"For Halík, the church was an aide to the revolution because it provided the spiritual impetus and educational institutions for a cultural conversion. The revolution did not create utopia . . . [b]ut it did usher in a new, hopeful way of looking at the world, and a renewed appreciation for truth and justice." —Commonweal
"The story of the religious movements in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet era is little known in contrast to the Polish, which is why Halík's memoirs, From the Underground Church to Freedom, are a truly fascinating read. Halík has become one of the most important religious voices from the East since the fall of the Berlin Wall." —Law and Liberty
"It is one thing to live in interesting times, quite another to write interestingly about them. Halik achieves this." —The Irish Catholic
"Halík's autobiography is a richly drawn self-portrait of a complex man who has a deep commitment to the Church and a desire to reconcile it with the contemporary world, yet one who has also known times of doubt and spiritual crisis, which he discusses with forthrightness. At the same time, it offers a vivid picture of the Czech Church under Communist rule and its aftermath." —Catholic Library World
"An underground Catholic priest and member of the Czech resistance, Halik was important in bringing down the communist regime in that country . . . one has to admire his great courage and contribution to the end of totalitarianism in his country." —Law and Religion Forum
"With eloquent sensitivity, Tomáš Halík, a clandestinely ordained Roman Catholic priest, pulls back the Iron Curtain to illuminate a dark period of Czechoslovakian history. From the Underground Church to Freedom is a memoir enfolded with spiritual wisdom, incisive and frank in its assessment of Halík's life and of the continuing narrative of the church universal as she has moved into the twenty-first century. . . . Poignant and profound, this book is a needed reminder that hope springs eternal even in the face of overwhelming evil." —Foreword Reviews
"It is possible that Halík is the most thoughtful, learned and interesting Catholic that is widely unknown in the United States today. Hopefully, this book will right that wrong." —America
"The story of the religious movements in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet era is little known in contrast to the Polish, which is why Halík's memoirs, From the Underground Church to Freedom, are a truly fascinating read. Halík has become one of the most important religious voices from the East since the fall of the Berlin Wall." —Law and Liberty
"From the Underground Church to Freedom is a spiritual autobiography in the tradition of St. Augustine's Confessions, John Henry Newman's Apologia Pro Vita Sua and Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain. . . .the most interesting, challenging, and evocative dimension of Halík's autobiography is his intensely personal reflections both on the progress and development of his own spiritual life and the effect that the people that he meets and the events in which he is involved have on that development. " —Catholic Outlook
