I will freely admit that I am not fond of Mary Roach’s Spook.  The book is just too unfocused and rather pointless in my mind.  But my biggest problem with the book is the ending.  The book ends with Roach having found no proof for the existence of an afterlife, but she then states that she believes in ghosts anyway.  This ending, in my mind, betrayed the entire concept of the book, and ruined what little enjoyment I got out of the book.

            So I was very interested in the Convocation starring Mary Roach.  I though this show would give me a better understanding of this frustrating book; and maybe I could appreciate it a bit more.  I had a number of predictions heading into the auditorium. I thought it would be a little weird, somewhat funny, and would answer the question of Roach’s beliefs.  Only one of those predictions actually came true.

I guess I should talk about the theater itself.  The very high seating of the auditorium made getting a good view very easy.  The place was packed full of people; in fact, I’m pretty sure they ran out of room.  The audio system was working so that everyone could hear Roach just fine.  I did question why they needed to turn a lot of the lights off.  It wasn’t a video being shown so there wasn’t a need to dim the lights.  I noticed some people trying to take notes, and I imagine the low lights were very frustrating for them.

Mary Roach herself was exactly what I expected her to be.  She was energetic, snarky, and unapologetically herself.  The Convocation wasn’t a little weird, it was full on bizarre.  I specifically remember a brief talk about Hyena birth methods that came up somehow.  It wasn’t a little funny; it was hilarious!  I laughed out load several times during the Convocation; I can’t really give any better proof that this show was funny.

The prediction I had that came true was that I did get my answers on Mary Roach’s beliefs.  Mary Roach does not necessarily believe in ghosts, but she does believe that there are things we cannot explain.  She believes in curiosity, in never ceasing the search for knowledge.  She believes an answer does exist, and Spook is just a part of her search for it.

The Convocation did not change my distaste for Spook, but I am able to see it, and Roach herself, in a more positive light.