Awful Disclosures

By Maria Monk

Book Overview

This controversial 19th century book claimed to expose the secrets of the Catholic Church and the horrors of convent life. Written by Maria Monk, a supposed ex-nun, it tells a lurid tale of sexual abuse, murder, and corruption within the church. Despite its many detractors, the book was widely read and helped fuel anti-Catholic sentiment in America.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1020954175
• ISBN13: 9781020954177
• Release Date: July 2023
• Publisher: Legare Street Press
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Important remnant of its time.

While the below reviewers berate this book for containing blatant lies, it is a well-known hoax and of serious historical interest. It's a bit shocking that one reviewer actually believed the hoax -- but then again, perhaps his credulousness is understandable given the very real scandals of the modern Catholic Church. For an informative contrast, compare this book, entirely fabricated and written in the style of a cheap gothic novel, with the Boston Globe's very factual _Betrayal: The Crises in the Catholic Church_. It seems to me a positive sign that the recent real problems in the Church have resulted in the reviling of only the most likely actual criminals, rather than the wholesale and vicious anti-Catholic sentiment that came from the publication of Maria Monk.

very startling and heartbreaking

I have this book published in 1836 by Maria Monk. It renders you sad and angry all at the same time. The senseless killing of infants and nuns is awful to say the least. This book gives it's readers a look into what life these nuns had to endure at the hands of the priests who ruled over them.