This is a simply excellent book. I thought that Brant Pitre was going to cover the various forms of prayer from easiest (vocal) to most difficult (contemplation and meditation). And there would be some great quotes from Church Fathers along the way. At the most basic, I was correct. However, there is a lot more to it that turns this from an informative book into an inspirational one.
As he loves to do, Pitre is tracing the roots of practices and understanding from Judaism to Jesus to the Christian spiritual classics. This, of course, gives the reader depth and context which in itself is eye opening. However, as each section ends in the classics, we are given solid advice about how to apply ourselves to each particular step of the spiritual life.
That is what this book is all about, after all, the spiritual life. It ranges from forms of prayer to major temptations, from spiritual exercises to the seven capital sins, from how to meditate on scripture to how to hang on when nothing seems to be working (that's called the dark night of the soul).
All along the way, remedies are offered for all the pitfalls in our way. For example the three major temptations of pleasure, possessions, and pride bring with them discussions of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. The seven capital sins are each accompanied by a look at the corresponding virtues we can acquire to help in our spiritual struggles.
I found myself unable to put this book down as I recognized my own struggles in the pages and picked up the little tips that already have enriched my prayer life. This is an accessible yet rich book that will reward Christians with many layers for reading and rereading. I can't recommend it highly enough.
