“Where is God, or who is God, when seed corn is being ground? That is the central question of this poignant, profound, and spiritually penetrating memoir. With elegant and artful prose, Pat Browne tells a riveting and deeply moving story about trauma and survival, about unexpected love and irrevocable loss, and about finding salvation in the remains—in the companionship of dogs and horses, in the grace of growing old and being claimed, in the sacrament of words and the sanctuary of family. Gradually, breath by breath, she learns to let go of a personal God, a God whose eye is on the sparrow, and begins to see divinity in, with, and even as the world, the world in all its tragedy and beauty, ambiguity and serendipity. Seed Corn Must Not Be Ground is a searing glimpse into the abyss of suffering and a stunning vision of the spiritual and theological possibilities that lie on the other side. This magnificent and inspiring book is a must-read for anyone struggling to make a way out of no way and searching for meaning in the midst of grief, sustenance in the midst of emptiness, presence in the midst of absence.”
— Demian Wheeler Sophia Associate Professor of Religious and Theological Studies, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
“Can a book (outside scripture) be holy? This one is, for it traces a sacred itinerary from a harrowing childhood marred by immense suffering to a life saved—not by God, who never came to the rescue despite anguished pleading—but by a litany of worldly loves—the love of animals, the love of a miraculous partner, lost all too soon, the love of beloved friends and communities. Two great loves hallow this life and its telling: a love for theology and for language. Yes, theology, but understood as a struggle to find meaning amidst tragedy and irredeemable loss, and language which is, in truth, a love for beauty’s consolations even in the face of terror. With prose at once rapturous and exacting, this theological memoir becomes a love song to a sacred world, insisting that it is worthy of ardent devotion despite and because of its and our broken beauty. A towering memoir by an earthbound yet God-intoxicated saint to be read alongside other great memoirs of faith like Dorothy Day’s The Long Loneliness. Take it and read! It will change your life.”
— The Rev. Dr. John J. Thatamanil, Professor of Theology and World Religions, Union Theological Seminary, New York
Diocesan Theologian, The Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets, British Columbia
“Pat Browne offers us a theologicially-grounded, life-affirming “catastrophe of grace.” As millions struggle with a world and live in turmoil, there could be no better time for her wisdom and insight than this moment.”
– Rita Nakashima Brock, PhD, co-author of Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury After War
“In this beautifully written, heart-opening memoir, Pat Browne opens up in multiple ways a question pivotal to the human condition: “Can suffering be redeemed?” Declaring that she herself has lived “a catastrophe of grace,” Browne offers powerful testimony to the reality that theologies are not closed systems but wide-open arenas of spiritual creativity.”
– Mary F. Bednarowski, Ph.D, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
