From Publishers Weekly
In the third volume of his autobiography ( The Sacred Journey ; Now and Then ) Buechner speaks in a sensitive and quietly humorous voice as he describes crises in his life: the suicide of his father when the author was 10; the anorexia of his teenaged daughter. Details of other demanding situations, less critical, provoke merriment as well as thought. As a lecturer at a Unitarian Universalist divinity school, Buechner encountered atheistic students preparing for the ministry, along with a feminist who opposed studying King Lear because the drama features women in subservient roles. In a book that stands out as uncommonly rewarding and inspirational, the author convinces us that secrets kept buried can cause harm. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A father's suicide and a daughter's anorexia exemplify the sort of secret that radically modifies an individual and, in turn, can be modified by being told. The fiction of noted theologian/novelist Buechner ( A Long Day's Dying, LJ 1/1/50) has been called "psychological." His nonfiction, too (including Whistling in the Dark, LJ 7/88) explores his comprehension of the soul rather than exhorting. This slim memoir does well what Buechner has become noted for doing: showing with subtlety the stark nature of being one thinking being among many. His prescription for the church to look at Alcoholics Anonymous for a modern model is compelling. This minister is not preaching to the converted but can attract the ears--and hearts--of any reader interested in acknowledging the spiritual aspect of human nature. For most collections.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Philadelphia Inquirer
"TELLING SECRETS is perhaps the finest memoir produced in this tell-all age."


Book Description
With eloquence, candor, and simplicity, a celebrated author tells the story of his father's alcohol abuse and suicide and traces the influence of this secret on his life as a son, father, husband, minister, and writer.


From the Publisher
With eloquence, candor, and simplicity, a celebrated author tells the story of his father's alcohol abuse and suicide and traces the influence of this secret on his life as a son, father, husband, minister, and writer.


About the Author
Frederick Buechner is the popular author of such nonfiction titles as Telling the Truth, Wishful Thinking, and Peculiar Treasures. The New York Times Book Review described his recently published memoir, The Sacred Journey, as a "beautifully successful experiment." In addition to The Final Beast, which was originally published in 1965, Mr. Buechner is the author of ten other novels, including thebestselling A Long Day's Dying and, most recently, Godric. He makes his home in Rupert, Vermont.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With eloquence, candor, and simplicity, a celebrated author tells the story of his father's alcohol abuse and suicide and traces the influence of this secret on his life as a son, father, husband, minister, and writer.

About the Author