I Don't Want to be a Hoo-er: Essays on Faith, Family and Foolishness

Author Elizabeth Scalia (Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols of Everyday Life, Ave Maria Press, 2013) has written of Christian scripture: "You either believe all that stuff you say you believe, and you act accordingly, or it's all a lot of hooey and you're the hoo-er." In this compilation of essays culled from various print and online publications carrying her by-line, Scalia gives ample evidence of her struggle against hoo-erdom, in all its bare successes and flamboyant failures. Two highly personal essays, begun as long-ago blogposts, are fleshed out in this compilation, in which art, baseball, travel, resentments, political theatrics, and the beautiful pain of life all get worked through the filter of Scalia's faith. What emerges through 25 thoughtful columns is a battle between a largely optimistic heart, and a hoo-er's head that is too inclined toward cynicism. Round by round, "I Don't Want to be a Hoo-er" makes for amusing, often maddening, ever-surprising reading that will jumpstart the synapses and leave few unmoved.