I buy a lot of books at Title Wave, the Multnomah County Library discard store, and have found at least four copies of this book, in brand new condition, which is indicative of how little it is read. But, when I see a copy of God Went to Beauty School, I grab it and then give it away. This is probably the closest I will ever come to spreading the Word.
I am so proud of Cynthia Rylant and her editors. Yes, she can write perfect early readers and be successful, but here she wrote wonderful, humorous poetry about God, even though she must have known that it was a killer combination. Poetry is sort of fringy to begin with, but religion... religion is the new sex. Even I was nervous about reading it aloud in public school and I've been called a "Provocateur." With sex you get titters and maybe an angry parent, but God... disagreements about God cause wars.
I would really have a hard time imagining these poems being taken badly, but I was raised a Unitarian and do not understand religious fundamentalism. Basically, these poems illustrate the question, what if God was one of us? What if he got a desk job, just to see what it would be like? What if God was here, playing poker with Gabriel? (God needs a break now and then.) What if God was here to experience love and pain and reverence? What if God had a dog named Ernie?
I love these poems. They ask the reader to look at the world through the eyes of God and smile and laugh and cry. Some folks might find these poems sacrilegious, but that is so not what Rylant is up to. I find them a celebration of the sacred in the mundane. God likes popcorn! Enjoy....
God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
HarperTempest (Jun 2003)
ISBN-10: 0060094338
ISBN-13: 978-0060094331
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