"Called Out of Darkness" by Anne Rice

I never knew much of Anne Rice beyond her status as one of the top-name authors of the country.  Then I found myself intrigued by her announcement she would devote her writings to Jesus Christ, beginning with a tale of historical fiction revolving around his untold youth.  Having been impressed with that honest portrayal, I naturally sought to read this spiritual autobiography when learning of it.

Within these pages, she tells her story, and it is a refreshingly honest portrayal of one person’s life: her being taught of God through the Catholic life she grew up amidst in New Orleans Louisiana, how she turned completely away from that existence upon entering adulthood, her searching for meaning in life through her life as an author, and her eventual re-introduction to Jesus that drew her back to her Catholic faith.

What this means in light of new announcements from her, that she chose to leave the Catholic Church, is difficult to say.  Because some of her views run contrary to my own, does that invalidate everything I treasured in her books?

While I cannot say I agree with every opinion and idea she shares, I can say the honesty with which she tells her story is welcoming.  Whether Catholic, Protestant, and just ultimately confused, this is a story for all people.  Believer or unbeliever, every soul can derive something worthwhile from this honest story – and ‘honest’ is the word that kept coming back to me – of one soul’s search for meaning.