Reviews

Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography by Richard Rodriguez

carlybarly6's review against another edition

4.0

Darling, by Richard Rodriguez, reads as a collection of essays rather than the assumed autobiographical format. His essays, in which he digresses from one idea to another, are all a conglomeration of the philosophical and quotidian thoughts that have guided his understanding of spirituality as a gay, Roman Catholic man. I feel like I don’t quite know what I read, but I know that it was beautiful and nuanced. In the aftermath of Septhember 11, 2001, Rodriguez writes of the desert religions, he writes of emptiness, of Mother Theresa and of gay drag nuns, of Cezar Chavez, of the color brown, of print dying at the hands of technology, and of a best friend dying from AIDS. My favorite chapter, the title chapter, is a love letter to women — those that Rodriguez credits for his being, especially in a faith practice that excludes him — as he reflects on women’s fortitude of mind and the power yielded in their bodies. This autobiography feels like reading snapshots. A reflection here, and one here, and over here too, and somehow they all come together in a stunning and subtle way.

austinstorm's review against another edition

3.0

I got a bit bogged down in the middle, but on the whole I really liked it.

The end, his "Atheism is wasted on atheists" response to Christopher Hitchens on Mother Theresa, is well worth your time.

elder_bonnie's review against another edition

5.0

This was my first foray into the genre of essays and what I like to think of as collections of thought bubbles. But not the kinds of thought bubbles that I ever come up with - no, the thought bubbles above Richard Rodriguez's head would never fit in a two dimensional space. Unaccustomed to this kind of writing as I am, I found myself struggling to find the tie-in themes in a few sections, but overall, the book was a delight. I often found myself setting it down to gaze at the nearest wall or window, reflecting on an idea or phrase and creating more thought bubbles of my own. I adore the lens through which Rodriguez sees women and the faith of the three Abrahamic religions. It's refreshing, it's comforting, it's empowering.

I picked this book up on a whim (I was drawn to the cover and only realized as I finished the book that the photo was taken in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which I had the fortune of visiting a few years back), and while picking it up wasn't intentional, I'll certainly be seeking out his other books. His writing is lucid and mosaic, and I think he's an absolute dear. Darling, if you will.

richardwells's review against another edition

5.0

Mexican-American, Catholic, gay - not content with three strikes, add intellectual. A "public intellectual" at that. I'd never heard that phrase before, and wondered who else might hold that title. Maybe Susan Sontag.

Here's the good news: Richard Rodriguez seems to wear his identities lightly, and the first three are the prisms through which he shines his amazing intellect. This is really a book of essays that wind their way around the common theme of identity. The writing is beautifully lucid, and Mr. Rodriguez pulls from a world of sources.

I was particularly taken by his meditations on Jerusalem and the Desert, and the title word, Darling. And I think it's also in Darling that the author meditates on the word "brown" - the subject of his previous book. Darling is not only smart, and beautifully written, but creatively written - in such a way as to see the workings of the author's mind. Fascinating in substance and style.

Onto "Brown: The Last Discovery of America."

drlindseynb's review against another edition

1.0

I read this for the faculty Catholic Intellectual Traditions book club. It sounded interesting - a Latinx, queer, catholic guy grapples with the church, his family, etc. However, it was SO metaphorical and abstract. I did not like it at all.