River of Fire

“Compelling and down-to-earth, River of Fire is a deeply authentic memoir of faith in action. We need Sister Helen’s courageous and committed example of how to live fueled by a faith that does separate us from each other, but throws us wholeheartedly into the complicated, messy, and often tragic elements of humanity.”—Kate Hennessy, author of Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty

“Sister Prejean’s radical openness and bracing honesty about her own faith journey is as refreshing and compelling as it is demanding and questioning. If you’ve ever wondered what ‘faith’ asks of you, you must read this book. It will turn your world upside down as you witness the conversion of a pious, sheltered nun into a fiery, faithful freedom fighter for the poor and the marginal. It set my own heart on fire, as I followed her quest to set the heart of the world aflame with passion for justice.”—Serene Jones, author of Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World

“Sister Helen Prejean is one of the great moral leaders of our time. Her superb new memoir, River of Fire, is the inviting and inspiring story of her early days as a Catholic sister. A born storyteller, Sister Helen leads you, with her fierce intelligence and lively wit, from her entrance into a novitiate that still practiced the traditional ways of spiritual formation, to the volcanic changes wrought by the Second Vatican Council, to the initial stirrings of understanding what ‘social justice’ meant in action. River of Fire is a book to read and treasure, and Sister Helen’s is a life to celebrate and honor.”—James Martin, SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything

“Helen Prejean’s account of her journey to ‘get Jesus right’ is rich in warm insights, tenderly human, and a full account of life in the American Church during the last sixty years. She is a beacon of authenticity and fidelity to the margins.”—Gregory Boyle, founder, Homeboy Industries