1 What do the chapter titles refer to? historical figures from the Discalced Order of the Carmelites. names of random saints people in the Bible Feast Days 2 What is Sister John's birth name? Miriam Mary Joseph Helen Teresa 3 Who is John of the Cross? founder of the Discalced Order of the Carmelites famous for writing a poem called "The Dark Night of the Soul." the priest who gives the sacraments to the nuns John the Baptist, one of Jesus' disciples the person who made Jesus' cross 4 What is the reason for Sister John's visions? poison snakebite drug overdoses epileptic seizures 5 What is the name of Sister John's doctor? Mr. Yoshinobu Patricia Dr. Sheppard Father Aaron 6 Who is the famous novelist who had the same kind of epilepsy Sister John does? Tolstoy Faulkner Dostoevsky Dickens 7 Why does Sister John's mother come see her in the monastery? to ask Sister John to leave the monastery to sever ties with Sister John to apologize for how she treated Sister John to tell her about her half-siblings 8 When does Helen first start realizing she wants to become a nun? when Sister Priscilla made her run the lap around the school a second time after Christmas Mass, when she talks to Sister Priscilla when her grandmother died when she was watching the moon landings 9 Why does Sister John ultimately decide to go through with the surgery? because she does not want to be a burden to her sisters because she is afraid of death because the pain is too severe because she doesn't want the visions anymore 10 Why does Sister Miriam's father want her to leave the monastery? because he wants her to get married because he thinks she is seeking attention because he is controlling because he thinks it's a cult 11 Why is the diagnosis of epilepsy so severe for contemplatives? because you can't cure it because it prohibits them from fulfilling their duties because epilepsy is a curse because epilepsy can cause seizures that seem like visions from God 12 Why does Sister John keep vigil? to pray all night with her sisters to decide whether or not to do the surgery to see if she can have another vision to see if God will speak to her 13 What is Sister John's book based on? different saints life in the monastery St. Teresa Her visions 14 What do the proceeds from Sister John's book go toward? a trip to Italy supporting her grandmother a new roof for the monastery a selection of juices 15 How does Father Aaron advise Sister John? Do the surgery. Your job is to be faithful at all times even if you feel like he is far away. Don't do the surgery. These visions are a gift from God and to get rid of them would be scorning God's plan for your life and for how he wants to use you. Seek alternative methods. Make surgery your last option. You are probably closer to grace now than ever before because you are learning that loving God is about following Him, not the benefits you get out of it. 16 Why does Mother Emmanuel want Sister John to be Claire Bours' novice mistress? because Sister John has not been anybody's novice mistress yet because Sister John and Claire are related because Sister John has a Master of Fine Arts like Claire does because Sister John knows what it's like to try to do God's will even when she doesn't know what it is 17 On what Feast Day does Sister John first come to the monastery? Holy Thursday Triumph of the Cross Our Lady of Mount Carmel Beheading of John the Baptist, Martyr 18 Who is Sister Teresa? Sister John's novice mistress Sister John's aunt the saint that Sister John was asked by the Vatican to write a poem on and present in person the prioress of the monastery 19 How does Helen's mother end all her letters? Come visit me! Tell your grandparents hello for me! Write soon! I love you! 20 What does Sister John see in her last vision? her mind becoming like broken glass an ember carried upward by the heat of an invisible flame the voices of the saints and contemplatives as a tapestry through time and space a hand trying to grasp itself 21 What is the Miserere? a solemn piece of music composed by Mozart an illness depression an ancient psalm of repentance that the sisters recite weekly, accompanied by flagellation 22 Where and when is Lying Awake set? The Vatican in Italy, 1984 A monastery in Rome, 1995 A monastery in the heart of Los Angeles, 1997 A monastery in the heart of Carmel, 1969 23 What does Helen daydream about doing for the chickens entrapped in the farm? Eating them. Helen's favorite food is fried chicken. Cutting their nails, because they kept scratching her Giving them names. Setting them free. Later they will worship her as a goddess. 24 What realization does Sister John have that breaks her out of her period of drought? that her community provides all the grace she needs. that God will never stop loving her, even when she doesn't feel it. that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, of things not yet seen. God is present everywhere. Therefore he can never and has never been absent. 25 Who shares Sister John's recovery room at the hospital? Sister Teresa, whose body is shutting down A teenage girl shot in the head Mother Emmanuel and Sister Mary Michael Dr. Sheppard