• Saint Francis (Christian Encounters Series) © 2010
• Thomas Nelson
• 233

In Saint Francis, West successfully made life and times of a thirteenth-century saint come alive.

I chose to review this book because I didn’t know much about Francis other than a few folktales and the hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King”. It turns out there’s a lot more to Francis than a madman singing to the birds. He walked across battle lines during one of the crusades and tried to convert the Sultan. He took the pope’s derogatory remark to go and roll in pig filth literally and still managed to secure a second audience. Even aside from the miracles—communication with animals, stigmata, etc.—Francis lived a remarkable life.

There were times in the biography where West clearly added circumstantial details to make Francis’ life more vivid. You often read statements like, “It does not take much of a leap to envision Francis and his Sons of Babylon fighting rival gangs” (31), or, “The local priest may have known about the chamber and used the area to store foodstuffs” (71). This is due to the paucity of historic data West had to work with.

This is a fine introduction to the life of a remarkable God-touched saint.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program.

• The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: Travels Through My Childhood © 2006
• Black Swan © 2007
• 403 pages

This book chronicles the early years of The Thunderbolt Kid: Bryson’s childhood alter-ego who terrorized anyone who annoyed him. It’s Bryson at his absolute finest. Even though his childhood happened in the 50s, I had no problem identifying with his experience.

Bryson is laugh-out-loud funny. I don’t mean that in the watered-down LOL variety, either. I actually laughed out loud a number of times. (It made it difficult to read in bed while my wife was trying to sleep.)

Some of his other books suffered from too much filler, not enough killer. Fortunately, that was not the case here. Although the volume’s 400 pages, the font-size is relatively large. This is a compelling joy-ride through 1950s Americana. Every chapter is a gem.

• J.S. Bach –2 vols– © 1905 (French), 1908 (German), 1911 (English)
• Adam & Charles Black
• 428+498 = 926 pages

If you have some classical music training and a serious love for Bach, then this book’s for you. I was surprised by this work. Before spotting it on the shelf of a second hand bookstore in Gravenhurst, Ontario, I had no idea that Mr. Quest-for-the-Historical-Jesus himself had written about Bach.

I was even more surprised by the depth. Schweitzer begins with Bach’s ancestors and doesn’t stop until he’s analyzed Bach’s entire corpus in detail. I loved how the pages are rife with staves that illustrate the various motives Schweitzer explains.

Schweitzer’s critical at times, but respectful. Any artist a quarter as prolific as Bach is bound to write the odd stinker. Schweitzer praises Bach’s genius and criticizes his lackluster efforts with an honest ear. The author’s spirituality also plays an understated-yet-positive role in the book. You can tell that Schweitzer respects the religious milieu of the subject he’s writing about.

This work is meaty, with just under 1000 pages of detail. If you’re up for the challenge, the payoff’s great.

• Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation © 1983
• HarperSanFrancisco: HarperCollinsPublishers © 1991
• 112 pages

This is an important book. I expected an autobiography of Buechner’s life from when he decided to enter Union Theological Seminary until 1983. I received far more.

This book is holy. It will not satisfy the intellectual curiosity of a Buechner reader—it speaks to the core of the human experience. With a heart sensitive to the Spirit, and a master’s command of language, Buechner transforms thoughts about his own life into universal truth. There was one point in the book when he shifted gears and spoke more directly to the reader. It almost knocked me off my chair:

Listen to your life.

All moments are key moments.

Buechner’s honesty also struck home. Hear his reflections on prayer:

I was less a man praying than a man being a man praying, and no clear answer came, none that I could hear anyway, . . .

Who hasn’t felt like that?

This is the first thing I’ve read by Buechner. I providentially stumbled across this slim volume in a secondhand bookstore in Nashville, with the inside of the front cover marked: $19.95 $9.99 $6.00.

All moments are key moments.

• Pursued By God: The Amazing Life and Lasting Infuence of John Calvin © 2009
• Faith Alive Christian Resources
• 147 pages

I’ve loved Calvin ever since I read his section on prayer in the Institutes. There are a lot of brilliant theologians scattered throughout history, but Calvin has a passion and piety that set him apart. That’s why I thoroughly enjoyed reading this brief sketch of his life.

While it’s clear that Meehan also loves Calvin, he didn’t shy away from flaws: his angry temperament and his participation in the trial and subsequent burning of Servetus. Calvin was a man of his time.

He was also a man who was instrumental in shifting people’s understanding of God and religion. (That might be the biggest understatement I’ve ever written!) Meehan demonstrates the providence of God in Calvin’s life, whether it was being kicked out of Geneva or selecting a wife to differentiate himself from the Roman Priests.

On a practical note, the writing is a little sparse. It often reads more like an encyclopedia entry than the narrative of a man’s life. I also thought the last chapter on Calvin’s lasting influence was a little piecemeal. That said, if you love Calvin and want a quick overview of his life then this book’s for you.

Thanks to Koop & Janny Mulder for this thoughtful Christmas gift.

• Isaac Newton (Christian Encounters Series) © 2010
• Thomas Nelson
• 183 pages

Thomas Nelson Publishers has just introduced a series of biographies entitled, “Christian Encounters”. I just finished reading Mitch Stokes’ work on the life of Isaac Newton. While I cannot yet speak for the other books in the series, this volume is a resounding success. Stokes relates the life of Newton in a concise manner that is neither simplistic nor overly complex.

The pacing of the work is great. You will read about all the major events of Newton’s life—not just the famous ones. It’s inspiring to see how his life unfolded. The man who barely escaped the farm became the author of one of the greatest scientific books of all time (Principia). The man who craved solitude ended up managing a workforce charged with replacing the currency of a nation.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the lack of sermonizing. I’m a pastor, but the last thing I wanted to read was a biography that tried to force this historic figure into modern Christianity modes of thought. Newton was clearly a believer, but unlike much of modern Christendom, he didn’t confine his faith to a religious sphere.

Whether you’re a Christian or not, this work is an excellent brief introduction to a remarkable man.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program.

• Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life © 2008
• Tyndale House
• 233 pages

People can change—Saada is living proof. Once an Arafat Man is the story of how Tass Saada was transformed from a violent hate-filled PLO sniper to a humanitarian committed to the peaceful reconciliation of the Jewish and Palestinian people. This is a story about the life-altering power of God in action.

You might expect someone with such a sensational background to play up the details for a more sensational narrative. Fortunately, Saada resisted this temptation. He wrote about his forgiven past with humility and honesty.

The last two chapters shift focus from biography to a “Road Map to Reconciliation”. While I could point out a few minor theological quibbles, I was overwhelmingly impressed with his perspective. He eschewed political master-plans to focus on the heart. In the end, land is of secondary importance:

To his Jewish audiences: “A soul is worth more than land. To bring a single Palestinian soul to Jesus is more important than hanging onto acerage.”

To his Arab audiences: “So far, most Jews are not finding their true Messiah. For us to bring them in that direction is worth far more in God’s eyes than proving our point abou the land.”

We can all benefit from that insight.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided for free by Tyndale Publishing House.

• Hector Berlioz © 1967
• The MacMillan Company
• 168 pages

Seroff’s written an excellent biography of a very important Romantic composer. It’s the perfect length to learn enough about his life to make you feel like you understand him—while not growing bored by the minutiae that clogs many biographies.

I’ve loved Symphonie fantastique for quite a while. It’s one of those orchestral pieces that simply cannot function as background music: the fifth movement in particular demands your attention. Seroff does an excellent job at explaining how the idée fixe in that symphony is really the idée fixe of Berlioz’s entire life.

Concise, interesting, and strangely moving: this is a biography worth scouring your second hand bookstore for!

• Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession © 2008
• Alfred A. Knopf
• 245 pages

What does it take for an atheist who authored the famous Vampire novels to return to the faith of her childhood—and to live out that faith in her publishing commitments? Nothing but the love of Jesus.

This book will move you. There’s an honest simplicity to it that many spiritual works lack. In her words:

If this path to God is an illusion, then the story is worthless. If the path is real, then we have something here that may matter to you as well as to me.