Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession
by Anne Rice
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List Price: $24.00
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Manufacturer: Knopf
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780307268273
ISBN: 0307268276
Label: Knopf
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2008-10-07
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: 2008-10-07
Studio: Knopf
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading!
Comment: This was one of the most boring books I have ever read...and I am a catholic! The first 80 pages nearly made my eyes glaze over as she explained, in detail, what it was like to be catholic in the 50's & 60's. There is no point to the book. Save your money!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A spiritual journey, but questions remain.
Comment: I found Called Out of Darkness an intriguing book. As a former Christian turned agnostic, I was hoping Ms. Rice would give me profound insight into reasons for returning to Christianity. Unfortunately I was let down in that aspect, though I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I've always loved Ms. Rice's writing style, and while this was obviously different from her novels, the detailed and romantic descriptions of places and things still carried me along on her spiritual journey.
I appreciated the fact that while she eventually questioned political and dogmatic injustices of her Catholic Church (you can take the girl out of the liberal but....you know the rest)she is resigned to accepting her faith wholeheartedly, knowing God and love are the important points.
One can't help but be impressed by Rice's dedication, sincerity, and commitment to the not only Christian historical research, knowledge, and understanding, but also in her all-consuming thirst to understand and study the gospel as it pertains to present life.
It is obvious Rice did not come back to Christianity lightly. I would have liked her to have delved further into that struggle. Because it seemed to me, ultimately, as with all believers, it came down to emotion. While Ms. Rice categorically denies "feeling good" to be the reason for her faith, I can't help but feel myself this is the true reason anyone has belief. There is a sense of freedom in believing, a feeling of surrender and as it were, putting oneself into the care of a loving parent. Mind you, I find nothing wrong with wanting this or believing this. And I admit my slight envy for that abandon. But as in all spirituality involving a supreme being, so much is left unexplained. So much is brushed under the carpet of "God knows what He's doing". OH, to be able to fall for that line must be truly a rapturous feeling, (yes, word choice intended).Unfortunately I cannot see the cruelty and suffering in this world and believe God is there watching, could stop it, but chooses not to. I understand the Christian argument that this is God's way of giving us our free will. I still don't buy it. While Rice touched on a few dogmatic and political things she found distasteful in her church, she ignored the bigger issue of suffering completely. She touched on Jesus' suffering as well as her own, but left out the bigger picture. This is a memoir and not a dissertation on Christian religion, but religion and spirituality carry a heavy burden. I feel that burden remains unloaded with this "Spiritual Confession".
I do however, feel this book is worthwhile. I commend Anne Rice for her honesty and sincerity. I was pleased that she did not condemn her previous novels or her time spent as an atheist as "heathen" or in some way immoral and wrong. She's obviously an intelligent and thoughtful person and a talented writer. And I would ultimately agree with her that if there is a God, that God is Love, and that if love were truly to rule the earth heaven could be had on this planet. That she can embrace her faith and still see there can be many paths to God, or to the Greater Good, is the spiritual awakening I would love to see in all people.
Customer Rating:
Summary: INTO THE LIGHT
Comment: Anne Rice, author of the Vampire Chronicles, including INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, and numerous other books chronicling the "lives" of vampires, witches, and creatures of the night, had been estranged from her Roman Catholic roots, since her college days. In the late 1990s, her feelings toward God had been rekindled and she ultimately returned to an active loving participation in the faith. Her reconversion has sparked disappointment and even outrage among the fans of her brilliant, yet pointedly dark novels of the "dark side" of literary expression. Her recent novels, CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT, and CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA, have opened a new chapter in Anne Rice's life -- that of a woman who continues her gift of elegant prose with a newfound sense of purpose.
CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS is a brief, yet beautifully written and poignant story of one woman's return to her faith. It is a journey of self-rediscovery and the recognition of the beliefs that had been once extinguished in a world of secular allure and entrapment. The author, eschewing the minutiae of typical biographies, provides an almost lyrical or poetic development of her initial childlike faith, her dark night of the soul, and her emergence as a fully-formed, yet still growing adult member of the Catholic Church.
With the power of imagery and the well-turned phrase that has earned her world acclaim in her novels, Ms. Rice embraces the reader on a journey of personal relationship with God. She writes knowledgeably, yet on a profoundly emotional level. There is significance in what she has to say, and genuineness in her voice. One cannot read this book and not be moved by her story of faith.
There are a number of reviews, which view her return to the church as an act of betrayal, somehow diminishing the force of her earlier works. However, a careful reading with an objective and open mind should dispel these concerns. Anne Rice writes with the courage of her convictions, which (in my humble opinion), is the highest accolade that one can give an artist in any medium. Her story is an inspiring one to those who are faith-filled, those who are striving to find meaning in the faith, or even to those who do not believe. As much as CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS is a testament of faith, it is also a testament to the integrity of the human spirit.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very powerful; among the most transparent and touching memoirs I've ever read
Comment: This may be destined to become a spiritual classic. I certainly hope so. Anne Rice's story of her Catholic upbringing, her falling away and 38-year sojourn into atheism, and her eventually return to Jesus Christ and his Church made a deep impression on me.
Not everything is seamlessly related, and that may be a good thing: it lends a bedrock authenticity to her account. And though there are passages of great beauty and power, there are also stretches of a more mundane nature. That's OK. Indeed, isn't that how life is? I found the first half of the book where she relates her Catholic childhood and youth occasionally tedious, but also strangely fascinating--and in the end absolutely necessary to give background and insight to her eventually return to the Church.
It is the second half of the book that redeems the whole. The picture that emerges is of a tremendously gifted woman who all her life--even during her nearly 40 years of wandering in the desert--is being drawn into the loving arms of Christ. The description of the process she went through to return to her first Love, to Him Who is Love itself, moved my wife and me to tears as I read the book aloud.
Her brief recounting of how she came to write her vampire novels, what they meant to her as she sought to relate the struggles of lost souls in a world without God--very much in line with her own life experiences at the time--how they touched a nerve with a huge audience of lost, alienated, and marginalized people, how the critics often misread her--all this is fascinating. The background to much of this is a lifelong struggle with and confusion about gender--her own, and its proper place in the world.
Finally, Anne Rice comes across as an extremely honest and even heroic woman. She is that rare person who is completely orthodox in her theology but so captivated by God's love for her (and indeed for the whole world and everyone in it), perhaps best expressed in Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount, that she is committed to living her entire life in obedience to Our Lord's beautiful but challenging message from that passage. Consequently, her life now is one completely dedicated to loving her Lord with all her heart and her neighbor as herself. Amazingly, given her own struggles with Catholic teachings on sex and gender issues, she has found a way to do this in absolute obedience to the Church, even though she longs for changes. I find myself not in agreement with her here, but her firm fidelity to her Church despite her reservations about its teachings is an inspiration and a blessing.
Thank you, Anne Rice, for being willing to share with readers your remarkable story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: 4.5 stars - Fascinating on several levels
Comment: With the release of "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" the reading world discovered that Anne Rice, queen of Vampire and occult fiction, had undergone a profound religious conversion returning to her Catholic roots. So profound was her conversion that she has set the goal of only writing about Jesus, in one way or another, for the remainder of her life. This spiritual confession is about her journey away from Him and back to Him.
In the rich and sensuous prose her fans are familiar with Rice writes of her childhood in Catholic New Orleans, her early devotion to Christ and the Catholic Church, and the events that led her to abandon her faith early in college. She write about her years as an atheist and how her struggle with meaning in life came out in her fiction. Lastly, you will learn why, after forty years of staunch atheism, she was able to believe again.
Although a bit wordy (this is Anne Rice after all), this is a beautifully written, fascinating account of inner life and faith. You will not find torrid details or in depth accounts of many things that fans typically want to know about their favorite authors. What you will find is far more rewarding. Rice examines what her faith was founded on as a child, why it foundered, and how she made it back to God and Jesus. For those who do not believe this could be a great explanation of religious conversion. For those who do believe, Catholic or Protestant, you will see yourself in Mrs. Rice as she struggles with the most difficult questions while still loving her God and Savior.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading!
Comment: This was one of the most boring books I have ever read...and I am a catholic! The first 80 pages nearly made my eyes glaze over as she explained, in detail, what it was like to be catholic in the 50's & 60's. There is no point to the book. Save your money!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A spiritual journey, but questions remain.
Comment: I found Called Out of Darkness an intriguing book. As a former Christian turned agnostic, I was hoping Ms. Rice would give me profound insight into reasons for returning to Christianity. Unfortunately I was let down in that aspect, though I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I've always loved Ms. Rice's writing style, and while this was obviously different from her novels, the detailed and romantic descriptions of places and things still carried me along on her spiritual journey.
I appreciated the fact that while she eventually questioned political and dogmatic injustices of her Catholic Church (you can take the girl out of the liberal but....you know the rest)she is resigned to accepting her faith wholeheartedly, knowing God and love are the important points.
One can't help but be impressed by Rice's dedication, sincerity, and commitment to the not only Christian historical research, knowledge, and understanding, but also in her all-consuming thirst to understand and study the gospel as it pertains to present life.
It is obvious Rice did not come back to Christianity lightly. I would have liked her to have delved further into that struggle. Because it seemed to me, ultimately, as with all believers, it came down to emotion. While Ms. Rice categorically denies "feeling good" to be the reason for her faith, I can't help but feel myself this is the true reason anyone has belief. There is a sense of freedom in believing, a feeling of surrender and as it were, putting oneself into the care of a loving parent. Mind you, I find nothing wrong with wanting this or believing this. And I admit my slight envy for that abandon. But as in all spirituality involving a supreme being, so much is left unexplained. So much is brushed under the carpet of "God knows what He's doing". OH, to be able to fall for that line must be truly a rapturous feeling, (yes, word choice intended).Unfortunately I cannot see the cruelty and suffering in this world and believe God is there watching, could stop it, but chooses not to. I understand the Christian argument that this is God's way of giving us our free will. I still don't buy it. While Rice touched on a few dogmatic and political things she found distasteful in her church, she ignored the bigger issue of suffering completely. She touched on Jesus' suffering as well as her own, but left out the bigger picture. This is a memoir and not a dissertation on Christian religion, but religion and spirituality carry a heavy burden. I feel that burden remains unloaded with this "Spiritual Confession".
I do however, feel this book is worthwhile. I commend Anne Rice for her honesty and sincerity. I was pleased that she did not condemn her previous novels or her time spent as an atheist as "heathen" or in some way immoral and wrong. She's obviously an intelligent and thoughtful person and a talented writer. And I would ultimately agree with her that if there is a God, that God is Love, and that if love were truly to rule the earth heaven could be had on this planet. That she can embrace her faith and still see there can be many paths to God, or to the Greater Good, is the spiritual awakening I would love to see in all people.
Customer Rating:
Summary: INTO THE LIGHT
Comment: Anne Rice, author of the Vampire Chronicles, including INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, and numerous other books chronicling the "lives" of vampires, witches, and creatures of the night, had been estranged from her Roman Catholic roots, since her college days. In the late 1990s, her feelings toward God had been rekindled and she ultimately returned to an active loving participation in the faith. Her reconversion has sparked disappointment and even outrage among the fans of her brilliant, yet pointedly dark novels of the "dark side" of literary expression. Her recent novels, CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT, and CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA, have opened a new chapter in Anne Rice's life -- that of a woman who continues her gift of elegant prose with a newfound sense of purpose.
CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS is a brief, yet beautifully written and poignant story of one woman's return to her faith. It is a journey of self-rediscovery and the recognition of the beliefs that had been once extinguished in a world of secular allure and entrapment. The author, eschewing the minutiae of typical biographies, provides an almost lyrical or poetic development of her initial childlike faith, her dark night of the soul, and her emergence as a fully-formed, yet still growing adult member of the Catholic Church.
With the power of imagery and the well-turned phrase that has earned her world acclaim in her novels, Ms. Rice embraces the reader on a journey of personal relationship with God. She writes knowledgeably, yet on a profoundly emotional level. There is significance in what she has to say, and genuineness in her voice. One cannot read this book and not be moved by her story of faith.
There are a number of reviews, which view her return to the church as an act of betrayal, somehow diminishing the force of her earlier works. However, a careful reading with an objective and open mind should dispel these concerns. Anne Rice writes with the courage of her convictions, which (in my humble opinion), is the highest accolade that one can give an artist in any medium. Her story is an inspiring one to those who are faith-filled, those who are striving to find meaning in the faith, or even to those who do not believe. As much as CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS is a testament of faith, it is also a testament to the integrity of the human spirit.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very powerful; among the most transparent and touching memoirs I've ever read
Comment: This may be destined to become a spiritual classic. I certainly hope so. Anne Rice's story of her Catholic upbringing, her falling away and 38-year sojourn into atheism, and her eventually return to Jesus Christ and his Church made a deep impression on me.
Not everything is seamlessly related, and that may be a good thing: it lends a bedrock authenticity to her account. And though there are passages of great beauty and power, there are also stretches of a more mundane nature. That's OK. Indeed, isn't that how life is? I found the first half of the book where she relates her Catholic childhood and youth occasionally tedious, but also strangely fascinating--and in the end absolutely necessary to give background and insight to her eventually return to the Church.
It is the second half of the book that redeems the whole. The picture that emerges is of a tremendously gifted woman who all her life--even during her nearly 40 years of wandering in the desert--is being drawn into the loving arms of Christ. The description of the process she went through to return to her first Love, to Him Who is Love itself, moved my wife and me to tears as I read the book aloud.
Her brief recounting of how she came to write her vampire novels, what they meant to her as she sought to relate the struggles of lost souls in a world without God--very much in line with her own life experiences at the time--how they touched a nerve with a huge audience of lost, alienated, and marginalized people, how the critics often misread her--all this is fascinating. The background to much of this is a lifelong struggle with and confusion about gender--her own, and its proper place in the world.
Finally, Anne Rice comes across as an extremely honest and even heroic woman. She is that rare person who is completely orthodox in her theology but so captivated by God's love for her (and indeed for the whole world and everyone in it), perhaps best expressed in Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount, that she is committed to living her entire life in obedience to Our Lord's beautiful but challenging message from that passage. Consequently, her life now is one completely dedicated to loving her Lord with all her heart and her neighbor as herself. Amazingly, given her own struggles with Catholic teachings on sex and gender issues, she has found a way to do this in absolute obedience to the Church, even though she longs for changes. I find myself not in agreement with her here, but her firm fidelity to her Church despite her reservations about its teachings is an inspiration and a blessing.
Thank you, Anne Rice, for being willing to share with readers your remarkable story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: 4.5 stars - Fascinating on several levels
Comment: With the release of "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" the reading world discovered that Anne Rice, queen of Vampire and occult fiction, had undergone a profound religious conversion returning to her Catholic roots. So profound was her conversion that she has set the goal of only writing about Jesus, in one way or another, for the remainder of her life. This spiritual confession is about her journey away from Him and back to Him.
In the rich and sensuous prose her fans are familiar with Rice writes of her childhood in Catholic New Orleans, her early devotion to Christ and the Catholic Church, and the events that led her to abandon her faith early in college. She write about her years as an atheist and how her struggle with meaning in life came out in her fiction. Lastly, you will learn why, after forty years of staunch atheism, she was able to believe again.
Although a bit wordy (this is Anne Rice after all), this is a beautifully written, fascinating account of inner life and faith. You will not find torrid details or in depth accounts of many things that fans typically want to know about their favorite authors. What you will find is far more rewarding. Rice examines what her faith was founded on as a child, why it foundered, and how she made it back to God and Jesus. For those who do not believe this could be a great explanation of religious conversion. For those who do believe, Catholic or Protestant, you will see yourself in Mrs. Rice as she struggles with the most difficult questions while still loving her God and Savior.
In 2005, Anne Rice startled her readers with her novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and by revealing that, after years as an atheist, she had returned to her Catholic faith.
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana followed.
And now, in her powerful and haunting memoir, Rice tells the story of the spiritual transformation that produced a complete change in her literary goals.
She begins with her girlhood in New Orleans as the devout child in a deeply religious Irish Catholic family. She describes how, as she grew up, she lost her belief in God, but not her desire for a meaningful life.
She writes about her years in radical Berkeley, where her career as a novelist began with the publication of Interview with the Vampire, soon to be followed by more novels about otherworldly beings, about the realms of good and evil, love and alienation, pageantry and ritual, each reflecting aspects of her often agonizing moral quest.
She writes about loss and tragedy (her mother’s drinking; the death of her daughter and, later, her beloved husband, Stan Rice); about new joys; about the birth of her son, Christopher; about the family’s return in 1988 to the city of New Orleans, the city that inspired so much of her work. She tells how after an adult lifetime of questioning, she experienced the intense conversion and consecration to Christ that lie behind her most recent novels.
For her readers old and new, this book explores her continuing interior pilgrimage.
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