Love, Love, Love and Other Essays: Light Reflections on Love, Life, and Death

Charles Taliaferro
Cowley Publications (2006)
ISBN  1561012424
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (6/06)


 “Love, Love, Love and Other Essays” by Charles Taliaferro, is a collection of his thoughts on love, life and death.  Mr. Taliaferro is a professor of Philosophy.  The forty-three essays are written from events in his life.

His essay titled, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was written after a large splinter caused an infection in his arm. “A nurse said, “Your hand looks very angry today.”  “I don’t like thinking of my hand as having an independent emotional life.” The compassion of the nurses and his friends impressed him.    “The basic act of touching was overwhelming.”

“It’s Waterloo, Baby!”, is a reflection on his father’s battle with a stroke in  “At this point at my parents’ home, there is a strange blend of distress, resignation, and family love.”  I found this stirring.  I have faced the same emotions with a loved one.  You know that death is inevitable for we are each growing older, however; you are still distressed because you do not want to give up the one you love.  “At present, feelings of vibrancy, joy, and peace are difficult for my family.  We pray for my father to have as much joy and serenity as possible under the circumstances, and as much faith as possible in a joy that is, in Dorothy Sayers’ words, deeper and more powerful than the grave.”  As my loved one slowly slips away from me in mind if not in body, I reflect on a future without her but know that she has already slipped away in reality.

We all have deep reflections on love, life and death but we do not all share them with the world.  That can be a good thing.  It is obvious that Mr. Taliaferro is very intelligent.  You cannot help but reflect on his thoughts long after reading his essays.  However, I did find it difficult to stay focused on some of the essays.

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