About the Author

Irene Nowell, OSB, is a Benedictine of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, where she has lived for almost sixty years. An accomplished theologian and biblical scholar, Nowell is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association and the author of Numbers (of the New Collegeville Bible Commentary); Sing a New Song: The Psalms in the Sunday Lectionary; Women in the Old Testament; and Pleading, Cursing, Praising; all published by Liturgical Press. She is also a member of the editorial board of Give Us This Day (Liturgical Press).

Reviews

Nowell’s life-long love of the psalms and her scholarly work in interpreting and translating them provides grounding for understanding the Psalter’s character, structure, history, theology, and function. Readers become more aware of the bonds that connect all—humans and all nature—in community. This book will be a fine companion for any who wish to learn the psalms.Shawn Carruth, OSB, Concordia College

No one knows the psalms better than Irene Nowell. She knows them under the microscope as a scholar, but more importantly she knows them as a friend with whom she has been getting together every day for years. Her anecdotes and examples light up even the cursing psalms.Abbot Jerome Kodell, Subiaco Abbey, Author of The Catholic Bible Study Handbook

Irene Nowell's latest offering, Pleading, Cursing, Praising: Conversing with God through the Psalms, is an accessible invitation to regular use of the Psalms in daily life. As a Benedictine nun, this is something she practices in monastic life. But informed by her years of experience as retreat leader, teacher, and spiritual director, she believes the rest of us can bring its fruits to our own tables. . . . What might more personal use of the Psalms make of us? Nowell's guide to "conversing with God through the Psalms" welcomes that exploration

Eileen Mannix, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

Pleading, Cursing, Praising: Conversing with God through the Psalms is an immensely readable book which is an encouragement to anyone who seeks guidance in the use of the Psalms as a personal prayer tool. Though it is a scholarly treatment of the Psalms, this book of less than 100 pages is the most practical guide this reader has found. For those serious about understanding the Psalms and using them to enrich their prayer life, this book is an invaluable resource.
Kathy Barrett-Lennard, Tjurunga

I loved this book. . . . It is very readable. . . . This book is perfect for those who are new to the psalms. Nowell does not presume that the reader knows anything about the psalms. She writes clearly and simply about the psalms to draw one into the topic. Consequently, someone new to lectio divino, the Liturgy of the Hours, and/or spiritual direction will find this book a valuable source. . . . Though this book is perfect for newbies, there are many things that are valuable for people who have been praying with the psalms for years.

Mary McCormick, Emmanuel