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Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

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"A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere . . . God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous."

This book is not an autobiography. It is not a confession. It is, however, certainly one of the most beautiful and insightful accounts of a person coming to faith. Here, C.S. Lewis takes us from his childhood in Belfast through the loss of his mother, to boarding school and a youthful atheism in England, to the trenches of World War I, and then to Oxford, where he studied, read, and, ultimately, reasoned his way back to God. It is perhaps this aspect of Surprised by Joy that we—believers and nonbelievers—find most compelling and meaningful; Lewis was searching for joy, for an elusive and momentary sensation of glorious yearning, but he found it, and spiritual life, through the use of reason.

In this highly personal, thoughtful, intelligent memoir, Lewis guides us toward joy and toward the surprise that awaits anyone who seeks a life beyond the expected.

"Lewis tempered his logic with a love for beauty, wonder, and magic . . . He speaks to us with all the power and life-changing force of a Plato, a Dante, and a Bunyan."—Christianity Today

"The tension of these final chapters holds the interest like the close of a thriller."—Times Literary Supplement

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Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

248

Publisher

United States of America : Harcourt., 1955

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9780156870115

Classification

248

Content Type

text

Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

1

Subject(s)

Christian Practice & Observance
English and Old English Literature
Religion & Spirituality
Nonfiction
Christian Experience, Practice, Life
Biography & Memoir
General Nonfiction
Religious Experience

Specific Detail Info

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