Lewis's early life and his intellectual journey

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	• Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life C.S. Lewis Harcourt, 1995 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 65 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Lewis's early life and his intellectual journey

"Surprised by joy--impatient as the wind" is the Wordsworth quote that Lewis chose for the title page. The whole book is about what Lewis calls "joy" or "sehnsucht," which is a German word which very roughly translates to "longing." This use of the word "joy" is confusing because he is not referring to a satisfaction; when Lewis uses the word "joy," he is referring to a desire that is itself better than any satisfaction. It is pleasurable yet painful, and Lewis says that we prefer this pain to any other pleasure. (If this is confusing, you need to read the book.) Lewis writes about this desire in many of his books (e.g., "The Weight of Glory" and the preface to "Pilgrim's Regress"), and if you are like me and are very intrigued by this desire, "Surprised by Joy" is a must read.

The book spends the first twelve chapters building up to the last three. Lewis's life as a child, a boy, and a young man are covered in the first 12 or so chapters. It is clear the Lewis and his brother Warnie were thick as thieves, and there are some funny and charming stories about their days as kids. There is a lot of time spent on Lewis's school days; he had some real characters for teachers.

In the book, Lewis always comes back around to explaining the evolution of his thought; he never strays too far from that. Basically, the reader rides the wave of Lewis's intellectual maturing process. The last three chapters are totally focused on how the dam finally broke on his long-standing atheism, how he turned to philosophical Idealism, then Theism, and then Christianity. The great thing about the book is that by the time the reader reaches the last three chapters he knows exactly why Lewis is an atheist; and then, in reading those last three chapters, the reader clearly understands how Lewis slowly and reluctantly becomes a Christian.

It is a beautifully written book. In fact, I have read it a few times; and I discovered things on the second reading that I somehow missed during the first. That's the sign of a great book--that it grows as you grow.

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A worthwile book

This book is a fantastic read. I greatly enjoyed Lewis's thought provoking journey to the Christian faith. Not only does it include autobiographical information, it brings the reader to examine himself in a way that only cs lewis can. If you are interested in CS Lewis and his life, or simply wish to be challenged- read this book.

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Intellectual Anecdotes

C.S.Lewis always amazes me with his wonderful use of language. His open storytelling is filled with great wisdom and fun. You will learn much about Lewis's development through childhood and through his conversion. An excellent read!

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Pleasant and suprising at the end

C.S. Lewis writes about his upbringing, his relationship with his father and brother, his schooling, and quite extensively comments on his passion for reading and absorbing more and more literature as his life unfolds. It isn't until the far latter portion of the book that the movement toward a belief in theism, and then quickly to Christianity, that his spiritual beliefs are explained in detail. But when it is - it is a refreshing read to those of us who are patient enough and curious enough to see how his position unfolds. Vocabulary on the more difficult side - I used a dictionary from time to time to attain better understanding.

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A Delightful Read

CS Lewis is a master wordsmith as a reading of this book will show. The way he puts together his words is delightful and impressive. However, the main merits of this book are not its tone or style but its content. This is CS Lewis' autobiography, yet it's not a proper autobiography. Most autobiographies follow a "I did this, then I did this" format. Lewis, on the other hand, tells the story of his life but in a pointed manner. His life is told with the perspective of his search for "joy" (later, for truth and his theology) always at the forefront. Lewis' transition from atheist to christian is told in a gentle manner, really in the way, it seems, it happened in real life--without much hype; simply through reasoning, thinking, and dialoguing with colleagues and friends. I give it a 4 out of 5 rating only because I would have liked more time spent on the thinking behind his conversion.

A challenging and exciting read for Christians and non-christians everywhere.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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