The Summer of Yes

by Karen Leahy

An ex-nun's story-fascinating, beautifully told, memorable. Winner of Benjamin Franklin Award silver medal in memoir and Indie Book Awards finalist medals in both memoir and women's issues. The Benjamin Franklin Award is regarded as one of the highest national honors in small and independent publishing. What is it like to spend 11 years of your young womanhood in the convent? Why would you feel you had to leave in order to save your soul? With no guide but her deepest intuition, and without rancor towards the order of nuns to which she belonged, Karen Leahy re-entered a world in the midst of the social upheaval of the 70's. The search for a loving relationship and first sexual experiences are here, as well as marriage, tragic loss, acceptance and peace. The book tells also of her journey "across the theological sky" after leaving the convent and how the arts and nature have served as lifelong sources of inspiration and spiritual sustenance. Ms. Leahy's book will appeal to anyone whose path of self-actualization requires them to make radical life changes. The book addresses the power of story, making sense of one's past, hunger for a fuller life, intimacy, and exchanging a "good girl" role for authenticity. It is at once a spiritual journey and a very human one.