1 What do the chapter titles refer to? people in the Bible historical figures from the Discalced Order of the Carmelites. Feast Days names of random saints 2 What is Sister John's birth name? Mary Joseph Helen Teresa Miriam 3 Who is John of the Cross? the priest who gives the sacraments to the nuns John the Baptist, one of Jesus' disciples founder of the Discalced Order of the Carmelites famous for writing a poem called "The Dark Night of the Soul." the person who made Jesus' cross 4 What is the reason for Sister John's visions? epileptic seizures snakebite drug overdoses poison 5 What is the name of Sister John's doctor? Father Aaron Patricia Dr. Sheppard Mr. Yoshinobu 6 Who is the famous novelist who had the same kind of epilepsy Sister John does? Dickens Tolstoy Faulkner Dostoevsky 7 Why does Sister John's mother come see her in the monastery? to tell her about her half-siblings to ask Sister John to leave the monastery to apologize for how she treated Sister John to sever ties with Sister John 8 When does Helen first start realizing she wants to become a nun? after Christmas Mass, when she talks to Sister Priscilla when Sister Priscilla made her run the lap around the school a second time when she was watching the moon landings when her grandmother died 9 Why does Sister John ultimately decide to go through with the surgery? because the pain is too severe because she doesn't want the visions anymore because she is afraid of death because she does not want to be a burden to her sisters 10 Why does Sister Miriam's father want her to leave the monastery? because he thinks it's a cult because he thinks she is seeking attention because he is controlling because he wants her to get married 11 Why is the diagnosis of epilepsy so severe for contemplatives? because it prohibits them from fulfilling their duties because epilepsy is a curse because you can't cure it because epilepsy can cause seizures that seem like visions from God 12 Why does Sister John keep vigil? to pray all night with her sisters to see if God will speak to her to decide whether or not to do the surgery to see if she can have another vision 13 What is Sister John's book based on? life in the monastery different saints Her visions St. Teresa 14 What do the proceeds from Sister John's book go toward? supporting her grandmother a trip to Italy a new roof for the monastery a selection of juices 15 How does Father Aaron advise Sister John? Seek alternative methods. Make surgery your last option. Do the surgery. Your job is to be faithful at all times even if you feel like he is far away. Don't do the surgery. These visions are a gift from God and to get rid of them would be scorning God's plan for your life and for how he wants to use you. You are probably closer to grace now than ever before because you are learning that loving God is about following Him, not the benefits you get out of it. 16 Why does Mother Emmanuel want Sister John to be Claire Bours' novice mistress? because Sister John and Claire are related because Sister John has not been anybody's novice mistress yet because Sister John has a Master of Fine Arts like Claire does because Sister John knows what it's like to try to do God's will even when she doesn't know what it is 17 On what Feast Day does Sister John first come to the monastery? Beheading of John the Baptist, Martyr Holy Thursday Triumph of the Cross Our Lady of Mount Carmel 18 Who is Sister Teresa? the prioress of the monastery the saint that Sister John was asked by the Vatican to write a poem on and present in person Sister John's aunt Sister John's novice mistress 19 How does Helen's mother end all her letters? I love you! Come visit me! Write soon! Tell your grandparents hello for me! 20 What does Sister John see in her last vision? an ember carried upward by the heat of an invisible flame the voices of the saints and contemplatives as a tapestry through time and space her mind becoming like broken glass a hand trying to grasp itself 21 What is the Miserere? depression an ancient psalm of repentance that the sisters recite weekly, accompanied by flagellation a solemn piece of music composed by Mozart an illness 22 Where and when is Lying Awake set? A monastery in the heart of Los Angeles, 1997 The Vatican in Italy, 1984 A monastery in Rome, 1995 A monastery in the heart of Carmel, 1969 23 What does Helen daydream about doing for the chickens entrapped in the farm? Giving them names. Setting them free. Later they will worship her as a goddess. Eating them. Helen's favorite food is fried chicken. Cutting their nails, because they kept scratching her 24 What realization does Sister John have that breaks her out of her period of drought? that her community provides all the grace she needs. that God will never stop loving her, even when she doesn't feel it. God is present everywhere. Therefore he can never and has never been absent. that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, of things not yet seen. 25 Who shares Sister John's recovery room at the hospital? A teenage girl shot in the head Mother Emmanuel and Sister Mary Michael Sister Teresa, whose body is shutting down Dr. Sheppard