In this book Lewis tells of his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from the Christianity of his early youth into atheism and then back to Christianity. This book, together with his early diary All My Road Before Me, form the closest thing we have to an autobiography.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Literary marmite - you will love it or hate it.:
I love CS Lewis but this one was a bit problematic and he is fully aware it. I will explain shortly. 'Joy' is a semi-autobiography of Lewis' journey from faith to atheism and back. It traces his inner and outer journey from childhood to adulthood and the corresponding spiritual maturation. He uses his characteristic rationality and objectivity along with acute self-awareness to explain how God 'conspired' to reel him into the ranks of the faithful through books, mentors, self-indulgence, family and... more info
How Myth Became Fact for Lewis:
The subtitle of the book - "The Shape of My Early Life" - already indicates what this is about: the experiences that shaped Lewis' thinking in his childhood and early years as an adult, up to his conversion to Christianity. It is not meant to be a complete autobiography, but somewhat of a spiritual memoir. I recommend reading this book shortly before or after "The Pilgrim's Regress," which is an autobiographically inspired allegory of someone abandoning the Christianity of his youth, going on a journey... more info
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life:
If you like CS Lewis's work, it is worth knowing his history and this is a beginning to that.
For C.S. Lewis Devotees Only!:
I love most of what C.S. Lewis writes. I can read the Narnia series over and over, and I adore Till We Have Faces. I find him an incredible philosopher and a brilliant mind and a fantastic writer all 'round. This book is possibly the dullest thing I have ever forced myself to read. I wanted to like it; heaven knows it had interesting parts, fascinating things I had never thought of before. I found it valuable for understanding what themes that Lewis meant to convey in all of my favorite books.more info
