Our summer book club read is "Surprised by Joy: the shape of my early life by C.S. Lewis". More than a simple autobiography, Lewis, who is one of them most widely-read Christian writers of the 20th century, writes subjectively about the influences of his childhood and his spiritual journey from Atheism to Christianity.
At the end of the summer, we will gather to consider the book and watch the recent biopic - "The Most Reluctant Convert", based on this book.
From the movie summary: "An elder C.S. Lewis looks back on his remarkable journey from hard-boiled atheist to the most renowned Christian writer of the past century...Beautifully filmed in and around Oxford this engaging biopic follows the creator of The Chronicles of Narnia from the tragic death of his mother when he was just nine years old, through his strained relationship with his father, to the nightmare of the trenches of World War I to Oxford University, where friends like J.R.R. Tolkien challenge his unbelief."
The focus of the book is his conversion. Candidly, as he notes in the book's introduction, "I have tried so to write the first chapter so that those who cannot bear such a story will see at once what they are in for and close the book with the least waste of time."
That said, I encourage you to give the book a try. Originally published in 1955, the movie has generated reprints and there are copies available through the local library system. Regardless, book read or not, everyone is invited to come to watch the movie.
Join us on Thursday, August 22nd at 5 pm for a light supper, movie and snacks.
