About the Author

Henri J.M. Nouwen was born in the Netherlands, where he was ordained to the priesthood. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. His works include Creative Ministry, The Wounded Healer, Reaching Out, and Lifesigns. In 1986 he became the priest for Daybreak, L'Arche community in Toronto, Canada.

Reviews

YA-- Nouwen's journal is, on one level, a profile of the selfless dedication of the men and women who care for the physically and mentally handicapped within the international L'Arche communities. Also, it recounts one man's struggle for personal and spiritual growth. In a time when what we have and what we do are all important, it is arresting to read of someone--noted, respected, and positioned--who would give up much of that for a spiritual calling. Nouwen, no holy man on the mountain, is a person struggling with what he realizes are self-absorbed concerns and fears. Students will identify with his returning concern for the loss or slights of friends. A Roman Catholic priest, he projects a spirituality which is not watered-down psychology, but reflective and worshipful. This may be read in collections in which the works of Catherine Marshall are being read.-- Carolyn Praytor Boyd, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex.

In Lifesigns ( LJ 9/1/86) Nouwen reflected on the vision underlying Jean Vanier's L'Arche communities for the mentally handicapped. Here he returns to the intimate journal format of Gracias ( LJ 7/83) to share his journey from the intellectual milieu of the Harvard Divinity School to his new call to be priest at Daybreak, Toronto's L'Arche home. ``How does one follow Jesus unreservedly?'' Struggling to answer this question, Nouwen shares his own vulnerability in transparently honest ways that will both nurture and challenge readers to move ``closer to the heart of God'' in their own lives. EC