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genelewisperry's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliantly written memoir by Peter Manseau, the child of a former nun and a priest who even after marriage insists on remaining a priest. Manseau shows us the worst of the Roman Catholic Church, its bureaucratic stolidity and a deep corruption that covered up decades of abuse. But he also shows us the Church at its best, through the lives of those who continue to follow its ideals against all evidence that the institution does not live up to them.
aldean's review
5.0
A startling, unexpected book. Given the subtitle, it is easy to jump to conclusion about the books subject and the tone it is likely to take. While such assumptions will likely be basically correct about the core subject of the book, the tone will just as likely be surprising. This is not a bitter memoir, nor is it a diatribe against the Catholic Church. Rather, Manseau takes the provocative union of his deeply religious parents and charts their pilgrim's progress through a time in the Church in America than "tumultuous" scarcely begins to describe. Deeply involved in not only the upheavals before and after Vatican II but also the tragic history of clerical abuse in the Boston Archdiocese, the story continues on to include the author's own deeply-felt faith journey, which leads him in unexpected directions. A powerful examination of faith and relign in the lives of very real, very sincere people.
snowlilly's review against another edition
4.0
I throughly enjoyed this book. But unlike other reviewers I don't see how a non Catholic would read this book and enjoy it as much. This book is very catholic. This book does not shy away from the darkness in the church. Instead it bluntly talks about all the abuse. Cringe worthy sometimes, this book helped me navigate the often troubled waters of being a catholic. Someone much wiser than me told me that her faith was questioned every day, but it was also strengthen everyday. This book reminded me of that.
revslick's review
4.0
When folks get wounded by the church the response is usually bitter resentment or chucking it all; however, for the deeply spiritually connected there's a third choice that one must go on. This is the choice of pilgrimage. On the one hand there's the wound itself, but then there's the passionate tug into the this gracefully wicked beast called the Body of Christ. This is the journey Peter Manseau takes in Vows. His father is a priest (still ordained) and his mother was a former nun both of whom still love the church in all its complexities. Peter is an excellent writer and reminds me of a less wordy Pat Conroy. The book explores the faith journey of his mother, father, and his own role as questioner to this mystical journey. This is a book that treats the church with the respect it deserves while also slinging just enough sacred cow poop to remind the church and those that preside in leadership to be very cautious with the charge they've been given.
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