Notes and Essays by David Rodeback

If it’s not fiction, it’s a note or an essay, and this is the place. Choose a recent post, scross down to choose a category, or scroll further for a much longer list of posts — er, notes and essays. Thanks for reading!

Most Recent Notes & Essays

Bookstore Memories

I like to listen to people in bookstores. I’ve overheard one sort of conversation many times, especially at used bookstores. The child in it can be a first-grader or a teen, and it goes about the same. read this now
Reading Aloud Is for Adults Too

The benefits of reading aloud for youth and adults get far less attention, but they’re real. I don’t mean just reading a witty or scandalous social media post or a short excerpt of an article. I mean reading entire essays, stories, even books aloud. read this now
In Which I Read My Fiction Aloud for World Read Aloud Day 2025

Today is World Read Aloud Day — or WRAD, because the world needs more acronyms. In celebration, I read some of my fiction aloud, so you can listen. read this now

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All the Notes & Essays

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About Me

Not all my notes and essays are about faith, religion, or scripture. Not even remotely. But when they are, it’s relevant that I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I won’t complain if you use the nickname Mormon. By my definition (not everyone’s) I’m a Christian. Whatever you call yourself, you’re welcome here. I write to explain and inspire, if I can; to discuss and explore — not to proselyte.

My religious writings are sometimes apologetic, in the sense of reasoned argument justifying or defending my faith by explaining it. But I make no apologies (in the conventional sense) for having faith, for having a faith, or for presuming to discuss and ponder.

While we’re on the subject, James said, “Faith without works is dead.” I’ll buy that. Here are some other postulates:

Faith without brain cells is mostly dead, too, but probably doesn’t know it.
Yesterday’s faith is of little use today.
Faith and action are not contradictory concepts.
Thinking and believing are not mutually hostile activities. They are the most natural and necessary partners in the universe.
Sometimes Latter-day Saints (Mormons) need to be translated, before what they do or say makes much sense to other people, even other believers. I do some of that here.

Favorite Links

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Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I am in no way or degree an official spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or its leaders. They don’t tell me what to write. They don’t tell me what not to write. I’ll take credit for any errors here. If you find any truth here and care to give proper credit, please aim it far, far above my pay grade, where it belongs.

From the Author

Comments are always welcome, within the bounds of common civility and relevance. There’s a place for them below.

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And if you’re interested in my published fiction, which mostly isn’t about politics, check out my two published collections at 60 East Press.

David Rodeback - published fiction books

Most Recent Notes & Essays

Bookstore Memories

Reading Aloud Is for Adults Too

In Which I Read My Fiction Aloud for World Read Aloud Day 2025