Seeking Enlightenment....Hat by Hat: A Skeptic's Path to Religion

by Nevada Barr

Overview

A refreshingly honest spiritual exploration from the New York Times bestselling author of the Anna Pigeon novels.

Actor, adventuress, seeker of truth, and author of the New York Times bestselling Anna Pigeon mystery series, Nevada Barr beckons readers to share her spiritual search for meaning in life.

Hat by hat, step by step, Barr leads readers down her path to enlightenment by sharing personal episodes, some of them funny and revealing, others painfully honest. Each chapter offers a truth or an answer forged through experience and deep reflection, and a nugget of insight certain to encourage thought and discussion among readers, who may, in turn, find their own spiritual language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425196038
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/01/2004
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	735,066
Product dimensions:	5.46(w) x 8.19(h) x 0.66(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Formerly an actress and a park ranger, Nevada Barr is now an award-winning and New York Times–bestselling novelist and creator of the Anna Pigeon mysteries, and numerous other books and short stories. She lives in New Orleans with her husband and various pets.

Hometown:

Clinton, Mississippi

Date of Birth:

March 1, 1952

Place of Birth:

Yerington, Nevada

Education:

B.A., Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 1974; M.A., University of California at Irvine, 1977

Website:

http://www.nevadabarr.com

Table of Contents

	Introduction	9
	On getting into heaven	26
	Forgiveness	31
	Gratitude	34
	Sin	39
	Addiction	44
	Justification	49
	Judgment	53
	Turning the other cheek	59
	Prayer	63
	Fear	67
	Stillness	73
	Humility	79
	Spiders and old men	84
	Marriage	89
	Lies	94
	Religion	99
	Vanity	104
	Betrayal	112
	An argument for life after death	120
	Things	126
	Sex	132
	Guilt	144
	The word	150
	Things that go bump in the night	154
	Children of god	160
	Do animals have souls?	165
	Darlin'	168
	Faith	174
	Flip-flops, girlfriends, and levi jackets	179
	Salvation	187
	An ordinary life	192
	Pain	196
	Taking shit	201
	Service	206
	Seeing	210
	Church	215
	Repentance	220
	Bits of string	223
	Evil	228
	Commitment	232
	Alternate lives	235
	What if	238
	Seeking enlightenment hat by hat	245

Editorial Reviews

As Barr puts it, "I more or less ran into God at the bottom of a barrel." In this quirky memoir, we follow her into church, along the way learning her thoughts on younger men, Halloween and kittens, not to mention salvation and forgiveness and gratitude. — Lauren F. Winner

The Washington Post

There is much to be considered in her observations, in an engaging style that is a joy to read.

Plain Dealer

"A life ago," Barr writes, "I was depressed, broke, homeless, unemployed and divorced." One evening she wandered into an Episcopal church, primarily because it was unlocked. Desperation, not interest in religion, had brought her there, but warmly accepting parishioners kept her, and soon she wanted to be confirmed. "I went to the priest and asked him if it would be okay considering I didn't accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior, didn't believe the Bible was divinely inspired and wasn't entirely sure about the whole God thing. Fortunately Father Andrew had been tending his flock long enough to recognize a lost lamb when one came bleating into his office and put no obstacles in my way." It was a turning point for Barr, who here describes the resulting changes in her life and thinking over the last six years. Readers of Barr's bestselling mystery series featuring park ranger Anna Pigeon might have hoped for a whole book full of enlightenment about Anna's creator. However, apart from the introduction and occasional anecdotes throughout, her first nonfiction work is more a collection of personal essays than spiritual memoir. In more than 40 short chapters, she looks at topics as varied as forgiveness, girlfriends, being ordinary, Halloween and of course hats, usually saying more about how she thinks life should be lived than about how she actually lives hers. Nevertheless, Barr's sassy style, self-deprecating sense of humor and trenchant observations make for a good-and, yes, enlightening-read. (June) Forecast: Barr's 11th Anna Pigeon mystery was published earlier this year and has been a PW and New York Times bestseller. This memoirish spirituality title should ensure that the multi-talented writer Barr will never be, well, pigeonholed solely in the mystery category. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Reading the book jacket, one might well think, "Oh, great, another celebrity's version of a spiritual awakening where she discovered that we shouldn't cut down a tree because it might be the embodiment of dear, departed Aunt Martha." Read on. Barr, best known as the author of 11 mysteries (e.g., Deep South), has apparently experienced a true journey from atheism to faith. Barr grew up in a family with a disdain for organized religion that she carried into adulthood; subsequently, she survived a terrible marriage, an unpleasant divorce, and mental illness. Happily remarried, Barr now lives in Mississippi and attends an Episcopal Church simply because when she was at rock bottom she walked into one conveniently close by. "Had the Elks been meeting on the block that night and accidentally left their door unlocked, I expect my life would have taken a very different direction." This volume is a collection of more than 40 essays on a variety of topics that delineate Barr's still-ongoing faith journey. (One explains the "hat by hat" reference.) She now chooses to believe in God because it seems to make sense, and the ritual and traditions of the Episcopal Church provide a feeling of community. Recommended for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/03.]-Mary Prokop, Savannah Country Day Sch., GA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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