SELF-HELP

How To Live Like a Monk: Medieval Wisdom for Modern Life

by Danièle Cybulskie (text) & Anna Lobanova (illus.).

Abbeville. Oct. 2021. 192p. ISBN 9780789214133. $24.95. SELF-HELP

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Cybulski (Life in Medieval Europe) relates how people today can use some of the beliefs and principles of monastic living to find peace, simplicity, and purpose in their lives. The book details, with multiple color illustrations, the daily lives of 14th–16th-century monks to show how their tending of gardens, embracing minimalism, and building community led to lives full of meaning. Though modern-day readers might not want to fully embrace the monastic life, they can benefit from such practices as meditation, making peace with their pasts, and practicing gratitude.

VERDICT Such advice is not new, but seen through a different lens it becomes more interesting and inviting.

Reviewed by Deborah Bigelow, Director Emerita, Leonia P.L., NJ , Nov 05, 2021

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