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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When trying to express gratitude for a book on wonder, it’s tempting to begin with the budding memories of childhood, since the aptitude for wonder seems highly developed in this early stage, only to retreat and diminish in adult years. In some cases, under the pressures and routines of the mundane, it goes into hibernation. In my case, childhood was, indeed, the wonder years, a time of fascination and exploration, when everything around me pulsed with life and seemed so remarkably strange and peculiar. I can recall, in particular, the early fascination I had for books and learning and the equal attraction for matters related to the mysterious question of God. And I came to love the rhymes and rhythms of language, especially in literature, poetry, and music. Though my first attraction to poetry occurred through the words and beats of hip-hop (perhaps a subject for another book), I soon turned to the study of literature and religion at the University of Arizona, where my professors (especially Robert Burns, Robert Gimello, and Heiko A. Oberman) fed my insatiable curiosity. I am very grateful for their formative impact on my life.

Upon graduation, I made my way to the University of Chicago, a place that offered my hunger a great banquet of ideas. Bernard McGinn, Anne Carr, David Tracy, Friedrich Katz, Homi Bhabha, and Jean-Luc Marion, among many others, gave me a wealth of knowledge and a completely new set of questions to entertain and explore. This book would not have been written without their teaching and scholarship.

Beyond my teachers in the classroom, this book is a dialogue with numerous scholars that I cite throughout my study. Hopefully my debt to them is clear, but nevertheless I would like to single out a few of them. Edward Hirsch introduced me to the wonders of poetry in his numerous studies on the subject; Roberto González Echevarría was an engaging and excellent guide to the Baroque traditions in Spain and Latin America; Stephen Greenblatt’s work on the marvel of the New World is an obvious influence on this study; and the work of Rolena Adorno, Diana de Armas Wilson, Frederick de Armas, Walter Mignolo, Ilan Stavans, and Lois Parkinson Zamora each contributed significantly to my understanding of Latin American literary and cultural traditions. In theology, the list of influences and contributors to this study is long, but at the top is David Tracy, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Enrique Dussel, Roberto Goizueta, and Benjamin Valentin.

Richard Rodriguez read an early, abridged version one of my chapters, and I was delightfully surprised by the time and care that he put into reading my work and, of course, for the valuable suggestions he gave me, especially pertaining to the writing style. Thank you.

I had the benefit of some good, tough, anonymous readers who gave me fine suggestions and feedback for improving the manuscript. And, of course, my copyeditor, Nicholas Taylor, read the manuscript with great care and helped me clarify and refine it in many ways.

Numerous friends gave me much needed support throughout the entire, long process of writing this book and deserve thanks: Michael Ferguson and Jim and Mimi Dew for the rare and enduring friendship that we have shared; Rick Duran for his friendship and never-ending wealth of humor; Fr. Bill Dougherty for his wisdom and grace; Eileen Couch for her affection and kindness during my graduate school years in Chicago; and Annie Rhodes for her vitality, craziness, and sweetness.

I am also very grateful to my second family from Somalia. They have given me so many precious gifts that it would be hard to express my gratitude in a few words. What I can say is that I have been enriched for knowing them. And my relationship with them would not be what it is if not for two friends of mine—Isabel Shelton and Brooke Sabia. Thank you Miss Isabel and Miss Brooke for being a part of this family and a part of my life.

Of course, I cannot neglect mentioning my great family for all that they have done to shape my life and career. Beyond their unending love and support, my parents, Eduardo and Alicia, instilled a love of learning in me from the very beginning. My siblings, Andy and Mindy, have always been an important part of my life, and supported and encouraged me in everything I have done. My brother’s wife and kids, Bettina, Zeta, Bianca, and Paloma, have also given me the precious gifts of affection and joy and I am grateful that they entered our lives. Finally, my cousin, Robert Robinson, has been like a brother to me since our childhood, something that I cherish greatly and never take for granted.

I would like to dedicate this study to each one of the above names, but for the sake of this book, I would like to mention in particular my teachers, especially my undergraduate teacher, Robert A. Burns, and my graduate school adviser and friend, David Tracy.