Based on some of the negative Audible reviews (the Amazon reviews were kinder and better informed, as per usual), I almost didn’t purchase this book, but after listening to Father Rohr’s previous book “Falling Upward” and being extremely impressed, I went ahead and downloaded “Immortal Diamond”. I’m so glad I did, as this book is every bit as good (though different) and could possibly be Rohr’s best work to date.
While not as focused as its predecessor, “Immortal Diamond” reads like the masterwork of a spiritual teacher at his peak. The main theme of the book is the nature of the true self, and here Rohr’s message is nothing short of luminous. A secondary theme critiques (to devastating effect) the church for being, well, the church, i.e. promoting outwardly-focused, tribal “Churchianity” as opposed to substantive, transformational Christianity.
As another reviewer observed, this book is best read/understood in the context of some of Rohr’s other writing, particularly his books on contemplation (“Everything Belongs” and “The Naked Now”) or his two most recent titles, “Breathing Underwater” and “Falling Upward”, both of which explore the process of inner transformation through Christian contemplative practice (the former from a 12 Step perspective and the latter based on Rohr’s brilliant “two halves of life” developmental model).
A word about the narration: while Kevin Pierce has a commanding voice and speaks with passion (almost to the point that he sounds in places like he could be the author himself), I found his delivery a bit too forceful at times. I also got annoyed with his many mispronounced words and names — he botches poor St. Irenaeus’s name repeatedly, as well as terms like Taize (tay-zay) that anyone reading this sort of material should know or acquaint themselves with. (This is a common problem with a lot of non-author narration, I’ve noticed lately.)