The Seven Mountains of Thomas Merton by Michael Mott - Biography & Spiritual Journey - Perfect for Book Clubs, Religious Studies & Personal Growth (1993)

My whole spiritual life, which at times was a complete flatout disgusting failure, seemed to float around Thomas Merton and his 'Seven Story Mountain', that I read when 17 yrs. I am now 80 and still chasing that elusive plain. 'Seven Mountains ' makes Merton's desparate faults so encouragingly human in an otherwise intellectually fit human being. Merton's writing style is the clincher here, and Mott describes him and his writings in detail, all the warts, successes, failures (both spiritual and temporal). Lives of ordinary people seeking God, worth, humility and all those virtues that linger outside our culture are often described as almost non-human, blown out of proportion with 'holy' words. Mott enhances Merton's life by documenting the very basic human conspiricies that blow apart his quest of sainthood, but he keeps on truckin'. Mott's Merton quotes and intellectual discoveries registered in my mind and have helped me to realize further we are all only ordinary folks trying to get through life.