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Dearest Sister Wendy: A Surprising Story of Faith and Friendship, Orbis, 2022, $24.99 paperback; $16.99 on Kindle
A collection of letters between a religious publisher in upstate New York and a cloistered nun in Norfolk, England, has enraptured me. I knew nothing about Robert Ellsberg before I picked up Dearest Sister Wendy . Sister Wendy , though, was a favorite of mine for a time in the ’90s because of her art program on PBS, and I have one of her books, but haven’t looked at it for an age. This book was like going back in time to “catch up,” but the most beautiful thing about it is how contemporary it is (the majori
Such thought and caring went into these letters. These two people expanded each other’s worlds. Of course, at times it seems like a mother-son type of relationship has sprung up between them (Sister Wendy was just slightly older than Robert’s father, Daniel, of Pentagon Papers fame). There is a distinct tenderness and mutual support that is totally authentic. For Sister Wendy at least, who went into the convent at age sixteen, this must have been a unique experience, and it’s very interesting that she allow