Book Review- An Unquenchable Thirst by Mary Johnson

Author: Mary Johnson
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (September 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385527470
ISBN-13: 978-0385527477
Hardcover: 544 pages
Category: Non-fiction

Also available as an unabridged audiobook, read by the author.

Audio ISBN: 9780307876140

At the age of 17, after reading a Time magazine with Mother Theresa on the cover and an article within, Mary Johnson felt she had a calling. A calling to become a nun. A nun with the Missionaries of Charity a nun who followed Mother Theresa. At the age of 19 Mary was on her way to doing just that. In the summer of 1977 Mary steps off a bus in South Bronx, New York to begin her new life.  An Unquenchable Thirst follows Mary, who after profession becomes Sister Donata, though her twenty years as a Missionary of Charity nun.

Mary shares with us how sometimes it felt politics amongst the sisters got in the way of what was most important to her, being the spouse of Jesus Christ. Some moments of the book are very personal, touching on Mary’s difficulties in keeping her vows of chastity as well as how she felt so isolated and alone and in great need of the human touch whether it be sexual or a friendly pat on the back. As both these things were forbidden, Mary finds she’s not the only one to struggle with those vows.

As Mary enters her later years as a MC nun she begins to think that her calling has changed. Mary struggles with this realization for a few years before deciding that she no longer wishes to adhere to the vows of being an MC nun and asks for permission to leave. Some deep searching is done and it is only at the end of the book do you realize that it was not only the convent that Mary left, but her faith in God all together.

I found myself wanting to know more about how she left her religion than she shared in the book. I wanted to know how she got from still believing in God even though she no longer felt called to be a nun, to not believing at all. Perhaps Mrs. Johnson will write another book sharing that part of her journey.

I found the peek into the inner workings of a convent to be interesting and surprising at times. If you have ever wondered just what might go on or what it takes to be a Missionary of Charity nun, working under and for Mother Theresa,  An Unquenchable Thirst is an excellent place to start.

If you wish to find out more about the book, or Mary Johnson please visit her website. If you would like to purchase the book, it can be found online here or at any major bookstore.

Disclaimer-I received this book free from FSB Associates. All that was required of me was to write a positive or negative book review on my site.