Secrets of a Nun
Elizabeth Upton
Independently Published (2025)
ISBN: 979-8388248473
Reviewed by Heather Curran for Reader Views (11/2025)
“Growing up in southern Germany, I frequently saw nuns when my family and I visited local churches and cathedrals. In my trips to Rome, when I toured the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica, nuns were likewise admiring the artwork or praying. Each time I noticed them, I was impressed by their selfless austerity and commitment to service. Elizabeth Upton’s book Secrets of a Nun: My Own Story both echoed my original perceptions while giving me a glimpse into a very nuanced life.
Secrets of a Nun spans the decades Upton lived and served as a nun. From an early age, she was called into service, entering the convent before her twenties. During her time in the ministry, she worked within different localities, striving to improve the quality of life while combating societal and political ills.
Secrets of a Nun humanizes women called into service.
In poignant scenes, Upton narrates her experiences when she attended university with other nuns. As they spent time together, they recognized their value and significance as intelligent, educated women. Too often, unfair stereotypes are identified and then dismissed; it’s easy to pigeonhole women in religious orders and service as emotionless, one-dimensional, and almost unfeeling. Upton turns that notion on its head and gives the reader a private, intimate understanding of the emotional and intellectual complexity that characterizes her and her religious sisters.
Upton’s beautiful writing leads the reader through her experiences. Conversations leap from the page and show the difficulties that Upton navigated as she entered neighborhoods that, at times, resented her presence. With care and an observant eye, she recognizes the politics within any religious organization and how, sadly, these political wranglings can negatively affect even the most devout and compassionate groups.
Elizabeth Upton’s Secrets of a Nun will appeal to memoir readers who want to learn about complex subjects and people undergoing a psychological and personal journey. Upton’s book is reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha in how it explores a woman’s emotional and intellectual growth within a society that frequently tries to diminish her, as it shares her powerful, intimate story of faith, identity, and resilience, revealing the emotional depth behind a life of devotion and quiet rebellion.
I highly recommend this book to all young women…
Elizabeth Upton Award-Winning Author & Writer 
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