Reviews from Bookshelf spirituality-philosophy

Jesus is presented as very human and somewhat delusional during his 40 days of temptation in the desert. His story is overshadowed by the lives of other pilgrims also in "quarantine" for prayer in the wilderness. Sure to strike believers as sacrilegious, but rich in detail and deft, subtle character development. Slow-moving plot.

I gobbled this book up, and--having grown up in it--I think that Perrotta nailed his portrayal of the evangelical community and the secret struggles of its members. One character slips into the barrel of "fears to give over to the Lord" a card that reads: "My greatest fear is... that I'm not part of this any more." This book left me with a strong sense--not that religion had been repudiated as a source of direction--but that true human connection had been reaffirmed as an equally important aspect of life.

Luis Alberto Urrea has achieved something important here, capturing the texture of rural Mexican life during El Porfiriato without overlooking neither its humor nor its brutality. Vibrant, funny, intoxicating.