Rosemary Curb

Nancy Manahan

Fifty-one lesbian nuns discuss their lives in and away from the convent and reveal their inner struggle to reconcile an unconventional sexuality with religious devotion and the sanctity of their vows

Breaking Silence

Lesbian Nuns

Nancy Manahan shattered centuries of taboo when she and Rosemary Curb published the critically acclaimed "Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence". Now, Manahan is back looking at another taboo subject -- the presence of lesbians in the Girl Scouts. For years, the Girl Scouts, the largest voluntary organization of girls and women in the world, has sent a clear message to the lesbians in its ranks -- stay hidden. Although some lesbian girls and women have felt at home in the world of Girl Scouting, others have endured discrimination and hypocrisy. In spite of the fact that its mission is the empowerment of girls, the organization has devalued and disempowered many of its adult volunteers and professional staff, as well as its young members, because it subscribes to the larger society's entrenched fear of homosexuality. That gap between the Girl Scouts' professed values and actual practice can be painfully wide. Despite a policy of nondiscrimination, the organization that has launched so many young women into productive lives as activists, innovators and leaders practices de facto "don't ask, don't tell", similar to the present policy of the United States military -- a practice that ignores scouting's own core values and beliefs. On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience is the first book to explore the contributions lesbians have made to Girl Scouting, the impact scouting has had on lesbians, and some of the problems undermining this relationship.

Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience

On My Honor

Becky Bohan

When diagnosed with breast cancer, Diane Manahan decided to share her entire journey openly. A professor of nursing, married to a doctor trained in both conventional and holistic medicine, Diane integrated complementary therapies with orthodox cancer treatments. She enjoyed a full, vibrant life for the next five and a half years. This inspiring story describes her cancer years and extraordinary death at home, the care of her body by loved ones, and the family's powerful experience at the crematorium. The book ends with a glimpse of Diane's ongoing journey as friends tell of comforting lessons offered by her enduring spirit. A supplemental guidebook offers practical suggestions for dealing with a life-threatening illness or death. Book jacket.

A Journey with Cancer and Beyond

Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully

Rosemary Keefer Curb

Out of print for two decades, Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence, the explosive international best-seller, is back with a new foreword analyzing the unprecedented impact it had on the lesbian community and mainstream culture. In new afterwords, the co-editors reveal how the book came to be and what happened to their lives when, for the first time in history, a lesbian book from a small publisher went mainstream. Each nun in these stories describes her individual and searing path in, or out of, the convent to discover and face the truth of herself. Still myth-shattering, the stories remind us of the courage required to live—and love—in congruence with our authentic selves. "Oblivious to the controversies that surrounded the initial publication of Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence, whether they originated within the Catholic Church or the lesbian feminist movement, thousands of readers across the decades have embraced the book and found their lives changed by its message of empowerment." - Joanne E. Passet, Ph.D., Professor of History, Indiana University East

Nancy Manahan

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