Raised in a strictly Catholic family in upstate New York, author David Schickler long dreamed of being a priest. But as he grew older, he realized that his love and desire for women might prove to be a challenge to his goal. Schickler recalls this personal battle in his hilarious, heartfelt memoir The Dark Path.

Schickler had me from the first page of The Dark Path, as a ten year-old sitting in a pew, staring at his "wife", tagged as such because she also has a four syllable last name ending in -er. As he carries readers through his teenage years, where he begins to battle over his course in life, he introduces his hilarious idiosyncrasies and endearing quirks. Schickler’s best flirting is learned from the Grease soundtrack, courtesy of his house full of sisters, and his most intimate conversations are the brutally honest heart-to-hearts he has with God.

Schickler’s struggle continues in college, where he parties with his hard-drinking friends and non-religious girlfriend, but sneaks away to explore life as a Jesuit priest. Constantly pushing back his ultimate decision, but feeling increasing pressure to choose, Schickler begins to lose control before a radical change is able to ground him.

While it’s framed around religion, David Schickler’s memoir is less about Catholicism and more about finding yourself, despite where you imagined you might be. Believers and non-believers alike will find unforgettable honesty journeying along The Dark Path.

Blog: www.rivercityreading.com ( )

I love Schickler's book Kissing in Manhattan and hand-sold it frequently as a bookseller, so I assumed I would love this one. Although I tried, I could not connect. The writing was excellent, and I believe in the struggle to find one's true path, yet.... I think not being Christian and not being young and/or male made it hard for me to understand. I just wanted another fabulous David Schickler book. And the other reviewers seem to think that he delivered, which pleases me no end. I guess this was one of those times where you love the writing and don't care about the author's struggle to become that writer. (Sorry, David.) I gave it to my friend Kathy and she loved it. ( )

If I was Catholic, I would want to be a Jesuit; they seem to be the most pretentious of all the Catholic congregations. Not that I would want to be a priest as I’m married but for David Schickler the desire to be a priest was a driving force in his life. The Dark Path is a memoir of Schickler’s struggle between a call to priesthood and his attraction to women. A memoir that explores his faith, sex and the internal conflict, The Dark Path is a funny and boldly honest look at his struggle.

I grew up in a strict religious home, though not Catholic, but I really connected with The Dark Path. Growing up, my parents were ministers and I often felt the pressure to join the ministry. Though it isn’t as daunting as becoming a priest, it made this book relatable. I’m often drawn to books with an internal struggle and when I first heard about this book, I knew it was something I had to read. The whole idea of choosing a life in service to God or giving into your sexual urges is an interesting topic and Schickler tackled it in a way that remained respectful to both choices.

While this is a book about religion and Catholicism in general, I think of this book as a struggle to decide what path to take. In our high school and college years we all face choices that will affect the rest of our lives and The Dark Path is essentially about those decisions. As I’ve had a strong religious upbringing there was just so much in the book that I could relate to and enjoy, this does make my review very biased but I can’t help it. I also married a Catholic so I had the opportunity to learn more about Catholicism while also having someone to answer all my questions I had in the book.

David Schickler has written one novel which is mentioned in this memoir called Kissing in Manhattan and also co-created the TV show Banshee, which I haven’t had an opportunity to watch. I have to wonder if both the novel and show portray a similar element of struggle in the characters as well as maybe a hint of religious politics because I think he captured this really well in this book. I get a sense that his writing style is dark, gritty and transgressive. You can see hints of this in his writing but he still managed to make this memoir hilarious and heart-warming.

There is so much I want to say about this book but I don’t want to give too much of the book away. The Dark Path is the first book to receive a 5 star rating for 2014 and I hope to find many people to talk to about this memoir. If you have a religious background and want to read about a struggle of faith then I highly recommend The Dark Path. I plan to go read Kissing in Manhattan soon and maybe even try and get a hold of Banshee.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2014/03/13/the-dark-path-by-david-schickler/ ( )

This was a great read! I'm very interested now to read the author's fiction, as his memoir was a good surprise.

Not for the faint of heart - there is sex and there is swearing - but there is also insight and reflection on growing up Catholic and preparing for the priesthood while struggling with human desires. ( )

The Dark Path: a Memoir by David Schickler gives us a glimpse of a boy with vivid imagination and sensitivity in his search for the reality of God in his life. The boy grows into a man who is drawn to the priesthood of the Catholic Church but has a strong attraction to the opposite sex so hesitates. He lives with guilt due to his needs and wants for love and sex, and slowly descends into a mental state of depression which also has physical impacts. The story is rich and descriptive of the boy grown into a man, his parents and family life, and his experiences. Toward the end of the book, he finds balance in his life but it seems to be told in a rapid way as the author ties up loose ends, and the man goes forward to a promising future with his wife and family. ( )