Blessed are the nones: Mixed -faith marriage and my search for spiritual community

Reviewed by:

Ceil Carey, retired public librarian and long-time book discussion leader

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

Blessed are the nones: Mxed -faith marriage and my search for spiritual community

Author:

Stina Kielsmeier-Cook

Publisher:

IVP

Date:

2020

Format:

Paperback

Length:

238 pages

OVERVIEW

The author and her husband seem to have a strong Christian relationship, starting with the time they meet and going into their marriage. When he declares he no longer believes in God, Kielsmeier-Cook struggles to understand what that will mean for their relationship and for her personally.

This memoir tracks her pursuit as she looks for ways to determine who she really is in a marriage she originally calls  being in “spiritual singlehood”. Interestingly enough her quest takes her to a convent in her neighborhood where the nuns show her, through their loving friendship and through female Catholic saints, that no one really is actually spiritually single.

Readers may not agree with every conclusion the author comes to but they will be touched by her spiritual search for the truth in her life and by the many compassionate pilgrims she meets along her way. Pilgrims who help her to deepen her faith in a way she had not anticipated would be part of her life,

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5):

4

Suggested Audience:

Anyone struggling with a mixed faith marriage or who would like to understand this relationship in a deeper way

Christian Impact:

This memoir helps readers to understand the devastation felt by the author when husband announces his deconversion and explains the various ways she attempts to keep her faith strong.