Anatomy of Survival - Softcover

Kroll, Una

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0264675304 ISBN 13: 9780264675305

Publisher: Mowbray, 2001

Synopsis

Born the illegitimate daughter of Russian parents (her father was a spy), Una Kroll trained early as a doctor and then became a nun. She met her husband Leo who was then a monk in the African missions, and they eloped. It was not long before she became the leader of MOW, Movement for the Ordination of Women, and a veritable heroine for thousands of devout women who wanted to use their ability, energy, and intelligence for the Church. Her husband died and she now lives the life of a religious and a priest (she was one of the first to be ordained) under solemn vows taken before Archbishop Rowan Williams, who contributed the foreword to this book. It is in one sense an autobiography, and in another a treatise on both surviving and bereavement, from a woman who has survived abuse as a child, rejection by the church, a miscarriage, and the death of her husband. The resulting book is full of common sense and faith. She is down-to-earth and realistic, and completely devoid of self pity. Kroll has important lessons to teach us, and she does so with dignity and insight.

About this title

About the Author

Una Kroll, MD, is a doctor and priest who practiced many years in a pastoral setting. A devoted campaigner for sexual equality, she was one of the first group of women to be ordained priests in the Church in Wales. She was made deaconess in the Church of England in 1970. She is the author of several books including Trees of Life:The Prayer of Intercession and its Cost. She lives in Wales where she has devoted herself to a solitary life of prayer.

Review

"This deeply moving book draws on the author's experiences throughout a life that began in poverty and marred by a suicide attempt by her mother...Through these pages she passes on her experience of disaster and grieving with a warmth and reality that will aid those going through similar situations. A sensitive and spiritual book, it encourages readers to be aware of the stages of grief, and work out when action is needed."—Church of England Newspaper, June 29, 2001

"Una Kroll's story [...] is a remarkable account of her life and the many disasters, tragedies, disappointments and occasions of grief she has suffered and survived. It is fascinating reading, as she uncovers each event and the way of her survival...for this is not merely the story of her life it is a systematic study of her experiences, an anatomy of survival...it will be invaluable to those whose concern it is to minister to their people ...for others it will remain a book from which to draw strength and enlightenment from the individual chapters of Dr Kroll's own life and the remarkable stories of those she has encountered." —Reform, October 2001

"Remembered by many for her public advocacy in the 1970s of women's rights and the ordination of women in the Church of England, Una Kroll offers readers strategies for survival with reference to her own story...moving, beautiful and real, a gift of hope to anyway [sic] walking a parallel path to wholeness." —Baptist Times, October 4, 2001

"When a medical student dissects a body s/he learns about bodies in general, even though each body is unique. Similarly Una Kroll [...] invites all of us to draw insights about survival and growth from her own personal stories...Through her own story and others' stories too, she analyses powerful internal struggles and the place of fear and faith, of risk taking, personal motivation and hurdles, in her case alongside the call of God."—Diocese of Hereford Newspaper, Autumn 2001

"Kroll is insightful, honest and unsentimental in describing behaviour and motivation during this long period of confusion and dislocation . . . a valuable resource for understanding ourselves and others." —Franciscan, May 2002

About this edition

• Publisher: Mowbray
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0264675304
• ISBN 13: 9780264675305
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128