Acknowledgments

There were plenty of people who didn’t understand why I would want to write an entire book about Catholic nuns. Thankfully, there were also plenty of people who did.

Thank you to Jane Friedman, Tina Pohlman, Rachel Chou, and Libby Jordan for thinking there was a spark of a book in my obsession with badass nuns.

Thank you to Victor Balta at Current TV and Nikki Waller, Aaron Rutkoff, and Carrie Melago at the Wall Street Journal for always being willing to indulge me in just one more story about a nun doing something I thought was interesting.

This is the second time that Megan Hustad has helped me turn a manuscript into something people would actually want to read. Without her, I swear, I wouldn’t know where commas go.

Thank you to Rachel Sklar, Glynnis MacNicol, and the ladies of TheLi.st for being so supportive, championing strong women every single day and helping me realize that there truly is a place on everyone’s bookshelf for these stories. Without Glynnis, I never would have considered naming this book Forgive Me, Reverend Mother, for I Have Sinned. Even though it didn’t become the title, it was delightful to think about.

Thank you to all of the women religious who work tirelessly at the margins of society, who never ask for credit or acknowledgment. None of the women in this book approached me, and I had to compel most of them to tell their stories. They are humble and brave. They deserve our thanks and recognition.

And finally, thank you to Lady and the Bear for making it possible for me to work, laugh, live, love, write books, and remain a halfway-sane human being throughout it all.