Nevada Barr is better known for her murder mystery series featuring Anne Pidgeon as a U. S. National Park law enforcement ranger than she is as a philosopher but I found Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat, a Skeptic's Guide to Religion to be both interesting and "enlightening". Not surprisingly, Anne is Nevada's alter ego and carries a lot of the same baggage in life that Nevada does. In "Enlightening" Nevada is brutally honest about the emotional ups and downs in her life and one can almost see her taking comfort in facing and conquering these demons through Anne.
But beyond the insight into her writing, Nevada presents a whole load of thought provoking ideas and philosophies. You don't have to agree with her (in fact I probably agree with her less than 50% of the time) to still appreciate the thought that has gone into these statements and essays. Each chapter takes on a topic (in no discernible order) that she has given some thought to and which she challenges the reader to think about as well. Although she has found comfort and community in the Episcopalian religious tradition, she is by no means orthodox Episcopalian or orthodox Christian for that matter. I find that endearing if also confusing.
I especially like that Ms. Barr has found "a" purpose for her life in the Christian community NOT "the" purpose for her life, freely admitting that it works for her but may not work for others. The longer I live the more arrogance I find in statements that propose to be "the" answer as opposed to "an" answer.
The "hats" part of the title turns out to simply relate to one of her essays and is not a significant part of her philosophy or journey. But it is a catchy title.
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