DeMello was a teacher of mine a few decades back when I was just starting my spiritual journey and I was delighted to find this collection of this works. This is a book to be savored slowly and I love how it’s divided into daily readings. This one is going by my bedside and I am treasuring these teachings as if seeing them with new eyes and heart.

Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and publisher for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Anthony De Mello's books and always found them thought provoking and interesting.
This is a good book and there's plenty of food for thought.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have been only passingly familiar with DeMello’s work. This gave me a chance to dive in a bit more. While his background is not mine, I find his writing thought-provoking and the interesectiosn with my own believes enlightening.

A Year with Anthony De Mello offers a path to wisdom that we already have but cannot find by ourselves. Anthony De Mello still speaks authentically about spirituality today.
If we want to wake up, is to go in for what he calls Self-Observation. We have to be aware of everything, our saying, doing, thinking, and acting. We should be aware without judgement, or attitude, and change only what we truly understand.

We can reject or accept his statements. So, read this book patiently, week by week, and this will bring us some rich rewards. Also, be prepared for surprises! They have much to tell us about our human nature.
Our efforts will at some future point result in noticing a deeper sense of joy and peace within ourselves and with others,


We revisit the material each day throughout the week, digesting its themes and seeing how it relates to us and our lives.

Excellent guide into our inner spiritual waking-up journey.

In these days of ubiquitous one-sentence advice memes, sound bite politics and the popularity of quick fixes and easy solutions, it is so refreshing to find a self-help, spiritual book where the reader is instructed to ponder relatively simple concepts for a year—that’s right, a full 52 weeks of intentional self-observation, reflection and slow personal growth. A Year with Anthony DeMello: Waking up Week by Week, is unapologetically counter-cultural and thank goodness for that. It will be released December 2022, just in time for your spiritual New Year’s resolutions.

Given its short chapters and conversational writing style, readers might be tempted to skim or speed-read this book in search of philosophical nuggets. They might also be tempted to dismiss as obviously simple, naïve, and out-of-date the teachings of this Jesuit priest, psychologist and retreat master who died in 1987. To do either would be to miss the genius of a man whose blend of Christianity and Eastern mysticism offers seekers radical surprises and personal challenges even as they are delivered in sparse and direct language. DeMello’s premise is this: “People are asleep. They’re living on delusions, on crazy ideas about everything, about love, about relationships, about happiness, about joy, about what the world should be, who they should be, and what they should want. Spirituality is about waking up.”

It is no exaggeration to say DeMello saved my life when I was first clawing my way out of a life defined by co-dependency, the very opposite of the detachment he teaches. (According to the foreword, this is a common experience of DeMello fans from all walks of life and faith traditions.) Though some might fault the circular, anecdotal and dialogical writing style of this author, I found his frequent restatements the only way I could internalize big ideas such as “Begin to question the belief that without money, power, success, approval, a good reputation, romance, friendship, spirituality, or even God, you cannot be happy.”

Another refreshing aspect of this book is DeMello’s humility, apparent when he invites readers to be skeptical of his advice and to do the work of spiritual growth on their own: “Don’t expect that somehow I am going to do it for you. That’s another delusion, that someone else can liberate you. Not even the greatest guru can take a single step for you. It is you who must become aware of the illusions that have been programmed into you that block the truth.”

Especially for those new to DeMello, the foreword suggests multiple readings of the short chapters, and staying open to the possibility of surprises. “On the first reading, you might be amused by the tale. On the second reading, take it deeper. Reflect on it. Apply it to your life. Then read the story a third time after you have reflected on it. Create a silence within yourself and let the story reveal to you its inner depth and meaning that goes beyond words and reflections. This will give you a feel for the mystical.”

I encountered the first of many surprises in week 2 of the year-long, self-guided workshop. (The book is essentially an edited transcript of a DeMello retreat compiled by the DeMello Spirituality Center in New York City.) Even if I believe I am happy, my fears, worries and inner conflicts prove that I am not. Or as the author puts it with typical, unvarnished directness: “Admit that your life is in a mess. Here is the second truth—this is a bit tougher—admit you do not want to get out of the mess.”

“Aren’t we supposed to get upset?” Want a clean, clear, simple answer? Here it is: No! “You mean, not be upset by anything?” That’s right, you heard me. Not by anything! “Oh, please, go away,” they will say. “I don’t want to hear any more of your nonsense.” We’ve been given a theory that says to be upset is to be human. It is not so. ...There’s emptiness staring at you. You’re scared. “You mean, we’re not supposed to be scared?” they will say. “No, you’re not.”

Wow. No telling what insights await me in weeks to come.

The book, A Year with Anthony De Mello is a wonderful way to journey through the year with weekly readings based on the philosophy of Anthony De Mello. The thought-provoking ideas and pertinent erudite quotes from other enlightened teachers, makes the book a valuable guide for those seeking a way to happiness, peace and ultimately transcendence. Using the journaling space provided in the book is a useful way to reflect on what is offered and experience a deeper understanding of the material. The book is a wonderful source of wisdom to dip into each week.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond Words Publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a guided journal, divided into 52 week segments. Each segment presents a key page from one of Anthony de Mello's writing. Following each page is a self observation section, in which you reflect on the page, prefaced by a story. You can journal in the empty page following the self observation. Although it is written by a Catholic priest, the meditations are general enough to be used by anyone and contain stories from other religious traditions. A nice extra is that, if you need more space you can purchase a journal to be used in tandem with this book.