, and the various theories used by modern scientists and anthropologists who seek to quantify such phenomena. Written with an investigative eye that will captivate both skeptics and believers alike, The Rite shows that the truth about demonic possession is not only stranger than fiction, but also far more chilling.

Quiet as a Nun
Quiet as a Nun

Author: Antonia Fraser

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2014-10-09

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 1780228457

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One of Lady Antonia Fraser's gripping Jemima Shore mysteries, set in a secluded nunnery. 'I lit the candle and began rather gingerly to climb up the ladder. Then I heard a distinct sound above my head. A scrape on the floor, an irregular jarring on the floor above my head, like something rocking . . .' A nun is dead - her emaciated corpse has been discovered locked in the tower of Blessed Eleanor's Convent. The tragic consequence of a neurotic young woman committing to a life of isolation and piety, the inquest concludes. But this young woman held unusual power over the convent - power she was planning to use. Jemima Shore tries to keep her distance from the case, but when her lover cancels their holiday she finds herself reluctantly getting involved. A violent attack in the dead of night and another death convinces her that the convent is not the haven of peace it appears to be. Suspicion and fear hang heavy in the air but how do you solve a murder no-one will admit happened?

The Sisters of the Last Straw
The Sisters of the Last Straw

Author: Karen Kelly Boyce

Publisher: Regina Doman

Published: 2015-10-08

Total Pages: 94

ISBN-13: 9780989941112

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Meet the Sisters of the Last Straw, a community of Sisters trying hard to overcome their bad habits. Join these loveable misfit nuns as they learn to love God and forgive one another. When their new chapel seems to be haunted, the Sisters have to work together to uncover the mystery.

The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom

Author: P. J. O'Rourke

Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

Published: 2014-01-07

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 0802193072

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The New York Times–bestselling author looks at the sixties generation, and how he and his seventy-five million accomplices made America what it is today. A onetime editor-in-chief of National Lampoon who also spent years reporting for Rolling Stone and The Atlantic Monthly, P. J. O’Rourke is known as a conservative-minded political humorist and author of such bestsellers as Parliament of Whores. Not everyone knows that he was once a dedicated Marxist hippie type—living up to every stereotype of his postwar generation. In this book, at once a social history and a personal memoir (albeit with some impaired memory involved), he explores, with both fiercely biting wit and fondness, the mess that the baby boomers made, and the impact they’ve had on our world. “Dry wit that makes every chapter a delight . . . As a cultural analyst, O’Rourke’s ability and willingness to simultaneously lampoon and celebrate himself and his generation are unequaled.” —Publishers Weekly “A terrific American memoir, in tone a beguiling mix of Jean Shepherd and Animal House.” —Christopher Buckley, author of Boomsday “Simultaneously hilarious and brainy . . . holds a cracked magnifying glass up to the generation of Americans born between the end of World War II and the early 1960s. Sifting through demographic and economic data and combining the results with generous portions of personal memories, O’Rourke finds much to deplore in the boomer character, but even more to cherish and celebrate.” —Chicago Tribune “A comedic and caustic cautionary tale for future generations—and, for those of us who are Boomers, a nostalgic and hilarious diversion.” —NPR

Sanctuary
Sanctuary

Author: Patricia Dixon

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2024-10-31

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 1504099672

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Everyone needs a safe place . . . A novel of trauma, courage, and family secrets by the acclaimed author of A Good Mother. Haunted by her past, Cathy yearns for sanctuary away from city life. She finds it with her boyfriend, Alfie, at Blacksheep Farm, a haven in the Peaks of Derbyshire. But their peace is blighted by Bertha, the cold-hearted matriarch of Alfie’s family, who is hell-bent on keeping control of the farm—and her children. When Alfie finds a collection of portraits hidden away, Cathy is drawn to their enigmatic beauty and embarks on a quest to return them to their owner. But her journey threatens to unearth long-buried secrets and tear her new life apart. As she delves deeper into the mystery, Cathy confronts the manipulative hold of Bertha, as well as a secret linked to Bertha’s history . . . Will Cathy’s pursuit of the truth expose them all to the very darkness she is seeking to escape? Or could it rewrite the story for everyone at Blacksheep Farm? Sanctuary is a tale of bravery, pain, love, and loyalty . . . and how the past can have an enduring hold on the present. Praise for Patricia Dixon “An author at the top of her game.” —Keri Beevis, author of Nowhere to Hide “The sheer poetry of the work is astounding.” —N. J. Moss, author of The Second Wife

A Desperate Hope (An Empire State Novel Book #3)
A Desperate Hope (An Empire State Novel Book #3)

Author: Elizabeth Camden

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2019-02-05

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1493417290

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Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she's finally put behind her--or so she thinks. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak. Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town--but he needs Eloise's help to succeed. Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them before it's too late.