March 11

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

By C. S. Lewis

Lewis, possibly best known for his Narnia series, was actually a prominent scholar of literature at Oxford University, and later at Cambridge.  In this autobiography, he shares how he came to believe in Jesus, providing interesting insights into his upbringing and education.  Born in Northern Ireland in 1898, Lewis lost his beloved mother at age 10.  His father was largely absent and Clive became very close to his brother Warren.  He served in World War I, which was a time of disillusionment, Lewis was extremely erudite (most of the works he quotes are unknown to me) and he read all kinds of literature, especially works in Greek, Latin, and French.  He rejected belief in Jesus for years before finally seeing Christ was the only way to salvation.  He talks about the people and works who influenced him along the way.