First published 2008
Kathleen Norris had published multiple books, yet she found herself unable to rise from bed each morning or muster energy for simple daily activities. She recognized this struggle as acedia, a term she had encountered in early Church writings during her thirties. This ancient concept perfectly captured the soul-weariness she had experienced since adolescence: a state where caring becomes impossible. Norris became fascinated by this "noonday demon" that plagued early and medieval Christians. She read extensively about acedia and felt compelled to reintroduce this forgotten but vital concept to contemporary readers. Combining memoir with meditation, Norris traces acedia through her life as a writer, her marriage, and her deep engagement with monastic traditions. She chronicles both her own and her husband's encounters with acedia and its modern clinical counterpart, depression. Norris reveals how this ancient affliction burdens not only individuals but entire societies, arguing that today's restless boredom, frantic escapism, fear of commitment, and draining despair represent acedia wearing contemporary clothing.
Genres: psychology, religion, memoir, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, academic, christian-living
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: memoir
Period: 21st-century
334 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness