Even well into into its third century, the United States continues to debate whether the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution is, or was meant to be, absolute. In the black and white mindset of Christian Conservatives, there is no doubt that the founders of our country meant freedom of Christian religion, under the umbrella of conservative politics.
Alisa Harris was raised in that belief, and in the absolutist dogmas that define the world of the Christain right. In Raised Right, she describes her move into the continuum of life outside Pleasantville , where the lines are not clear cut and the elusive truth is found in an infinite gradient of colors; a world that is "a more complicated place than a culture warrior's sound bite." On her journey she was confronted not only by her own doubts and misgivings, but by the censure of those around her who branded her at best as simply misguided; at worst a heretic.
My criticism of her work is not philosophical, but mechanical (as in writing mechanics). I personally dislike the growing tendency to "bloggify" our literature, turning novels into keywords that can gain ranking on Google. Ms. Harris' background as a blogger and magazine contributor clearly shows in Raised Right; the chapters are like feature articles that often have minimal continuity with one another. There is a common theme that runs through the different sections, but from one chapter to the next the stories veer across time and location in a dizzying manner.
I truly admire the effort that Raised Right makes in raising the questions of faith and politics in America today; but it comes away feeling like a loosely-linked book of blog posts. I feel that the message gets lost in the delivery.
