Anatomy of Survival

Born the illegitimate daughter of Russian parents (her father was a spy), Una Kroll trained early as a doctor and then became a nun. She met her husband Leo who was then a monk in the African missions, and they eloped. It was not long before she became the leader of MOW, Movement for the Ordination of Women, and a veritable heroine for thousands of devout women who wanted to use their ability, energy, and intelligence for the Church. Her husband died and she now lives the life of a religious and a priest (she was one of the first to be ordained) under solemn vows taken before Archbishop Rowan Williams, who contributed the foreword to this book. It is in one sense an autobiography, and in another a treatise on both surviving and bereavement, from a woman who has survived abuse as a child, rejection by the church, a miscarriage, and the death of her husband. The resulting book is full of common sense and faith. She is down-to-earth and realistic, and completely devoid of self pity. Kroll has important lessons to teach us, and she does so with dignity and insight.