Zena Hitz is a Tutor at St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, where she teaches students across the liberal arts. Her acclaimed book Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life (Princeton University Press, 2020) was widely discussed and reviewed in a number of prominent periodicals which included the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Irish Times.

'We live in a time in which few people write about the lives of consecrated religious. In such a context, this book would have been a welcome contribution to the literature were it only half as intelligent and articulate as it actually is. But even if our bookstores were overflowing with commentaries on the religious life, 'A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life' would stand out for its distinctive and thoughtful approach, the breadth of its learning, and its willingness to speak to those entirely unfamiliar with, perhaps even hostile to, so much of what constitutes the great and unfathomable mystery of this life.' Sister Carino Hodder, The Lamp

• What is this book about?; Introduction: renunciation and happiness; 1. The call; 2. Blessed are the poor; 3. Intimacy with God; 4. The family of humanity; 5. Abandonment and freedom; Conclusion: The last things.

Zena Hitz is a Tutor at St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, where she teaches students across the liberal arts. Her acclaimed book Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life (Princeton University Press, 2020) was widely discussed and reviewed in a number of prominent periodicals which included the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Irish Times.

'We live in a time in which few people write about the lives of consecrated religious. In such a context, this book would have been a welcome contribution to the literature were it only half as intelligent and articulate as it actually is. But even if our bookstores were overflowing with commentaries on the religious life, 'A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life' would stand out for its distinctive and thoughtful approach, the breadth of its learning, and its willingness to speak to those entirely unfamiliar with, perhaps even hostile to, so much of what constitutes the great and unfathomable mystery of this life.' Sister Carino Hodder, The Lamp

• What is this book about?; Introduction: renunciation and happiness; 1. The call; 2. Blessed are the poor; 3. Intimacy with God; 4. The family of humanity; 5. Abandonment and freedom; Conclusion: The last things.

Zena Hitz is a Tutor at St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, where she teaches students across the liberal arts. Her acclaimed book Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life (Princeton University Press, 2020) was widely discussed and reviewed in a number of prominent periodicals which included the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Irish Times.

'We live in a time in which few people write about the lives of consecrated religious. In such a context, this book would have been a welcome contribution to the literature were it only half as intelligent and articulate as it actually is. But even if our bookstores were overflowing with commentaries on the religious life, 'A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life' would stand out for its distinctive and thoughtful approach, the breadth of its learning, and its willingness to speak to those entirely unfamiliar with, perhaps even hostile to, so much of what constitutes the great and unfathomable mystery of this life.' Sister Carino Hodder, The Lamp

• What is this book about?; Introduction: renunciation and happiness; 1. The call; 2. Blessed are the poor; 3. Intimacy with God; 4. The family of humanity; 5. Abandonment and freedom; Conclusion: The last things.