Jack: A Life of CS Lewis

I love CS Lewis. He is one of my favorite authors and Christians in history. His impact on the Church is profound and many continue to be blessed by his writings. I have long wanted to read a biography on this great man, and I finally sat down and read one.

George Sayer, a close friend of Lewis, has written an excellent biography on this great man. Sayer brings an insight into the life of Lewis that only a close friend could. He starts from the beginning of his life, and concludes at his death. Through this book, the reader gets a very broad and exhaustive look at the major events and people in his life.

Sayer is a good writer and biographer. I found myself unable to put it down. My love for Lewis has only grown after reading Sayer's account of "Jack."

The story of Lewis is very interesting. He grew up in a Christian home, but later rejected it to the disappointment of his father. Eventually, through the influence of his close friends, like Tolkien, and others, eventually became a follower and defending of Christ. The author does a great job tracing his religious conversion and how it profoundly affected his life.

Sayer also traces his professional career. Lewis was an academic who worked at the university. There, he surrounded himself around very influential people and was encouraged to write some of his greatest writings. Lewis was well respected as a literary critic, and philosopher.

As the author goes through Lewis' life, he takes the time to evaluate many of his major writings, reveal the story behind them, and their impact. Sayer discusses more than just the Narnia series, Mere Christianity, and Screwtape Letters, but instead, he shows to what extent Lewis wrote and how much of an impact he made on many people.

There is one thing I did not like about this book. Though the book as a whole was very well written, the author spends time on some minute, boring details. At times, though rarely, Sayer spent an unneeded amount of time on things that he could have spent, or summarized in a page at the most. As a result, I would find myself wanting to skip those sections out of shere bordom. I enjoyed his detailed account of Lewis' life, but he would at times give so much detail on some things that weren't needed.

However, the book as a whole, was an excellent read. For anyone interested in the life of CS Lewis, I strongly encourage Sayer's book on the man. And while your at it, pick up one of Lewis' great books, and thank me later.