Just finished reading a fine little book entitled An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination: A Memoir, by Elizabeth McCracken. It’s a thoughtful exploration of McCraken’s life and experience in relation to the stillbirth of her full term baby – affectionately named Pudding prior to his death in utero. The narrative also works toward the birth of her second son, Gus, approximately one year after the death of her first.

There are a number of levels at which I find the book compelling, but I would simply say here that it would be a helpful book for those who are training for ministry – particularly for getting a grip on the task of patoral care. It’s not that McCracken writes from such a perspective (indeed, she describes herself as decidedly agnostic), but that she ably brings the reader inside her own narrative, honestly told. Continue reading →