December 29, 2014
Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography
Richard Rodriguez
Journeys – “After September 11, it became
easier, apparently it became necessary, for many of my friends to volunteer,
without any equivocation of agnosticism, that they are atheists. It was not
clear to me whether they had been atheists all along or if the violence of
September 11 tipped Pascal’s scales for them.” Seattle. A pleasant
Thursday evening in late March. The roomy downstairs space at Elliott Bay Book
Company, which is a cathedral of American bookstores. Richard Rodriguez – essayist, journalist, PBS
NewsHour contributor – stands on a brightly
lit platform, conversing with a crowd of readers seated in folding chairs
before him. He speaks casually and respectfully and with great humor about the
people and the stories featured in his newest book. In his remarks, Rodriguez offers
more questions than answers. He shares multiple reflections rather than glib
quips. For me, seated in the audience, the experience was profound – and rare:
Here was a thoughtful author with something meaningful to say. Afterward, I
purchased three copies of this book, one to read and two to give as gifts. In
this collection of interwoven essays, Rodriguez travels from Jerusalem to Las
Vegas, from L.A. to London. He delves into the “desert religions” – Judaism,
Christianity and Islam – and, without preaching, explores the role of
spirituality in our lives and in our deaths. Some stories brought me to tears.
Others made me laugh. Most filled me with a silent wonder, as if I was standing
in the middle of a nighttime desert myself, reaching on tiptoes with
outstretched hands toward a darkened sky filled with ten thousand brightly lit
stars, asking, Why? Why is there
something and not just nothing? Why is there anything at all?

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