On the evening of 18 February a couple of dozen people came in the freezing rain to attend the first book presentation of Soft Brushes with Death, by Trudi Lee Richards, in the little town of Davis, California, USA, at its Avid Reader bookstore.
*“They came in response to a spontaneous spreading of the word by various friends, as well as an article in the local newspaper, which a neighbors clipped and put up on the bulletin board near the mailboxes where I live,”* says Ms Richards. *“There was also a note urging people to come to the reading.”
“Most of the people who came knew Jorge, but few of them knew our work,”* continued Richards,* “so it was a very interesting opportunity to spread awareness of Silo’s Message and the Humanist Movement. The most wonderful thing was that after her reading and after people had asked questions, everyone just sat there, looking benignly at the author – no one wanted to move or leave. When this happened it reminded me of the way it feels after our ceremonies. I was very moved and grateful.”*
Richards is part of an interest group, Davis Community of Silo’s Message, in the town. The local newspaper, Davis Enterprise, ran a report on the book launch as follows:
‘The book features the true story of Richards’ husband, Jorge Espinet, who was imprisoned after he discovered the teachings of the Humanist writer Silo in 1970s Argentina. It tells of his escapes from torture and execution, his reconciliation with his would-be torturers, his subsequent exile to the United States, his return to his homeland with the World March for Peace and Nonviolence in 2009, and his death in Argentina.
Richards is a writer and community builder who lives in Davis and Red Bluff. She and Espinet moved to Davis in 2006, where they were active in the local community until his death in late 2009.
Espinet came to California as a refugee in 1978, having escaped torture and execution under the Argentine military dictatorship for attending a birthday party. This was a time when gatherings of more than three people were forbidden, and the party was particularly suspect because the participants were young pacifists from the Siloist movement.
After arriving in the United States, Espinet continued working with other exiled Siloists from Argentina and Chile in the Universal Humanist movement. He met Trudi at one of their gatherings in 1986, and they spent 25 years together, working and raising their five children, living in San Francisco, Argentina and finally Davis.
During those years they devoted their spare time to spreading awareness of Silo’s message, espousing nonviolence, compassion, and great hope far the future, in the tradition of Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi.
For more information on the Silo movement, visit http://www.silo.net.
In 2009, Espinet was diagnosed with terminal hang cancer. Nevertheless, he stayed active till his last moment, traveling to Argentina to participate in the culmination of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence at the foot of Mount Aconcagua. He died in the nearby city of Mendoza on New Year’s Eve.
Richards has retold his stories in her small volume. For information, visit: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/soft-brushes-with-death/14261507.’
