Collecting anecdotes from several of Thomas Merton's former novices, this book offers readers an opportunity to meet the famous monk and writer as a monastic brother, confessor, spiritual director, and friend. The title Awake and Alive reflects a way of being in the world, familiar to millions of readers of Merton's books. It was Merton who first made the treasures of monastic life and monastic spirituality accessible to people outside the cloister. In many respects, what he did for his students at the Abbey of Gethsemani, he did for those who read him still, hear his recorded lectures, and continue today to follow his path.