The Givenness of Things: Essays

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Robinson (Gilead) turns to nonfiction in this collection of remarkable essays. Human spirituality is at the core of each chapter and is viewed through Robinson's lens of progressive Protestantism rooted in the Reform tradition. She writes about the juxtaposition of neuroscience and humanism. The roots of the religious Reformation were in, she maintains, "books and publication, a response to the huge stimulus given to intellectual life by the printing press." She does not dwell only on the history, however; she brings the argument to the present day—when we forget that the Reformation disseminated culture, we forget why we created public libraries, schools, and museums. Robinson cites Shakespeare (the subject of her PhD dissertation) in her discussion of grace. She reflects on servanthood, collective memory, and value. The text requires concentration; though not impenetrable, it is dense. Coleen Marlo provides well-paced and clearly spoken narration, but some listeners may find it easier to comprehend Robinson's concepts when reading the words on the page.