This collection of essays on matters social, philosophical and theological was good for my brain, provoking thought and introspection. Marilynne Robinson has a new admirer. ( )

Marilynne Robinson questions many of the facile assumptions of modern society. Her probing intellect is wide-ranging, touching on politics, economics, science, and religion. Underlying this is one question: what does it mean to be human in this cosmos? Hers strikes me as a voice of sanity in a time of public discourse that seems hopelessly gridlocked and banal. I found myself highlighting so many sentences that I eventually stopped. Two small criticisms. One: It’s clear that she hones her prose with precision, and invests much care to elevate it above the trivial. In a few cases, though, she achieves a density that leaves me wondering what she wanted to say. The other: This reads like a collection of various addresses and essays, yet this is nowhere acknowledged in my Kindle edition. I always find it helpful to see where an address was given and what was the occasion. The fact that there are the occasional overlap and repetition that is a feature of such collections didn’t bother me, though. In fact, they helped me follow some of her main points better.
In a perfect world, this is a book that millions would read as a way of getting us out of the impasse we have reached in society. Of course, this is not a perfect world but read it anyway. ( )

Some essays very readable - dry humour, interesting info - and others too dense. She’s very religious….

I am glad Dr. Robinson never taught me--she is razor sharp and very clear about her desire to shine light on the truths we cover up for our comfort/convenience. These essays are erudite, pointed, witty, and exacting. Most uncover hidden assumptions and contradictions common in our intellectual and even civil discourse and counter them with arguments that are based on solid research and reflection on the matter at hand, whether it be the cult of Austerity, the popular perception of Calvinism as a dour strain of Christianity, or the use of Darwin to argue against religion. This one stays in my library. ( )

These thought-provoking essays are not about books, but about big questions of civilization, politics and our human nature. Drawing on a wide set of resources, which includes such disparate sources as the Old Testament, Greek and other ancient texts, the writings of Walt Whitman, and even CNN.com, Marilynne Robinson demonstrates that her reading informs her ability to think clearly. The essays are dense with these references, and are profoundly wise and spiritual.
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