nonfiction - these are supposed to be autobiographical essays, but they are more like the author's tangentially connected thoughts splashed across the page in an artful manner. I didn't get a whole lot of out these (maybe if I knew more about Catholicism or the other topics he touches on?) but if you're not looking for cohesiveness, Rodriguez does have a great writing style, and as a gay Catholic American with Hispanic heritage (frequently scrutinized at airports for his darker "Arabic" complexion), he is certainly an interesting person to read about. I suspect he is more brilliant than I could immediately discern (he is definitely a scholar, a thinker, an intelligent dreamer), but I'm not sure it's worth re-reading and studying to find out exactly how brilliant, or in what ways. I would suggest maybe reading his previous books instead. ( )

Richard Rodriguez's study of his own spiritual growth, lodged within the nature of western American culture. ( )