Main Content
About Barbara
I’m Barbara Falconer Newhall and I’ve got a serious case of the human condition.
I’ve done it all: career, family, house, garden, and a prize-winning book, "Wrestling with God." The result: I'm a woman of years, lots of them, who can't help seeing things from the funny side.
Tucked away on this website are hundreds of riffs on life. I hope you’ll seek them out – and keep me company as I discover the humor, if not the meaning, in what life throws my way. Learn More
THE LATEST
Sheltering at Home Revisited: The Virus Arrives
By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment
Sheltering at home revisited: The virus arrives, the shutdowns go into effect, and we find out how much our “mere” acquaintances mean to us. Read more.
New! Get Barbara’s Special Gift
Wondering how that kid of yours will turn out?
Take heart. They might surprise you. My daughter did!
I tell that story in this free Special Edition, Was our daughter headed for the dark side?
To get your copy of this free downloadable PDF, enter your email below – and check your Inbox. Enjoy!
[convertkit form=1739409]
Recent Riffs on Life
Widowed: The One Good Thing About Grief
By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment
The one good thing about grief is — there’s not a darned thing you can do about it. Someone has died, and that’s that. Read more.
A Leap Year Leap: She Asked. He Said Yes.
By Barbara Falconer Newhall 14 Comments
Widowed: Jon and I had been dating for several years. No marriage proposal was coming my way. But a Leap Day was. Read more.
BARBARA’S BOOK
★ Publishers Weekly, starred review
Any seeker of any faith will be blessed to read the words of this fine author and observer. Read more.
An inveterate doubter for most of her adult life, journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall embarks upon a quest to find a way to believe in God in the twenty-first century.
The result is Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith, which details her search for the Divine in the lives of diverse Americans – from a fundamentalist Christian to a progressive Muslim to a Buddhist monk.Seekers of all persuasions will feel represented here, from priests, ministers, and rabbis to engineers, physicists, and avowed non-believers . . . a riverflow of a book. — Phil Cousineau, host of PBS’s Global Spirit
DON’T MISS!
Now’s Your Chance to Let Your Roots Grow Out. I Did It. Here’s Why — Sheltering at Home Week 4
By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment
Let your roots grow out? Not an easy decision. But I was home sick with mono, too sick to go to the hairdresser. Now I love my glamorous new look. Read more.
Grievance and Outrage — Good in Small Doses
By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments
Grievance and outrage have soured American discourse, public and private, for the past five years. And, yes, I find that outrageous. Read more.
Mad Men Exposes the ’60s Girdle — But Will She Get It Off in Time?
By Barbara Falconer Newhall 9 Comments
You can’t fool me. I know a girdle when I see one. A stewardess on Mad Men did a strip tease — but how was she going to get that girdle off without turning hot sex into farce? Read more.