Evidence of Angels - Suza Scalora & Francesca Lia Block

Yet another guest review from Daniel Nighting, father of the cutest little baby girl (till my own is born, of course) on the West Coast.

Summary: Evidence of Angels, a beautiful and colorful photographic journey into the world of the angels who exist just beyond our vision, began with the questions: "Do angels exist? Or are we alone? What happens after we die and leave this earth?" From there, Suza Scalora, bestselling author of Fairies, began a project, hanging her photographs of angels throughout New York City, on walls and lampposts and fences, along with her email address. Three days later her first letter arrived. Evidence of Angels . . . captures onto each page the responses to those photographs and the world of unseen guardians who offer hope and comfort in times of need--beginning with Suza's reflections in the wake of a loved one's death--and explores her feelings of hopelessness after suffering such a profound loss. (Summary and image from Vision On)

My Review: For those of you who didn't get your fill of sticky-sweet confections over the holidays, Evidence of Angels is certain to speak to your cravings. The "photographs" of the angels, as well as the text, are suffused with a delicate, hazy light that suggests that everything is going to be ok. But like the holiday season's sugarplums, this book is short on substance--which is perhaps to be expected, dealing as it does with things angelic and ephemeral.

I suspect that consumers of this book fall into two camps. The first consists of those who already believe--or want to believe--in the sort of nondenominational, benevolent beings of spiritual energy that Scalora and co-author Francesca Lia Block describe. For these readers, this book is a beautiful, heartfelt affirmation that we are never alone--that the universe is teeming with beauty and love, if we can just open our hearts and eyes and let go of fear and doubt.

The second camp consists of everyone else. These readers, while appreciating the message, may find the artwork more blurry than ethereal, the angels' teachings more trite than touching, and may perhaps feel nostalgia for the grand, vengeful, uncompromising angels of the Apocrypha.

My Rating: 3, plus or minus 1 depending on whether heartwarming messages of hope delivered by glowing metaphysical messengers are your thing.

Sum it up: A sugarcoated dessert composed of equal parts Sylvia Brown and Photoshop. Enjoy after a hearty meal of Edgar Cayce, and don't forget to floss.