David Adams Richards' "God is"

Well as I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I've been looking forward to reading this book and I finally got to do just that.

Let me say this first because it must be said and I want to get it out of the way. I found the writing to be quite unclear and repetitive at times.

There, enough about that.

Otherwise, I think Richards did a great thing here. In a culture that is increasingly breaking down the barriers between audience and performer, Richards has let us into his life like a memoir focused on his spiritual life.

I thought his tactic of focusing on God's existence because we see that there are things wrong in the world to be an intriguing way of looking at things.

The first part of his book deals with how the academic elite he's had the opportunity, or more often challege, to deal with are as closed minded as the religion they condemn in their classrooms. (I kept thinking how ironic it was that I was introduced to David Adams Richards at the University of Ottawa). He made a very good point that refusing to talk about things does not make them go away.

He also talked a lot about violence. He really challenges us to think about how violent we are even though we don't actively participate. Mob mentality, violent speech, etc., are addressed in the book and I don't ever remember reading anything like it anywhere, even in more obviously spiritual books (anything from Zondervan or Tyndale, I mean.)

The main thing I get from the book is that Richards really is passionate about both his own spirituality and vitriolic against people's lack of respect for those who dare to have faith.

All in all, its a good background to Richards fiction, giving insight as to where he's coming from with some of his more complex characters he's written over the years but also a good addition to the "Is he or isn't he" debate that's going on in Canada over the past few years.