Near The Earthly Paradise

To San Franciscans, the islands of Trinicrea and Kawajima are two little eddies in the stream of history, harkening back to early settler days when utopian communities were as numerous as mining claims. But for Namami, a nun at St. Perpetua's Abbey, the islands are home.

The monks and nuns of St. Perpetua interpret Namami’s bodily transformations as divine gifts and a sign of the wild wisdom of the Sophia, but to Namami, they are a mark of her monstrous nature and a reminder of an unknown mother who lives on Kawajima.

Driven to learn the truth of her identity, Namami crosses over to Kawajima, where she uncovers demonic spirits, a fallen goddess, and the mythic origins of the islands. Namami must choose if she will join into this ferocious myth or be outcast from the only home she knows.

A creative nonfiction collection that touches on parenthood, religious fanaticism, and the choice of life over death. This is the testament of a former Buddhist monk who chose to affirm the mystery of the world rather than negate it.