The broadcaster and ordained Spiritual Director Ralph Benmergui discusses his new memoir I Thought He Was Dead: A Spiritual Memoir (Wolsak & Wynn, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

I Thought I Was Dead: A Spiritual Memoir by Ralph Benmergui (Wolsak & Wynn, 2021). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: I Thought I Was Dead

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Ralph Benmergui joins me again. The acclaimed broadcaster has written a new book, I Thought He Was Dead: A Spiritual Memoir. The book opens as Mr. Benmergui, on his way to radio station Jazz FM, where he hosted the morning dive program, discovers he’s not well and hours away from a deadly heart attack. Almost in an instant his life changes, physically and spiritually. He narrates his health journey from stents being installed in his arteries to two bouts of cancer. He realises how our society imposes stereotypes on aging, and the elderly, and in the course of this book, he demonstrates the value in growing older, and the benefit of having elders in our midst who have purpose. The book is also a look at Ralph’s own remarkable life, the son of Moroccan immigrants, early years in music and in comedy, to his storied career on CBC Radio and Television. Today, he is an ordained Spiritual Director. I’ll ask him about what he calls soul-work, life, death, spirituality, as well as forgiveness. @ralphbenmergui is the Twitter handle. This new book is published by Wolsak & Wynn. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ralph Benmergui; Mr. Benmergui, good morning.

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