Playing in the Light: My Journey with the Art of Capoeira

"Wherever life takes you, Patrick, follow your bliss. Do what makes you happy and fulfilled. If you stay trueto yourself and chase your dreams, you can make them come true." These were weighty words for a seven-year-old, but Patrick Hilligan took them to heart and embarked on a lifelong quest for the extraordinaryLeaving rural Illinois he adventures through Roman ruins, life on an Israeli kibbutz, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Traveling across the globe Patrick encounters American bandits and a Mexican shaman, exults in Cinco de Mayo in Oaxaca and Carnaval in Bahia, and explores himself and the world. He finds his roots in Ireland, a doomed romance in Brazil, and his purpose in California.After a self-styled vision quest, Patrick devotes himself to learning capoeira, a 500-year-old Brazilian martial art rich in acrobatics, dance, music, and philosophy. It is through capoeira that he finds the purpose he so intensely pursued all his life and the way to make his dreams come true. Playing in the Light reveals how youthful ideals can come to fruition, and how one person can make a difference while rejecting complacency and corruption. It is a call to follow the deepest yearnings of the heart despite the challenges life brings, and to find true fulfillment.