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Living with Wisdom: A Life of Thomas Merton Kindle Edition

by Jim Forest (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
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Here is a lavish pictorial biography of Thomas Merton, the extraordinary Trappist monk whose writings--including his classic autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain--exerted a profound influence on millions. An extensive collection of photographs captures the life and vision of one of the greatest spiritual figures of the century.
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  1. Print length
    447 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    ORBIS
  5. Publication date
    February 22, 2018
  6. File size
    20186 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Numerous readers discovered Merton through his hefty autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (HBJ, 1948). Forest is one of them. In this considerably shorter volume, Forest introduces the many facets of the 20th-century Trappist monk whose life included not only the physical work, worship, and contemplation of a monastic community, but prolific writing as well (a partial list of Merton's works is two pages long). Forest lucidly chronicles Merton's life, illuminating it with the events that shaped it and the insights that emanated from it. Although his esteem for Merton and his contributions to the peace movement are apparent, he treats Merton's weaknesses frankly. As a result of Forest's clarity and conciseness, his work is an excellent choice for general religion collections.
- Cynthia Widmer, Downingtown, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"If you have to read one book about Thomas Merton, this is the one to read. it is concise, insightful, complete" --Paul Wilkes "Living with Wisdom

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07C2ZNCHC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ORBIS; Revised edition (February 22, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 20186 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 447 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

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  1. Jim Forest

    Jim Forest

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    Jim Forest (1941-2022), a co-founder of the Catholic Peace Fellowship, was author of many Orbis books, including All Is Grace, Living with Wisdom, At Play in the Lions' Den and Eyes of Compassion (his biographies of peacemakers Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Daniel Berrigan, and Thich Naht Hanh). His other bestselling titles include Praying with Icons, The Ladder of the Beatitudes, and Writing Straight with Crooked Lines: A Memoir.

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    Jim Forest

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
33 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars another view of merton
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
After reading "the seven story mountain," I wanted another view of Thomas Merton. His own story ends while he was still living, of course, and I wanted to know more about his involvement with Zen, and also wanted to know what he was like at the time of his death. I'm glad I chose Jim Forest's book; he is a fine biographer. I haven't quite finished, but my interest has never flagged. Good book.
7 people found this helpful
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Burt Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Great way to understand more about this complex and spiritual ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2018
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Great way to understand more about this complex and spiritual man. Thanks to Jim forest for sharing his time and insights with those of us who came too late to know him in person.
2 people found this helpful
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M. James
4.0 out of 5 stars Never was there a book so mistitled - "Living With Wisdom". Who was the author talking about???
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018
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I don't understand why many people are STILL so ga-ga over Thomas Merton. Aside from his pithy sayings, his writings are almost incomprehensible. The man had a daughter out of wedlock that he abandoned, he had an affair with a 19 ,year old girl when he was in his 50's and a Trappist monk vowed to chastity for decades. He was a friendly guy with a knack for self-advertisement - that's about it. He was totally self-centered and even his photos show a very self-satisfied man. "Living With Wisdom" - a trait Merton totally lacked. For what it is this book is well-written. But didn't make me like him anymore. Blah.
5 people found this helpful
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Matthew P. Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars Complete!
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020
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Very informative about a very holy man, some interesting insights!
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Mmaz
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Bio and Photos
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2014
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Jim Forest adds great insights into the events and life story of Thomas Merton that provided much greater understanding and appreciation for Merton's faith and changes in attitude than before reading the book. The photos also were almost all new and added to the greater illumination of Thomas Merton's life.
3 people found this helpful
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Gerald S. Twomey
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wise and Human Portrait
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2009
Jim Forest met Thomas Merton in 1961 and maintained an active correspondence and friendship with the monk, poet, spiritual writer and social critic until Merton's accidental death by electrocution in Bangkok while attending a conference on Asian Christian monasticism on December 10, 1968.
In conjunction with Merton's 40th anniversary of death, Orbis Books reissued Forest's biography nineteen years after its original appearance. It features forty pages of additional text, along with a montage of rare photos and sidebar quotations that grace the lay-out and design of this handsome, oversized trade paperback.
This work demonstrates first-rate scholarship, written in a crisp, engaging style.
It presents a real "insider's view" of Merton and adds many new insights and dimensions to the Merton legacy. For example, Forest's explorations of Merton's relationships with his second abbot, Dom James Fox; the account of the monk's encounters with the psychiatrist and convert to Catholicism, Dr. Gregory Zilboorg; the treatment of a rumored pregnancy that ended his undergraduate academic career at Cambridge University and soured the young orphan's relationship with his guardians, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Izod Bennett; and, his struggles with a romantic encounter with a young student nurse, "Margie S.," in the final years of his life, while living in a hermitage on the grounds of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, all conspire to add to the appeal and originality of this work.
Even seasoned Merton aficianados stand to learn much from this solid treatment. Forest thoroughly revised and added to his original text and included an afterword to assess Merton's legacy forty years after his death and seventy years after his profession of faith as a Catholic (he entered the monastery three years later, and took the habit on December 10, 1941, a date that practically bi-sected his lifespan).
As one who has written and taught about Merton widely, in my opinion this book is the most complete, balanced, readable, wide-ranging and up-to-date biography of Thomas Merton on the market. Treat yourself to it or get a copy for a fellow Merton devotee or interested reader. If you enjoy it half as much as I did, you will be thrilled with the end result.
48 people found this helpful
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Nick Larsen (larsennic@aol.com)
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent entry point into the world of Tomas Merton.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 1999
As a Catholic monk living in the United States during the turbulent second world war and the sixties, Tomas Merton's strong faith in his God shines brightly in his writing. While his autobiography, " The Seven Storey Mountain " might be the correct entry point into his more than 50 books, this book summarizes well Merton's life and times, and provides more pictures of of the places and friends that effected Merton than most of his no illustrations books.
21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carlos E. A. Ferreira
5.0 out of 5 stars Leitura interessante e útil.
Reviewed in Brazil on August 15, 2021
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Livro traz valioso depoimento pessoal, faz espécie de introdução ao monge trapista americano, poeta e escritor. Gostei muito.
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Mrsbrendajpike
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2018
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Very good
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