When I picked Savor as my book for the "Food" category of the Nonfiction Reader challenge, I thought I'd be reading mostly about food. I knew the author, a talented young chef, died far too early, but somehow I thought that before that point, the focus would be on more cheerful and tasty things. I … Continue reading Nonfiction Reader Challenge: Savor
Following my read of Faitheist, I was interested to read a memoir by a person of faith who was also a scientist. I came across I've Seen the End of You by Lee Warren, a neurosurgeon who struggles with the purpose of prayer when he is confronted by many patients with incurable brain tumors. How … Continue reading Of science and spirit: I’ve Seen the End of You
In Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious (2012), Chris Stedman tells his story-so-far -- he was only 23 at the time of writing -- to show that atheists and the religious should still be able to talk respectfully to one another. The first part covers Stedman's mostly religion-free childhood in a … Continue reading Engaging with atheism: Faitheist
What? Prince Harry's royal tell-all Spare, a spiritual memoir? I admit that I did not initially pick it up as one. But as I read, it made me think about the role of royalty in regard to spirituality. For that alone, I decided to count it for my spiritual memoir challenge -- in the category … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Review: Spare
Le scaphandre et le papillon was recommended to me some years ago by a French-speaking English student who thought I might enjoy reading it in the original language. I have not so far managed to do that, but I have finally read the English translation, and I was blown away. It's an extraordinary document of … Continue reading #20BooksofSummer23: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I haven't been writing full reviews of the spiritual memoirs I've read in the last few months, but I want to give at least a short update on each of them. Here are the last three: A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith by Timothy Egan A mix of … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Challenge update
Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave (2012) and Poet Warrior (2021) After my uncomfortable experience reading Autobiography of a Yogi, it was a relief to dive into poet Joy Harjo's memoirs and encounter a completely different kind of spiritual teacher, an older-sister guide who can instruct me about the path I also want to follow: Poet, Warrior, … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Review: Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior
Paramhansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) When I embarked on my Spiritual Memoir Challenge this year, I did not expect the first book I chose to read for it to be so ... challenging. It raised a lot of questions for me, and I'm not sure how to express them. I don't want to … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Review: Autobiography of a Yogi
