Marilynne Robinson is an unlikely author for me to enjoy, given her deep Christian themes and my solid atheism. However, first in her novel Gilead and again in this collection of essays, Robinson conveys to me a strong, hopeful worldview that takes seriously the richness of the human spirit. ("...Lacking the terms of religion, essential things cannot be said.") The word that always comes to mind when I read Robinson's work is "grace": she is a careful and subtle thinker whose prose is littered with quiet surprises.
My favorite essays in this collection argue forcefully against reductionist views of human nature, those that treat us as "mere primates" or driven by "rattish self-interest" and "essential beastliness," and for acknowledging human consciousness as "properly an object of wonder." Her approach yields novel arguments for particular social policies, regarding education especially.
When I Was a Child isn't perfect. Her essays are not well structured; they tend to wander over their subject. A couple of them are narrowly focused on issues of purely Christian interest. In moments of weakness Robinson can get strident about modern American society. But overall the book provides an attractive and compelling peek into a way of thinking very different from mine.
My favorite essays in this collection argue forcefully against reductionist views of human nature, those that treat us as "mere primates" or driven by "rattish self-interest" and "essential beastliness," and for acknowledging human consciousness as "properly an object of wonder." Her approach yields novel arguments for particular social policies, regarding education especially.
When I Was a Child isn't perfect. Her essays are not well structured; they tend to wander over their subject. A couple of them are narrowly focused on issues of purely Christian interest. In moments of weakness Robinson can get strident about modern American society. But overall the book provides an attractive and compelling peek into a way of thinking very different from mine.
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