Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice
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- Create Date：2021-08-21 07:51:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Vanessa Zoltan
- ISBN：059308800X
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Summary
"In these soaring， open-hearted essays， Vanessa Zoltan writes with fierce brilliance about suffering， survival， and the kind of meaning in life that can withstand real scrutiny。"--John Green， bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed
A deeply felt celebration of a classic novel--and a reflection on the ways our favorite books can shape and heal us。
Our favorite books keep us company， give us hope， and help us find meaning in a chaotic world。 In this fresh and relatable work， atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel， Jane Eyre。 Informed by the reading practices of medieval monks and rabbinic scholars from her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women， Harry Potter， and The Great Gatsby， Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope， meaning， and even magic in our deeply fractured times。 Brimming with a lifelong love of classic literature and the tenderness of self-reflection， the book also reveals simple techniques for reading any work as a sacred text--from Virginia Woolf to Anne of Green Gables to baseball scorecards。
Whether you're an avowed Eyrehead or simply a curious reader looking for a richer connection with the written word， this deeply felt and inspiring book will light the way to a more intimate appreciation for whatever books you love to read。
A deeply felt celebration of a classic novel--and a reflection on the ways our favorite books can shape and heal us。
Our favorite books keep us company， give us hope， and help us find meaning in a chaotic world。 In this fresh and relatable work， atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel， Jane Eyre。 Informed by the reading practices of medieval monks and rabbinic scholars from her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women， Harry Potter， and The Great Gatsby， Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope， meaning， and even magic in our deeply fractured times。 Brimming with a lifelong love of classic literature and the tenderness of self-reflection， the book also reveals simple techniques for reading any work as a sacred text--from Virginia Woolf to Anne of Green Gables to baseball scorecards。
Whether you're an avowed Eyrehead or simply a curious reader looking for a richer connection with the written word， this deeply felt and inspiring book will light the way to a more intimate appreciation for whatever books you love to read。
Reviews
Aimee
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Audiobook
Amanda
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Vanessa Zoltan is my hero。I’ve been listening to her podcast - Hot and Bothered - since the first episode dropped - and recently started all the way back at the beginning of Harry Potter & the Sacred Text。 Everything she makes is thoughtful， funny， and honest。 She approaches people/things with so much love。 Listening has honestly been life-changing （and me-changing！） as I keep trying to do the same。I am an atheist and the word “praying” would have been enough to make me not want to read this boo Vanessa Zoltan is my hero。I’ve been listening to her podcast - Hot and Bothered - since the first episode dropped - and recently started all the way back at the beginning of Harry Potter & the Sacred Text。 Everything she makes is thoughtful， funny， and honest。 She approaches people/things with so much love。 Listening has honestly been life-changing （and me-changing！） as I keep trying to do the same。I am an atheist and the word “praying” would have been enough to make me not want to read this book， but I ignored that voice in my head （that said “ugh praying？ No thank you！”） because I trusted Vanessa， and I was not disappointed。Go into this audiobook with an open heart and mind， （just pretend the word praying is not there or whatever you need to do to get past it if it’s not your thing） and you will find it is beautiful and thought provoking。 I’d absolutely recommend listening to the podcast as well。And to Vanessa - thank you :） 。。。more
Suzana
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A different view while reading this。 I love the positive thoughts here。
Erika Anderson
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I'm a fan of the author's podcasts， so I've already heard her tell many of the stories that are in the book， but I still found it to be a memorable and thought-provoking read。 I found myself listening to some chapters two times in a row to be able to really digest them。 This book is totally accessible even if you're not a fan of Jane Eyre because she thoroughly explains all the references （I read Jane Eyre years ago for school and didn't particularly enjoy it）。 I'm a fan of the author's podcasts， so I've already heard her tell many of the stories that are in the book， but I still found it to be a memorable and thought-provoking read。 I found myself listening to some chapters two times in a row to be able to really digest them。 This book is totally accessible even if you're not a fan of Jane Eyre because she thoroughly explains all the references （I read Jane Eyre years ago for school and didn't particularly enjoy it）。 。。。more
Dani
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WOW。 Review to come。
Sarah
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My favorite new book of the year so far。 Jane has helped the author make sense of so much of her life， to contextualize it， to analyse it， and to find and create meaning with others。 This makes a great companion read with John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed， which I think have similar lines of thought about living with intention。 I loved it - I read Jane first so I would be able to connect more deeply with the analysis， and that made my understanding of this book more meaningful to me。 I love My favorite new book of the year so far。 Jane has helped the author make sense of so much of her life， to contextualize it， to analyse it， and to find and create meaning with others。 This makes a great companion read with John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed， which I think have similar lines of thought about living with intention。 I loved it - I read Jane first so I would be able to connect more deeply with the analysis， and that made my understanding of this book more meaningful to me。 I loved it and I can't wait to read it again。 。。。more
Dianne
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3 1/2， an interesting read
Maryann Glotzer
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Vanessa Zoltan， a Harvard Divinity School trained chaplain， and Jewish atheist grandchild of Holocaust survivors， treats secular writings as valuable （Zoltan would say sacred） texts that the serious reader can draw important life lessons from。 She is right。 Her book shows the process of doing this with Jane Eyre。 This description makes the book sound dry and academic。 It is not。 Zoltan populates her chapters with personal stories of her life and family that illustrate how she uses literature to Vanessa Zoltan， a Harvard Divinity School trained chaplain， and Jewish atheist grandchild of Holocaust survivors， treats secular writings as valuable （Zoltan would say sacred） texts that the serious reader can draw important life lessons from。 She is right。 Her book shows the process of doing this with Jane Eyre。 This description makes the book sound dry and academic。 It is not。 Zoltan populates her chapters with personal stories of her life and family that illustrate how she uses literature to help understand how to live。I read Jane Eyre a long time ago。 I was impressed with Charlotte Bronte’s proto-feminism。 I thought it was unfortunate that the best Charlotte could find for Jane was Rochester， an obnoxious bully but the best of a bad lot because Jane cared for him。 I missed the racism， thought the crazy purple wife was part of the semi-magic fairies。 I did not need to reread it or even have read it at all to enjoy this book。 I did not need to change my opinion of Jane Eyre。 Zoltan’s rereading did teach me about the book， the racism and the position of women in both the 19th century and now。 However， the key lesson， and why I would highly recommend this book， was how I could use almost any book I enjoy to enrich the way I live my life。 。。。more
Cari Shipp
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Beautiful。 Wise。 Painful。 Hopeful。 Read this book。
Candice Willman
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Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to read and review！ All thoughts and opinions are my own！ This book was definitely not my usual read and a little outside of my comfort zone but I overall enjoyed it。 I think this would be a perfect audiobook to listen to while cleaning or driving。 It’s extremely uplifting and motivational。 Vanessa Zoltan writes this through a collection of “sermons” that help her find her way into treating secular texts as sacred。 This overal Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to read and review！ All thoughts and opinions are my own！ This book was definitely not my usual read and a little outside of my comfort zone but I overall enjoyed it。 I think this would be a perfect audiobook to listen to while cleaning or driving。 It’s extremely uplifting and motivational。 Vanessa Zoltan writes this through a collection of “sermons” that help her find her way into treating secular texts as sacred。 This overall concept was very intriguing to me。 I have never been a super religious person at all and the idea of praying with a book may come off as a little strange。 The way Vanessa goes about it though is very surprising and also not at the same time。 So many of us turn to books and reading during hard times in our lives。 We rely on favorites to help get through dark days and even to help us cope with happiness。 The thought process is already there but instead she uses quotes from Jane Eyre to pray like one would with the Bible。 It is definitely worth the read and it can also help a reader take a different point of view on any book they read to help strengthen their thoughts and take away of whatever they read。 。。。more
DaniLanglie
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Vanessa is such a bad-ass， awesome person that I only ever want to compliment her and give her five stars！！ But in being an honest and critical thinker of my own， I think I have to dock her one star on style。。。 this book has some clunky sentence constructions！ I found my editor-brain turning itself on and trying to re-write some clumsy sentences while I was reading， which is usually a bad sign。 It wasn't pervasive or painful or anything， but it was。。。 there。In content I can only say that this bo Vanessa is such a bad-ass， awesome person that I only ever want to compliment her and give her five stars！！ But in being an honest and critical thinker of my own， I think I have to dock her one star on style。。。 this book has some clunky sentence constructions！ I found my editor-brain turning itself on and trying to re-write some clumsy sentences while I was reading， which is usually a bad sign。 It wasn't pervasive or painful or anything， but it was。。。 there。In content I can only say that this book is just like the podcasts Vanessa hosts， and the conversations I've been lucky enough to have with her through patreon perk book club meetings。 The two words I would use？ Thoughtful and honest。 Vanessa comes from an honest， often vulnerable or even unpalatable place， and then is thoughtful and insightful about analyzing what she sees in herself and in the world around her。 It's a real gift， and her way of using literature to make meaning is one that I try to emulate！ I'm so glad Vanessa wrote this and that I got to read it。 。。。more
Gloria
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The act of reading as a sacred practice is wonderful。 We could all do that better。 This is a solid premise of Zoltan's book。Zoltan is a Jewish atheist chaplain， trained at the Harvard Divinity School。 She suggests using any book that speaks to the reader as their own preferred sacred text。 This text is then used to help us make sense out of life as people deal with issues such as fear， resentment， anger， and heartbreak。 She clearly has convictions about how the world functions poorly and some of The act of reading as a sacred practice is wonderful。 We could all do that better。 This is a solid premise of Zoltan's book。Zoltan is a Jewish atheist chaplain， trained at the Harvard Divinity School。 She suggests using any book that speaks to the reader as their own preferred sacred text。 This text is then used to help us make sense out of life as people deal with issues such as fear， resentment， anger， and heartbreak。 She clearly has convictions about how the world functions poorly and some of this was perhaps overdone。Readers will learn much about Zoltan's family and their truly sad experience with the Holocaust。 She also touches on mental illness。 So much of this reads like a memoir， even though its premise is to help readers get more out of their reading。Have often read a novel only to find some aspect of it was eerily close to my own life， but it seems a bit of a stretch to use a novel as a personal textbook。 Perhaps stretches meaning a bit too much。 Did appreciate the summaries of reading methods such as lectio divina。I also just have to question the use of the "F" word from a writer in a book meant to raise one's spirits。 Is their truly no other word to express frustration or anger？ It's overdone these days and a Harvard education surely must prepare writers better。。。 。。。more
Rylee Paine
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I had to read this book because I’m a big Vanessa Zoltan fan from the Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast。 I love the idea of treating （secular） books as sacred and it was interesting to see how Zoltan grappled with some big questions in her life using this idea。 I also love Jane Eyre and talking about themes and ideas in books so this was a good read for me。
Kelly
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I've never read Jane Eyre， and now I want to。 It sounds like an awful lot of drama， that I am 100% here for。 But more importantly， and I know I say it a lot， but this book was beautiful。 Vanessa does a great job of mixing her stories， and the quotes from books， and sacred practices， and pulling it all together to make meaning in her life， and in anyone's who reads this book。 I've never read Jane Eyre， and now I want to。 It sounds like an awful lot of drama， that I am 100% here for。 But more importantly， and I know I say it a lot， but this book was beautiful。 Vanessa does a great job of mixing her stories， and the quotes from books， and sacred practices， and pulling it all together to make meaning in her life， and in anyone's who reads this book。 。。。more
Olivia Gugliemotto
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I have come to love Vanessa from her podcast work and was excited to listen to this book on tape because it’s read by Vanessa！ I listened to Jane Eyre too only because of Vanessa’s zeal for the book。 I’ll be the first to say that Jane Eyre was not and is not my favorite book and I just did not see the depth that Vanessa does。 HOWEVER！ That’s the beauty of Praying with Jane Eyre。 The essays are poignant and meandering in the best way。 Each essay weaves together experiences in the author’s own lif I have come to love Vanessa from her podcast work and was excited to listen to this book on tape because it’s read by Vanessa！ I listened to Jane Eyre too only because of Vanessa’s zeal for the book。 I’ll be the first to say that Jane Eyre was not and is not my favorite book and I just did not see the depth that Vanessa does。 HOWEVER！ That’s the beauty of Praying with Jane Eyre。 The essays are poignant and meandering in the best way。 Each essay weaves together experiences in the author’s own life with the lessons from Jane Eyre that I would’ve never taken the time to see。 I did a lot of walking and driving while listening to this book alternated with some pauses to reflect for myself and it was a contemplative experience all around。 。。。more
Amanda Justh
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I honestly was not that excited about this book because Jane Eyre is not the kind of story I connect with。 I pre-ordered it a thousand years ago because I adore Vanessa。 She has a habit of telling me things I didn’t know I desperately needed to hear。 I kept my own florilegia of this book and it is all the things。 You cannot possibly read this and get nothing out of it。 She is a wonderful teller of stories and truths。 Truly one of the best。
Caleb
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A good book about sacred reading。 I really like Vanessa from HPST。 Best part of the book for me was talking about trust being a prerequisite for betrayal。
Anna
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Does what it says on the tinn。 I love the authors podcast but I absolutely adored this book。 After reading you'll feel really inspired to start treading your favourite book as scared too Does what it says on the tinn。 I love the authors podcast but I absolutely adored this book。 After reading you'll feel really inspired to start treading your favourite book as scared too 。。。more
Christina
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This book is beautiful and full of wit， love， determination， and hope。 Vanessa so beautifully weaves these sermons into something that meaningful and sacred。 I， too， left a "stable and decent career" and took that leap into the unknown like Vanessa did。 I wanted to be a part of meaningful change and also figure out how to truly be a good person in the world。 Being one wasn't enough， it had to be my life's work。 So I did that and haven't looked back。 Hearing （and reading） Vanessa's story of coura This book is beautiful and full of wit， love， determination， and hope。 Vanessa so beautifully weaves these sermons into something that meaningful and sacred。 I， too， left a "stable and decent career" and took that leap into the unknown like Vanessa did。 I wanted to be a part of meaningful change and also figure out how to truly be a good person in the world。 Being one wasn't enough， it had to be my life's work。 So I did that and haven't looked back。 Hearing （and reading） Vanessa's story of courage and growth is inspiring and validating。 This will be a book I read again and again， and have already shared a few excerpts with clients。 What a gift she has given us to turn around and share with the world。Also， she does this practical thing where she includes the sacred reading practices nicely packaged and explained at the end。 I can now dispose of my scrap pieces of paper I wrote these down on years ago during the first season of HPST - often while driving or walking。 （I probably could have rewritten them into something easier to follow all on my own， but that makes too much sense） 。。。more
Alexis
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This collection of essays， or sermons， as Vanessa Zoltan calls them， shares Zoltan’s journey to treating secular texts as sacred。 As an atheist Jew and the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors， Zoltan felt that religious texts were too emotionally charged to ever be used as a go-to for self-reflection and spiritual growth。 At the suggestion of her divinity school mentor， Zoltan decided to treat her favorite book as sacred - Jane Eyre。 Each essay begins with a quote from a book， and what fol This collection of essays， or sermons， as Vanessa Zoltan calls them， shares Zoltan’s journey to treating secular texts as sacred。 As an atheist Jew and the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors， Zoltan felt that religious texts were too emotionally charged to ever be used as a go-to for self-reflection and spiritual growth。 At the suggestion of her divinity school mentor， Zoltan decided to treat her favorite book as sacred - Jane Eyre。 Each essay begins with a quote from a book， and what follows is a personal story or experience that Zoltan connects to the quote and context of the book， leading her to ultimately come to a conclusion about what lessons to takeaway from these connections and apply to life。 As a years-long listener to Harry Potter and the Sacred Text， Zoltan’s podcast， I was familiar the her story of how she began this work and even with some of the personal stories she shared in the book。 Even with that familiarity， though， I loved this book。 Zoltan was able to provide a level of detail that the format of the podcast simply doesn’t support。 I also loved the format。 It’s much like literary analysis and criticism meets personal essays， and as an English teacher， the idea of zeroing in on moments in a text and thinking about those in context with our own lives to determine how we can become better people is exactly what I hope my students get from what they read。 I bought the audiobook， but I anticipate that I will be buying a physical or digital copy of the text， as well， to mark it up with all my thoughts because I will definitely be returning to this one。 。。。more
Jenny
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I feel like I need to read this again。 I’m not sure I agree that the author was praying with Jane Eyre， but perhaps that is the English major in me。 It’s almost a twist on the “Bible as literature” class I took with the esteemed Prof。 Ralph Williams。 Lot to unpack here。 I enjoyed it。
Norah Betancourt
，
Thoughtful and inspiringAs an agnostic （and former strictly practicing Catholic） who loves spirituality， this book was a lovely exercise in how to be introspective。 I have listened to all of Vanessa's podcasts， and I am always so impressed with how thoughtful she is， even when I don't necessarily agree with her。 This book was really rewarding to read， and I heartily recommend it。 Thoughtful and inspiringAs an agnostic （and former strictly practicing Catholic） who loves spirituality， this book was a lovely exercise in how to be introspective。 I have listened to all of Vanessa's podcasts， and I am always so impressed with how thoughtful she is， even when I don't necessarily agree with her。 This book was really rewarding to read， and I heartily recommend it。 。。。more
Gabi
，
So good， I both pre-ordered a hard copy and bought the audiobook when that pre-order didn't arrive right away。 A must-read and must-listen for lovers of Jane Eyre， Harry Potter， and Vanessa Zoltan。 So good， I both pre-ordered a hard copy and bought the audiobook when that pre-order didn't arrive right away。 A must-read and must-listen for lovers of Jane Eyre， Harry Potter， and Vanessa Zoltan。 。。。more
Mitra
，
Admittedly， my general indifference towards Jane Eyre as a book probably set this book up for failure with me。 The fact that I still enjoyed it is a testament to Vanessa’s storytelling and writing abilities。
Alesha Hubbell
，
Such a beautiful way to approach reading your favorite books。 While I was doing some of these unintentionally and am looking forward to bringing more intention to my reading practice。 Zoltan did such an amazing job at articulating thoughts and feelings about reading that I can completely agree with but haven't ever been able to articulate。 Such a beautiful way to approach reading your favorite books。 While I was doing some of these unintentionally and am looking forward to bringing more intention to my reading practice。 Zoltan did such an amazing job at articulating thoughts and feelings about reading that I can completely agree with but haven't ever been able to articulate。 。。。more
Brooke Lawrence
，
Read this book。 If you need money to buy it， contact me。 This book is necessary。 It’s going to change my life。 I hope。 I pray。 This book could change the world if we have it that chance。 I believe it’ll certainly change you and your life， if you give it that chance。
Nellie
，
Wonderful， thought provoking， deep， sometimes funny but always engaging。 Vanessa's debut book won't disappoint fans of Harry Potter and the sacred text or people who just stumble upon it without any familiarity of its author。 Oh， and there is a chapter in it about Harry Potter。 You won't be disappointed in this profound text！ And Vanessa has a podcast/bookclub called On Eyre currently deep diving into it if you crave more of her effervescent personality。 Couldn't recommend it any higher！ Wonderful， thought provoking， deep， sometimes funny but always engaging。 Vanessa's debut book won't disappoint fans of Harry Potter and the sacred text or people who just stumble upon it without any familiarity of its author。 Oh， and there is a chapter in it about Harry Potter。 You won't be disappointed in this profound text！ And Vanessa has a podcast/bookclub called On Eyre currently deep diving into it if you crave more of her effervescent personality。 Couldn't recommend it any higher！ 。。。more
Sheri
，
This was an interesting read which takes you through the author’s experiences with meaningful reading practices。 The book is also a guide to how to create a reading methodology which is deeper than the mere book。 I appreciated the steps presented at the end of the book and could even see a workbook version。 Don’t let your daily reading be stagnant- add these ideas to find more meaning。
Emma
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Loved this book！ Some chapters resonated with me stronger than others and my early copy had a couple typos， but each chapter was very much worth the read。 I've never read Jane Eyre， but that didn't matter in terms of understanding what Vanessa was talking about。 Definitely got the book spoiled， but Vanessa's descriptions are probably more interesting than the book itself would be for me anyways！ Loved this book！ Some chapters resonated with me stronger than others and my early copy had a couple typos， but each chapter was very much worth the read。 I've never read Jane Eyre， but that didn't matter in terms of understanding what Vanessa was talking about。 Definitely got the book spoiled， but Vanessa's descriptions are probably more interesting than the book itself would be for me anyways！ 。。。more
Kaytee Cobb
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