What do you think?
Rate this book
Drunks & Monks
A thirty-four year old entertainment lawyer from Los Angeles has a bad His wife throws him out in the middle of a rainstorm, his mother gets diagnosed with a deadly cancer, and in grief he abruptly resigns his prestigious job after his biggest success in a major copyright case. What happens to a man used to getting what he wants when the wheels come off his carefully-planned, glamorous life? Does (a) Pick up a slug of brown liquor for the first time and visit parts of town where the devil won't go? (b) Engage in hideously destructive behavior, rampaging across Southern California like a tipsy Visigoth? (c) Plumb the depths of his psyche and spirit to find the meaning of life and heal old wounds?(d) Stumble across an ancient religious order and explore the reaches of classical spiritual practice? In his debut literary memoir, Drunks & Monks, author John H. Carmichael answers (e) All of the Above, and much more, as he chronicles a seven year descent into darkness and near death along with a subsequent renewal. This true story is told in a spare, lyrical style. The author's physical, psychological and spiritual survival is aided by many denizens of the great swath of Southern California he describes so well, but none so much as members of a monastery who help heal the author's spirit and teach him timeless truths. The book deals adroitly with matters of concern to many, including the drama of divorce, caring for the gravely ill, recovering from addictions of various sorts, the role of religion and spirituality in modern life and, ultimately, post-traumatic growth.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2015
42 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 21, 2015
Raw and honest. A conversion story for the current day. This book will resonate with: believing Catholics, many who have tough marriage situations, fast living partiers, and hopefully some who can't get out from under sinfulness and addiction.
If you think that the Catholic Church is the "whore of Babylon " you probably shouldn't bother.
This book blew me away. His story is touching and sad but also had me laughing out loud.
I have friends and family with aspects of Mr Carmichael's story.....most without the Conversion. Read this book. It really hit me in the heart.
If you think that the Catholic Church is the "whore of Babylon " you probably shouldn't bother.
This book blew me away. His story is touching and sad but also had me laughing out loud.
I have friends and family with aspects of Mr Carmichael's story.....most without the Conversion. Read this book. It really hit me in the heart.
April 21, 2016
The single greatest book I have ever encountered!
John Carmichael is raw, brutally and boldly honest, making the reader quite uncomfortable throughout most of his story, but he simultaneously achieves a beautifully poetic in-coincidental conversion story. This is a magnum opus!
As a Catholic, John's conversion story hits home. He is a modern day St. Augustine. Someone that most of us resonate with in our secular culture. He speaks unedited truth that could never be claimed as falsified.
My mind is blown!
I want everyone to read this story!
John Carmichael is raw, brutally and boldly honest, making the reader quite uncomfortable throughout most of his story, but he simultaneously achieves a beautifully poetic in-coincidental conversion story. This is a magnum opus!
As a Catholic, John's conversion story hits home. He is a modern day St. Augustine. Someone that most of us resonate with in our secular culture. He speaks unedited truth that could never be claimed as falsified.
My mind is blown!
I want everyone to read this story!
September 23, 2017
This is my favorite book that I have read in 2017. He is a great writer and his journey is incredible. I love that he sites so many sources of great theology. This book started a desire to seek spiritual direction and regular confession.
December 2, 2015
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY SUPERB BOOK! WOW! I THINK IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS THAT I HAVE EVER READ. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. IT IS UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE! - VERY FUNNY AND HAS A GREAT MESSAGE! ENJOY IT WHEN YOU READ IT.
October 9, 2015
Awesome Awesome Awesome
A great honest read how easy and fast we can take our eyes off the Merciful Lord and how we crawl ourselves back into is loving arms.
A great honest read how easy and fast we can take our eyes off the Merciful Lord and how we crawl ourselves back into is loving arms.
July 11, 2016
At 34, John Carmichel's world was turned upside down. His wife wants a divorce, he breaks his lifelong sobriety (which I'm sure helped to push his wife's decision, and he decides to quit being a lawyer. His mother is an alcoholic, so it was sad to see him drink. He sees humor in some sad situations, so it made certain blows to his life (like his mom having cancer) feel softer. He was brought up Catholic but has become agnostic.
And I didn't realize until 37% through that "John" was actually the author.
Time is not measured well either, unless someone brings it up. So before you're 50% through, 6+ years have passed but it would seem like maybe only 2 if the timeframe wasn't mentioned.
He meets a woman named Elle who also just got through a divorce. They meet at a wedding where many high school friends attend...and even John's parents are there. She has a 7-year-old daughter and, after a year of being alone, John doesn't take too long to become attached to Elle and her daughter.
John has two dogs, Louise and Wendell. "Wendell is not altogether very impressed with me." (location 766). I found Wendell to be hilarious, as he's a Pyrenean Mountain Dog and a big ball of loving fluff who wreaks mayhem.
John's best friend Alois is a wonderful man. It made me very sad to see them drift apart and for John to feel like Alois is "such a square" (location 1339). Disregarding your best friend's guidance is a huge indicator of how much a person has changed, and typically not for the better.
Elle is spiritual but not religious. Yet certain small events gear John back to his home Church, one of which being he went to a nondenominational church on one of their communion days.
"But suddenly this unconsecrated dixie-cup wine and bread crust business feels deeply wrong to me, whether I'm a believer or not. [...] I don't necessarily believe in the Catholic Communion, but I feel suddenly protective of it, like when a stranger insults your mother-in-law." (Locations 1977-1979).
- I felt the same when I first experienced a non-Catholic communion, even though I still considered myself Catholic
- That is the exact thing that brought me back to the Catholic church after being with a Methodist church for 3 years
- Ah, Catholic guilt...
Four years after their wedding, Elle and John go for marriage counseling and then John goes for separate counseling to help his anxiety and other issues. Both drink a lot and their behavior scares me.
Yet when the Latin mass becomes more readily available again, John feels strangely drawn to witness it (which places him and this story post Vatican II). The smells and sounds and bells bring him to be a participating member of the choir. And that, more than anything else, allows him to reassess his thoughts on spirituality vs. religiosity. He delves into scholars of different religions, including St. Augustine, to determine what he believes and what is on his heart.
However, his world falls apart more and he finds himself participating in his Latin services, but not fully in the Mass itself. He doesn't receive Reconciliation until after more than a year of prodding; he doesn't take Communion (mainly because of this), and he knows the rules of the Church but not why they exist. He didn't know the theological reasoning behind the rules. That goes perfectly with the fact that there is more than one generation of Catholics who grew up without really understanding what our faith is all about. I went to Catholic school from grades 2-12 and while I feel I had a more comprehensive education than John did, there are many things that I only now realize I truly didn't understand. People speaking to John in the book suggest that it's a reason why many of us leave the faith: we know little of our history and can't hold onto it or ague for it.
When Elle kicks him out, he learns that fighting parents at any age can affect their child's psyche. He speaks a military officer acquaintance who has fantastic advice. My heart breaks for John at times...and yet I want to reach in and shake him at other times. As with Alois, he asks for advice and wants to listen to some of it, but not wholeheartedly.
I absolutely love when he comes to the complete realization that all converts and reverts do: without the Eucharist, we are nothing (seen between Locations 4772 and 4781)
At one point he wonders if his prayers for healing will be answered. I had to laugh because we rarely see God answering prayers in a given moment.
I love that John is warned about spiritual attack, even though that phrase isn't used.
John stars to see and hear things that can only come from God. He learns that they're called locutions. I had absolutely no clue that there was a name beyond "hearing God."
The end was a great reminder that there is always work for us to do.
And I didn't realize until 37% through that "John" was actually the author.
Time is not measured well either, unless someone brings it up. So before you're 50% through, 6+ years have passed but it would seem like maybe only 2 if the timeframe wasn't mentioned.
He meets a woman named Elle who also just got through a divorce. They meet at a wedding where many high school friends attend...and even John's parents are there. She has a 7-year-old daughter and, after a year of being alone, John doesn't take too long to become attached to Elle and her daughter.
John has two dogs, Louise and Wendell. "Wendell is not altogether very impressed with me." (location 766). I found Wendell to be hilarious, as he's a Pyrenean Mountain Dog and a big ball of loving fluff who wreaks mayhem.
John's best friend Alois is a wonderful man. It made me very sad to see them drift apart and for John to feel like Alois is "such a square" (location 1339). Disregarding your best friend's guidance is a huge indicator of how much a person has changed, and typically not for the better.
Elle is spiritual but not religious. Yet certain small events gear John back to his home Church, one of which being he went to a nondenominational church on one of their communion days.
"But suddenly this unconsecrated dixie-cup wine and bread crust business feels deeply wrong to me, whether I'm a believer or not. [...] I don't necessarily believe in the Catholic Communion, but I feel suddenly protective of it, like when a stranger insults your mother-in-law." (Locations 1977-1979).
- I felt the same when I first experienced a non-Catholic communion, even though I still considered myself Catholic
- That is the exact thing that brought me back to the Catholic church after being with a Methodist church for 3 years
- Ah, Catholic guilt...
Four years after their wedding, Elle and John go for marriage counseling and then John goes for separate counseling to help his anxiety and other issues. Both drink a lot and their behavior scares me.
Yet when the Latin mass becomes more readily available again, John feels strangely drawn to witness it (which places him and this story post Vatican II). The smells and sounds and bells bring him to be a participating member of the choir. And that, more than anything else, allows him to reassess his thoughts on spirituality vs. religiosity. He delves into scholars of different religions, including St. Augustine, to determine what he believes and what is on his heart.
However, his world falls apart more and he finds himself participating in his Latin services, but not fully in the Mass itself. He doesn't receive Reconciliation until after more than a year of prodding; he doesn't take Communion (mainly because of this), and he knows the rules of the Church but not why they exist. He didn't know the theological reasoning behind the rules. That goes perfectly with the fact that there is more than one generation of Catholics who grew up without really understanding what our faith is all about. I went to Catholic school from grades 2-12 and while I feel I had a more comprehensive education than John did, there are many things that I only now realize I truly didn't understand. People speaking to John in the book suggest that it's a reason why many of us leave the faith: we know little of our history and can't hold onto it or ague for it.
When Elle kicks him out, he learns that fighting parents at any age can affect their child's psyche. He speaks a military officer acquaintance who has fantastic advice. My heart breaks for John at times...and yet I want to reach in and shake him at other times. As with Alois, he asks for advice and wants to listen to some of it, but not wholeheartedly.
I absolutely love when he comes to the complete realization that all converts and reverts do: without the Eucharist, we are nothing (seen between Locations 4772 and 4781)
At one point he wonders if his prayers for healing will be answered. I had to laugh because we rarely see God answering prayers in a given moment.
I love that John is warned about spiritual attack, even though that phrase isn't used.
John stars to see and hear things that can only come from God. He learns that they're called locutions. I had absolutely no clue that there was a name beyond "hearing God."
The end was a great reminder that there is always work for us to do.
July 18, 2016
I think there are many of us in this day and age who can relate to at least some of this story.....or maybe all of it! I certainly saw myself in aspects of this journey. I can only imagine how tough it is to lay your life open for public consumption in this way. The brutal honesty really came through in the story, making it both painful and joyous to witness. If you are experiencing despair, anxiety or emptiness in your life, I would challenge you to read this story and keep an open mind.
December 17, 2016
Absolutely Spellbinding
I gave this book five stars because it grabbed me by the lapels and wouldn't let me put it down. I read it thirstily, greedily.
I recommended it to one person before I was half finished and will recommend it to at least four more including my son and my daughter, both products of Catholic education in the 70's and 80's. It won't be a gift, but an "offering", from their mother.
I gave this book five stars because it grabbed me by the lapels and wouldn't let me put it down. I read it thirstily, greedily.
I recommended it to one person before I was half finished and will recommend it to at least four more including my son and my daughter, both products of Catholic education in the 70's and 80's. It won't be a gift, but an "offering", from their mother.
May 21, 2017
So good!! Definitely agree with Jen Fulwiler's assessment of this book being this generation's "The Seven Storey Mountain." This book is flawlessly written and makes the reader examine what it means to be human and religious. I high recommend this book!
September 8, 2017
This could be my story
Wonderful conversion story of a man living the "good" life in California until major setbacks bring him to his knees. Great writing especially the dialogue he has with himself. Can really identify with the emptiness he felt until he found God.
Wonderful conversion story of a man living the "good" life in California until major setbacks bring him to his knees. Great writing especially the dialogue he has with himself. Can really identify with the emptiness he felt until he found God.
Read
September 1, 2016A beautifully honest and poetic chronicle of a man's journey through the darkness to the light.
February 3, 2017
Good read. Did not like how most of the book was very detailed but at the end it seemed rushed. Seems as if John had a page limit and just abruptly ended his story.
December 16, 2019
Not your father's Seven Storey Mountain
Not sure why I purchased this book. It showed up on a list of recommended titles and I read one review which called it a modern day Seven Storey Mountian. Sounds interesting, thought I, especially since i had just finished re-reading SSM in august. So i took a chance. This is not Merton's conversion. Merton is a bit whiny about his life prior to conversion (to my mind) and, while moved by his conversion, I felt that he kept me at an intellectual arms length to his real heart but Mr. Carmichael lays it all bare, this reversion of his. His story is stunning, brave, emotional, dirty...and inspiring. So very, very inspiring. I read, or heard somewhere Mr. Carmichael say he could have been more intimate in his story, and it is hard to see how. As I said, it's all there. And while Merton does talk a bit about his rotting teeth, Mr. Carmichael shows us his rotting soul, and it's cleansing. This is an Augustinian story for our age...ok for the boomer age, but I will ask my children to read it because they will benefit from it. As for me, Mr. Carmichael showed me a path that I need to take...I need to get on my knees and pray, and confess and to love. Thank you John Carmichael. Thank you.
Not sure why I purchased this book. It showed up on a list of recommended titles and I read one review which called it a modern day Seven Storey Mountian. Sounds interesting, thought I, especially since i had just finished re-reading SSM in august. So i took a chance. This is not Merton's conversion. Merton is a bit whiny about his life prior to conversion (to my mind) and, while moved by his conversion, I felt that he kept me at an intellectual arms length to his real heart but Mr. Carmichael lays it all bare, this reversion of his. His story is stunning, brave, emotional, dirty...and inspiring. So very, very inspiring. I read, or heard somewhere Mr. Carmichael say he could have been more intimate in his story, and it is hard to see how. As I said, it's all there. And while Merton does talk a bit about his rotting teeth, Mr. Carmichael shows us his rotting soul, and it's cleansing. This is an Augustinian story for our age...ok for the boomer age, but I will ask my children to read it because they will benefit from it. As for me, Mr. Carmichael showed me a path that I need to take...I need to get on my knees and pray, and confess and to love. Thank you John Carmichael. Thank you.
January 18, 2023
John shares his personal story and it is quite compelling. It is a long journey from realizing his addiction to the healing which ultimately comes. It accompanied by a spiritual transformation in which he finds radical strength by returning to the Catholic Church and renewing his faith.
I read this story after hearing Patrick Lencioni highly recommend it. Being a devout Roman Catholic, I can see how he would love this book. In fact, I'm sure those of the Catholic faith will certainly enjoy it. As a pastor coming out of the protestant tradition (Lutheran), I found his "apologetics" for Catholicism bordering on insulting. I'm sure he is well-meaning but at times he would completely oversimplify rather than work within the complexity of the differences which remain. For example, he quotes one verse toward the doctrine of purgatory and acts like it's "pure Biblical truth" and the only "Biblical truth."
All in all, the story was powerful - the attitude of exclusivity was not.
I read this story after hearing Patrick Lencioni highly recommend it. Being a devout Roman Catholic, I can see how he would love this book. In fact, I'm sure those of the Catholic faith will certainly enjoy it. As a pastor coming out of the protestant tradition (Lutheran), I found his "apologetics" for Catholicism bordering on insulting. I'm sure he is well-meaning but at times he would completely oversimplify rather than work within the complexity of the differences which remain. For example, he quotes one verse toward the doctrine of purgatory and acts like it's "pure Biblical truth" and the only "Biblical truth."
All in all, the story was powerful - the attitude of exclusivity was not.
July 6, 2017
I adore this book! It is filled with raw, painful honesty about the author's alcohol and drug addiction, his anxiety disorder finally diagnosed as PTSD, and his on-again, off-again spiritual quest that eventually led back to his Catholic roots. His conversion to the faith is slow, stuttering and filled with all the questions and doubts I have experienced in my own conversion. His anger at the lack of faith formation he received as a child attending Catholic schools mirrors my own anger at the lack of faith formation given to kids even today. This is a hard book to read in parts, but well worth any discomfort you may feel. I hope we hear more from this author soon.
April 30, 2019
This is an enthralling biography. John's conversion story is a profound and captivating one. Trapped in the surface attractions modern world, John's life spiralled out of control but grace was going to leave him stranded forever. He is brutally honest about it all.
I sincerely do not understand why this is not way better known. A must read.
I sincerely do not understand why this is not way better known. A must read.
February 9, 2023
This book got better as it went along. I’m not sure non-Catholic would enjoy as much as Catholics. However, it’s the story of a journey that many can relate to. I read after listening to a year of Bible in a Year podcast, so it all felt familiar. The last 100 pages I read in a few days (fast for me). In my usual fashion for books I enjoy, I did dig-ear quite a few pages.
March 16, 2023
This was a tough read for me. Not because of the writing style but because of the stark and painfully open content. There are no punches pulled in this book. You will join the author as his life comes completely undone. And you will join him as he is reborn.
Also an interesting book if you’d like to know more about Catholicism.
Also an interesting book if you’d like to know more about Catholicism.
February 12, 2018
This is one of the best books I have ever read! I could not put it down! It is real and funny and raw and vulnerable. I loved the writing style and the pace of the book. There's one section with some rough language and gets a little depressing, but otherwise such a hope filled memoir.
May 28, 2022
Frank and compelling memoir
Drunks and Monks is the spiritual autobiography of a 21st century Thomas Merton. He doesn't pulls any punches, and the story never lags. I couldn't put it down. I hope to hear more from John Carmichael!
Drunks and Monks is the spiritual autobiography of a 21st century Thomas Merton. He doesn't pulls any punches, and the story never lags. I couldn't put it down. I hope to hear more from John Carmichael!
December 24, 2022
A wild testimony of grace
A wonderful example of God's work in the most unlikely of people and circumstances.
At times this book feels long. But more often I couldn't stop reading.
A wonderful example of God's work in the most unlikely of people and circumstances.
At times this book feels long. But more often I couldn't stop reading.
January 20, 2019
A very powerful book and testament to the Catholic faith!
November 6, 2017
This book is a great reminder that the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.
November 29, 2017
Great story of searching for that thing that gives you inner peace!
July 22, 2025
Amazing testimony and witness to the power of Christ and his church.
December 31, 2016
What stood out the most while reading Carmichael's vulnerable testimony is his very raw and honest writing style. He's unafraid to explore his occasional doubts and struggles along the way, details regarding his family and personal life, and eventual, transformed outlook on life and faith.
April 3, 2024
Honest and engaging
A wonderful and honest story of a man wrestling with his faith. Slow at times, but overall engaging, thought-provoking, and inviting.
A wonderful and honest story of a man wrestling with his faith. Slow at times, but overall engaging, thought-provoking, and inviting.
August 18, 2020
A fantastic and engaging narrative of a middle-aged LA entertainment lawyer’s journey to the depths and heights of the human condition. The struggles and successes of this man’s life are interesting, relatable, and heart wrenching. Unique writing style.
March 30, 2017
Although I understand the need for the back story to fully develop the conversion (of sorts), I just felt that the "drunks" part was elongated and the "monks" part was cut a bit short.
September 30, 2017
Having had the great blessing of being the best of friends with the Author of this book, I feel that I would definitely be doing you and injustice not include my unbiased opinion on this modern religious masterpiece. More than any modern book that I have ever read, "Drunks & Monks" is like a modern-day "Confessions" by a modern and relevant Augustine. More than anything, I'm looking forward to his next book, which will likely Really Blow the Roof off the Building. For many, many years, the Enemy has sought to weaken the Church from within, and to quickly extinguish any raw and lively catalysts that may be used by God as forces to WAKE UP a fast-asleep and deceived Church. The book is exactly as it is is written, and even more importantly, the Faith is even more Powerful and Unlocking than he attempts with all of his genius to let us into. Drunks & Monks is unique, unparalleled, and had a sort-of "Quentin Tarantino" brilliance, edge, and signature of style, all the while NEVER compromising on the Truth of the Christian faith. What makes the book even more solid to me is John's years and years of detailed studies of the Roman Catholic Church, of all relevant heresies and counterarguments that has been adopted throughout the years. Highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a first-hand account of the Truth and Veracity of the Christian Faith from a guy who certainly wasn't ever actually expecting it to be True... Let's get this next one out John! Your brother in Christ, Travis Kenny
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews