"A beautiful and sensitive account of the lives and spirituality of the early Christian desert monastics." -- Douglas Burton-Christie, Loyola Marymount University, and author of The Word in the Desert

"An invaluable guide to the teachings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers...The love of God radiates from every page." -- Philip Zaleski, editor of The Best Spiritual Writing series, author of The Recollected Heart and Gifts of the Spirit, and senior editor of Parabola magazine

"Here is a secret to living a rich spiritual life...If you don’t know how...read this excellent book." -- Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life

"If I were to recommend a single book to introduce the spiritual riches of the desert...this would be [it]." -- Robert Fastiggi, Sacred Heart Major Seminary

"John Chryssavgis is a wise guide in spiritual theology. He writes with...clarity, penetrating wisdom and a mischievously light touch." -- Graeme Ferguson, Senior Minister (retired) of St. David’s Presbyterian Church, Auckland, New Zealand

...the scope and content of Chryssavgis's book are readily understandable. This is a topical survey of an English translation (with consultation of the Greek text) of the fifth-century Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Benedicta Ward, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection [London: Mowbray, 1975)). It aims to present the sayings as a spirituality that was "revolutionary" for its time. -- The Journal of Religion January 2007