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Canadian Barbara Douglass has created a collection of short essays based around a central theme: Most of us wear what she terms the "invisible burqa"—the black robe that some Muslim women wear to shield their appearance from the world) or some belief system or hidebound opinion that shrouds us from viewing life as a whole and mapping out our path in life without regard to old rules and traditions. Her chapter headings present these worn-out ideas: You Must Never Lose Emotional Control, You Must Have Children, and You Must Never Question Beliefs from Childhood. In each essay, she presents a moral rule that she and many of us grew up with, and shows how it can be destructive of living honestly and freely. The message from start to finish is: try to maintain your inner and outer honesty, and behave lovingly towards your family, friends, and neighbors. Though easier said than done, she does offer some real-life examples to underpin her advice, basing it on the possible, not the unattainable ideal.
Her writing style is appealing and seems to be the result of a long period of thoughtful consideration. Urging personal control instead of "slavishly following" the norm is not a new idea but Douglass gives it a fresh twist with her light sense of humor and wide range of examples. Her book is somewhat geared towards Canadian mores, so that readers in the US may find it a bit tame at times. But the essential truths are cross-cultural and worth adapting. The image of the invisible burqa is a powerful one, so Douglass' book will probably draw in curious readers who will find it engaging. It could be picked up as a study tool for spiritually minded folks bent on self-improvement.