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A Sense of Wonder: The World's Best Writers on the Sacred, the Profane, and the Ordinary
An anthology of 36 astonishing personal stories and essays from some of America's best writers that first appeared in Portland Magazine, "the best university magazine in America" (Newsweek) and "the best spiritual magazine in the country" (Annie Dillard).
192 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2016
27 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Brian Doyle
60 books727 followersDoyle's essays and poems have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, The American Scholar, Orion, Commonweal, and The Georgia Review, among other magazines and journals, and in The Times of London, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Kansas City Star, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Ottawa Citizen, and Newsday, among other newspapers. He was a book reviewer for The Oregonian and a contributing essayist to both Eureka Street magazine and The Age newspaper in Melbourne, Australia.
Doyle's essays have also been reprinted in:
* the Best American Essays anthologies of 1998, 1999, 2003, and 2005;
* in Best Spiritual Writing 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005; and
* in Best Essays Northwest (2003);
* and in a dozen other anthologies and writing textbooks.
As for awards and honors, he had three startling children, an incomprehensible and fascinating marriage, and he was named to the 1983 Newton (Massachusetts) Men's Basketball League all-star team, and that was a really tough league.
Doyle delivered many dozens of peculiar and muttered speeches and lectures and rants about writing and stuttering grace at a variety of venues, among them Australian Catholic University and Xavier College (both in Melbourne, Australia), Aquinas Academy (in Sydney, Australia); Washington State, Seattle Pacific, Oregon, Utah State, Concordia, and Marylhurst universities; Boston, Lewis & Clark, and Linfield colleges; the universities of Utah, Oregon, Pittsburgh, and Portland; KBOO radio (Portland), ABC and 3AW radio (Australia); the College Theology Society; National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation," and in the PBS film Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero (2002).
Doyle was a native of New York, was fitfully educated at the University of Notre Dame, and was a magazine and newspaper journalist in Portland, Boston, and Chicago for more than twenty years. He was living in Portland, Oregon, with his family when died at age 60 from complications related to a brain tumor.
Doyle's essays have also been reprinted in:
* the Best American Essays anthologies of 1998, 1999, 2003, and 2005;
* in Best Spiritual Writing 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005; and
* in Best Essays Northwest (2003);
* and in a dozen other anthologies and writing textbooks.
As for awards and honors, he had three startling children, an incomprehensible and fascinating marriage, and he was named to the 1983 Newton (Massachusetts) Men's Basketball League all-star team, and that was a really tough league.
Doyle delivered many dozens of peculiar and muttered speeches and lectures and rants about writing and stuttering grace at a variety of venues, among them Australian Catholic University and Xavier College (both in Melbourne, Australia), Aquinas Academy (in Sydney, Australia); Washington State, Seattle Pacific, Oregon, Utah State, Concordia, and Marylhurst universities; Boston, Lewis & Clark, and Linfield colleges; the universities of Utah, Oregon, Pittsburgh, and Portland; KBOO radio (Portland), ABC and 3AW radio (Australia); the College Theology Society; National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation," and in the PBS film Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero (2002).
Doyle was a native of New York, was fitfully educated at the University of Notre Dame, and was a magazine and newspaper journalist in Portland, Boston, and Chicago for more than twenty years. He was living in Portland, Oregon, with his family when died at age 60 from complications related to a brain tumor.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 19, 2017
Like any collection of essays quality/interest level was up and down. Some really beautiful stuff here and some mundane.
Not always directly Christian but interesting in its POVs. At first I was excited by the variety and thoughtfulness. In the end I wished there was a bit less West Coast Catholic (which I like!) and other Christian viewpoints were sought. My enjoyment of the personal variety in the authors wanted to go a few steps further.
Not always directly Christian but interesting in its POVs. At first I was excited by the variety and thoughtfulness. In the end I wished there was a bit less West Coast Catholic (which I like!) and other Christian viewpoints were sought. My enjoyment of the personal variety in the authors wanted to go a few steps further.
January 21, 2024
This book of 37 short essays, most spiritual in some way, is wonderful. I highly recommend it…just open it up to any essay and absorb beautiful writing full of interesting and thought-provoking words. I’ll be returning to some of them repeatedly.
January 4, 2019
I often times find it hard to find authors who I can read who speak honestly about suffering in an accessible and spiritually-integrated way, but here they are! Speaking of suffering, of the beautiful, the sacred and just all the normal things. Much needed.
November 30, 2024
I’m not a religious person… so how is it that Brian Doyle touches my soul with such an incredible collection of stories that speak of faith… in every capacity.
Moving, thoughtful, with so much love.
Moving, thoughtful, with so much love.
November 7, 2016
There were some amazing essays in here. You didn't have to dig far before coming across Mary Oliver's piece about how nature is far better than words. Her bio blurb at the end was great too. Mary Oliver is the best poet in America and all her books are great. William Stafford's anti-war musings are tear inducing and heart warming for any pacifist. I also enjoyed following Pico Iyer's quest for a quiet, reflective place. A few head scratching essays are in here, but for the most part a good time.
January 22, 2022
I gave this three stars because the essays vary widely from inspiring to…not. Also, FYI, an alert for every kind of trigger warning. I can’t say how many times I was reading along about birdsong or something and then bam, an awful horrible thing. I don’t particularly love that. It felt jarring and a tiny bit manipulative. Also- expect the essay after a positive essay to contain a traumatic event. Like clockwork.
All in all, this was too much of a rollercoaster ride for me. But the parts that sang really sang.
All in all, this was too much of a rollercoaster ride for me. But the parts that sang really sang.
July 9, 2022
My favorite genre is short stories. What I love about short stories is that I can read a complete stories in short bursts of time, e.i., bus, train, waiting at the doctor's, etc. One of my favorite authors is Brian Doyle. He writes short, short stories. They are like blog posts. Some short stories (not Brian Doyle's) are really novellas. Grace Notes and A Sense of Wonder, are two books Brian Doyle demonstrates exactly what I am describing .
A Sense of Wonder edited by Doyle has thirty-six writers. If you don't care for one story, skip it and go to another. This is a book of other people's writing.
Grace Notes is all Doyle's writing. I think I read them all. My favorite story was "On Miraculousness." Yes I know it's misspelled and/or it may not even be a word, however it works. This is typical of Doyle.
My favorite story in A sense of Wonder is David James Duncan's "An Elevator in Utah." Duncan's descriptions of feelings are on-target. I identified and loved his reactions to the little girls.
In conclusion, forget the recommended "beach reads." They're too big. Summer for me is too busy to settle into a big book. Big books are for winter blizzards. Summer reads are for short stories. So look up Brian Doyle, and enjoy. You can thank me via goodread's comments.
A Sense of Wonder edited by Doyle has thirty-six writers. If you don't care for one story, skip it and go to another. This is a book of other people's writing.
Grace Notes is all Doyle's writing. I think I read them all. My favorite story was "On Miraculousness." Yes I know it's misspelled and/or it may not even be a word, however it works. This is typical of Doyle.
My favorite story in A sense of Wonder is David James Duncan's "An Elevator in Utah." Duncan's descriptions of feelings are on-target. I identified and loved his reactions to the little girls.
In conclusion, forget the recommended "beach reads." They're too big. Summer for me is too busy to settle into a big book. Big books are for winter blizzards. Summer reads are for short stories. So look up Brian Doyle, and enjoy. You can thank me via goodread's comments.
January 17, 2020
If Brian Doyle thinks you’re a good writer, ‘nuff said.
Most likely you’ll recognize at least a few names among Doyle’s collection of “the world’s best writers.”
In A Sense of Wonder, you can go straight to Mary Oliver (“Do You Think There Is Anything Not Attached by Its Unbreakable Cord to Everything Else”), or Pico Iyer (“A Chapel Is Where You Can Hear Something Beating Below Your Heart: I Came to the Chapel at the University as the Light Was Failing…”), or Paul Hawken (“Healing or Stealing? The Best Commencement Address Ever”), or, of course, Doyle himself (“The Late Mister Bin Laden: A Note”).
I especially like Connor Doe’s “Perfect Time: A Note on the Music of Being a Dad,” and if you’re not a dad, and you read it, you’ll start wishing right away that you could be one.
My choice for best “feel good” selection is “An Elevator in Utah: On How Children Make Despair Look Stupid.” Reading it creates the strangest urge to learn how to milk cows.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
Most likely you’ll recognize at least a few names among Doyle’s collection of “the world’s best writers.”
In A Sense of Wonder, you can go straight to Mary Oliver (“Do You Think There Is Anything Not Attached by Its Unbreakable Cord to Everything Else”), or Pico Iyer (“A Chapel Is Where You Can Hear Something Beating Below Your Heart: I Came to the Chapel at the University as the Light Was Failing…”), or Paul Hawken (“Healing or Stealing? The Best Commencement Address Ever”), or, of course, Doyle himself (“The Late Mister Bin Laden: A Note”).
I especially like Connor Doe’s “Perfect Time: A Note on the Music of Being a Dad,” and if you’re not a dad, and you read it, you’ll start wishing right away that you could be one.
My choice for best “feel good” selection is “An Elevator in Utah: On How Children Make Despair Look Stupid.” Reading it creates the strangest urge to learn how to milk cows.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
December 22, 2024
Highly recommended by Ginger, with some of my favorite authors, I immediately ordered this book.
Although I've read and studied (both history and philosophy) about many different religions (and attended their churches as an observer), I've never been involved in the day-to-day activities of organized religions, and don't consider myself a "religious" person. I do think that the fundamental principles and practices of some religions are righteously humanitarian.
Although for me a few of the stories were therefore too attached to organized religion, overall the collection of short stories is simply magical, thought-provoking, reflective, and beautifully brilliant. Learning to Love, Words are Not Enough, When I was Blind, Healing or Stealing . . . and so many more. Another book to be reread, slowly, over time.
Thank you, Ginger!
Although I've read and studied (both history and philosophy) about many different religions (and attended their churches as an observer), I've never been involved in the day-to-day activities of organized religions, and don't consider myself a "religious" person. I do think that the fundamental principles and practices of some religions are righteously humanitarian.
Although for me a few of the stories were therefore too attached to organized religion, overall the collection of short stories is simply magical, thought-provoking, reflective, and beautifully brilliant. Learning to Love, Words are Not Enough, When I was Blind, Healing or Stealing . . . and so many more. Another book to be reread, slowly, over time.
Thank you, Ginger!
December 31, 2024
My reading for 2024 ended on a high; I think everything Brian Doyle wrote or touched is pure gold. A couple of meh pieces here, but many gorgeous ones.
Pico Iyer: "If people are always running to catch up, they will never have the time and space to create a world worth catching up with."
Paul Hawken (in a commencement speech in 2009): "This planet came with a set of operating instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like 'don't poison the water, soil, or air' and 'don't let the earth get overcrowded,' and 'don't touch the thermostat' have been broken...There is invisible writing on the bak of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn't bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING."
Pico Iyer: "If people are always running to catch up, they will never have the time and space to create a world worth catching up with."
Paul Hawken (in a commencement speech in 2009): "This planet came with a set of operating instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like 'don't poison the water, soil, or air' and 'don't let the earth get overcrowded,' and 'don't touch the thermostat' have been broken...There is invisible writing on the bak of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn't bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING."
April 21, 2020
I loved this little book of little pieces on wonder and the awfulness; on joy and sorrow; on beauty and injustice. These pieces by some of my favorite authors open my eyes once again to the wonder and the truth around me - both can be invisible at times. Including these times. This book encouraged and strengthened me for seeing the world around me fresh. Beautiful.
August 21, 2023
Short pieces selected by Brian Doyle that first appeared in Portland Magazine, which Mr. Doyle also edited.
Are these the world's best writers? Debatable. Some of them, for sure, but all are very good writers, and they write beautifully about the spiritual in ordinary life.
These serve as five and ten minute meditations about wonder in the every day.
Highly recommended.
Are these the world's best writers? Debatable. Some of them, for sure, but all are very good writers, and they write beautifully about the spiritual in ordinary life.
These serve as five and ten minute meditations about wonder in the every day.
Highly recommended.
December 18, 2017
This is an outstanding anthology, I wish I could find more like it. Although not always pro-religion, (and sometimes anti my own religion), it is spiritually uplifting and inspiring. I'd like to own it.
April 22, 2019
I preferred the nature short stories to the political ones, but all of them gave me ideas to ponder long after finishing. Such a great variety of writers and topics. I checked it out for the Mary Oliver but in the end it wasn't even my favorite by far.
March 17, 2022
Mind-Opening Essays
Life, children, nature, prayer, wonder--all are covered in this slim volume, which will inspire, challenge, and make you laugh and cry. And will nourish you for your journey.
Life, children, nature, prayer, wonder--all are covered in this slim volume, which will inspire, challenge, and make you laugh and cry. And will nourish you for your journey.
September 14, 2023
This warm/fuzzy collection has little to offer spiritual wayfarers who are not Jews or Christians. The selections are occasionally lovely, often pithy, and in one case repugnant. This was a disappointment for me, but fairly typical of the American spiritual climate.
May 25, 2017
Good and comprehensive collection of essays.
December 19, 2017
A nice anthology from Portland Magazine focusing on perception.
April 28, 2018
beautiful, intriguing, and slightly uneven collection of essays.
August 20, 2019
Wonderful collection of essays, especially An elevator in Utah and On Laughing. Some are more spiritual, some political. All very well written.
December 13, 2019
3.5 Stars
February 9, 2021
I had hoped that this collection of essays would have been more linked thematically around Wonder (my word for 2021), but some did, many didn’t.
July 8, 2021
There's some excellent writing here but a lot of it was a little too intense and "God" focused for me right now
January 14, 2024
A great collection of essays . The ones that will stick with me- On Laughing, Burying Mrs. Hamilton, The River and Why I am a Priest. Sacred, Hopeful, and Powerful.
April 4, 2024
A nice collection of thoughtful, philosophical, spiritual writings. Relationships, war, 9-11, growing, history, indigenous wisdom.
Read
August 16, 2025I need to return this book to the library. It might be better to purchase it at some point and then be able to read one or two essays at a time and at leisure.
October 9, 2016
Once in a while I come across a book that is astonishing. This is one of those. Brian Doyle's collection of essays from the Portland Magazine, poke at every emotion, leave you laughing, crying, and convincing you to in some way to save the planet. I have reread them twice already. Read it, you will not regret doing so.
January 20, 2017
Life is so beautiful and horrible, fragile and strong. This book was a beautifully written reminder of all that life can be and what we are capable of enduring.
December 7, 2016
Some beautiful writing. My favorite: The River by Paul Myers
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews