Review by Booklist Review
C. S. Lewis, celebrated scholar, revered Christian apologist, and beloved author of the classic Narnia books has been the subject of seemingly countless biographies. What few of them have done, however, is to devote much attention to Lewis' childhood and adolescence. Poe redresses that oversight in this examination of Lewis' life from birth in 1898 to age 20 in 1918. The portrait he paints is of a brilliant but lonely child, whose only friend was his older brother, Warnie. These circumstances did not improve when he was sent off to a school in which he was reviled as a boy who was not good at sports and who was Irish in an English environment. His life changed when he left school to be educated privately by a tutor. Then, many of the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that would shape his adult life were formed, although, surprisingly, as a youth he was an atheist. Poe's carefully researched and illuminating book does an excellent job of filling a gap in Lewis studies.--Michael Cart Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Poe (The Gospel and Its Meaning), professor of faith and culture at Union University, chronicles C.S. Lewis's first 20 years in this meticulous biography, the first in a planned trilogy. It is the death of Lewis's mother, when he was nine years old, that Poe asserts caused Lewis (1898--1963) to ponder life's big questions and the problem of suffering. Poe closely examines Lewis's education, starting with two years at Wynyard School in England--a miserable place known for beating its students--then short stints at other schools, before, at age 14, studying under William Kirkpatrick, who influenced Lewis's atheist beliefs (Lewis's conversion to Christianity didn't occur until his 30s). Because of a genetic defect with his thumbs, Lewis was clumsy and others bullied him for being bad at sports and activities. He didn't have any friends until age 16, when he met fellow student Arthur Greeves, whom Lewis began to open up to. Much of Lewis's personal life (including details of his sexual desires) has been pieced together by Poe through his letters to Greeves. As Lewis's knowledge of literature grew, and as he immersed himself in Norse mythology, fantasy, and epic poetry, readers can see how his ideas for his books began to form. This excellent work will have readers eagerly anticipating the next volume. (Nov.)
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