Editorial Reviews:
The Orchards of Perseverance presents a refreshing profile of ten monks of the Trappist Order who live in a small community at the Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux in Northern California. This oral history follows the life of each monk over the course of many years, from their "call to God" to their first entry into the community and the subsequent adjustment to the monastic life. The monks speak candidly in this book about the psychological trauma associated with leaving society and attempting to discover their true "self." Their frank observations about God, how they view life outside the monastic gate and the effect of world events, and how they think the world views them, are interwoven with humor and insight that offers hope and inspiration in a confusing world. With 450 acres of prune and walnut orchards as their livelihood, blue denim is just as prevalent as monastic robes while these men follow a daily schedule of prayer and work from sunup to sundown. A wide cross-section of the community is represented, from the novice master whose job it is to interview and nurture every man who asks to enter, to the abbot who talks about the difficulties of his title. Author David D. Perata first went to the monastery in the latter sixties while in grammar school, working out in the orchards with his best friend Joe and having a ball hunting rabbits and driving jeeps and tractors with the monks. Over the course of some thirty years, he has returned to the monastery most every year or so, enjoying its peaceful atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of society. When the abbot of New Clairvaux recently gave him an opportunity to photograph their life and interview the monks, the result is this rare, intimate look into the monastic enclosure that topples these men off their spiritual pedestals and reveals them as human beings like the rest of us. Far from the mysterious stereotypes we all have had of monasteries and monks, the spiritual struggle and perseverance of these men underscores the simple fact that they are ordinary people who have simply chosen an extraordinary lifestyle. Illustrated with over eighty-five archival and contemporary photos, The Orchards of Perseverance entertains while arousing a wealth of thought-provoking questions and ideas that readers can incorporate into their daily life.
One might argue that the world does not need any more what-it's-like-to-live-in-a-monastery books. But The Orchards of Perseverance by David D. Perata offers such a fresh, smart, down-to-earth perspective on the monastic experience that even if you're suffering from compline-fatigue, you'll want to read this one straight through. Perata first visited the Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux, a Trappist monastery in Vina, California, in the summer of 1967, when he had just finished the seventh grade. He helped harvest the monastery's crops, which range from walnuts to safflower, and he began paying close attention to the monks he worked with in the fields. Over the next 30 years, Perata returned to the Abbey many times, and this book is the fruit of his labors. The Orchards of Perseverance is a collection of interviews with the Trappists, illustrated with intimate photographs of them at work, at worship, and at play. The book offers plenty of spiritual wisdom, like this from a Trappist named Father Timothy: "Sometimes I'll be praying, and all at once I'm so aware of God's presence.... Just a few minutes like that makes it all worthwhile, and then you go out and plant some more tomatoes." More striking, and more unusual, is the way that Perata's interviews convey a tangible sense of what it's like to live in such a close-knit community of faith. The reader learns, without being explicitly told, that there is lightness in the density. And that is a fascinating and hopeful fact. --Michael Joseph Gross
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 1 to 5 of 7 total reviews (Page 1 of 2):
 A Realistic Book That Captures Trappist Life
David Perata's THE ORCHARDS OF PERSEVERANCE is one of the most interesting books on Catholic contemplative religious life available. Perata gives some background about the Cistercians, a group of Catholic monks and nuns also known as the Trappists whose life is based on the Rule of St. Benedict. The majority of the book contains interviews with monks, both priests and brothers, who live at New Clairvaux Abbey in Vina, California. The subjects of the interviews range from monks who have been in religious life for many years and the newest member of the community who eventually decides he is not called to the monastic life. In each of the interviews we see very different people struggling with a variety of issues with varied perspectives on life all searching for one thing: union with God. This book is not a pretty book so to speak. We do not find ideal people or perfect role models. What we do find are people who are real and attempt to live a life that is challenging for the person perusing it and fascinating for those of us who read about it and observe it. Reading about the joys and struggles of these monks can help us as we strive to live in our world and search for the same thing these men are searching for, and in many ways are finding.
I do know how the Trappists feel about the many books written by them. Some I'm sure they love and appreciate, others they probably would not mention because as anyone who has ever met a Trappist knows, courtesy is a hallmark of this order. Whenever I have visited a Trappist monastery, I usually head right to the bookstore and I do not find all the so called Trappist books, but I do always seem to find THE ORCHARDS OF PERSEVERANCE prominently displayed. My guess is the reason is that Trappists themselves find the book authentic, and quite frankly, that's good enough for me.
Insight into the Monastic and Spirtual life
Wonderful book filled with commentary from the monks. Offers a great analysis of the questions that many of us ask ourselves in this life and this book portrays the few whom make the sacrifices to actually live it. A inside look from an outsider that is really an insider
So many questions I had about Trappist Monks were answered in this book. This is a must read book if you are at all interested mans relationship with God from men who spend there whole life working on this relationship. The author allows you to me them personally for he has a personal relationship with them from an early age. This is the book you wish someone would write and has. I highly recommend this book. A inside look from an outsider that is really an insider
So many questions I had about Trappist Monks were answered in this book. This is a must read book if you are at all interested mans relationship with God from men who spend there whole life working on this relationship. The author allows you to me them personally for he has a personal relationship with them from an early age. This is the book you wish someone would write and has. I highly recommend this book.  Down-to-earth Cistercians with hearts fixed on Heaven!
This compilation of interviews with the monks of New Clairvaux, California is a fascinating contribution to that part of Catholic literature that might be called, risking impertinence, "contemplative chic." The books of Thomas Merton remain a great influence, and there exists a considerable interest in Cistercian spirituality and the cloistered life. These ten monks, as diverse in ethnicity, personality, age, background, temperament, patterns of speech, as any ten persons you can find, share their views, their experiences, their recollections as to what prompted them to undertake the monastic adventure ... We have here a fairly down-to-earth lot, prayerful but not "head in the clouds" types, each of them conveying the necessity of perseverance and charity in a life that is anything but escapism!There are three introductory chapters, explaining a little about Cistercian/Trappist history and detailing the schedule and the activities of your average monk (if there is such a thing!); these introductory chapters can probably be skimmed by those readers who have delved extensively into Merton or Pennington or who have made retreats at Trappist monasteries themselves. Some of the books in the Bibliography proffered as Suggested Reading can be avoided (Finley's book "Merton's Place of Nowhere" being not terribly magnetizing) ... and there are times when we read the interviews that we find Mr Perata's attempts to reproduce the speech of the monks to be a bit labored, but there is humor to be found (an octogenarian Irish monk: "readin', workin', & just meditatin' ... you've gotta start usin' your mantra"). Some of the personalities & histories in the interviews will be more attractive than others, but if the reader is interested in the Trappist life, "The Orchards of Perseverance" will be a welcome addition to the personal library. Essential? Perhaps not, but the words of these monks impart considerable charm & a fair amount of wisdom. More Customer Reviews:
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