C.S. Lewis Master Storyteller - Book Review

I am just beginning to truly fall in love with C.S. Lewis.  As I delve into his works, I decided to also delve into the man.  Like with George Mueller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I turned to the Benge series, Christian Heroes: Then & Now, to introduce me. 

The Benge series of Christian Hero books have become a staple in our home.  Laura will be reading about Lillian   Trasher next year. 

I enjoyed learning about C.S. Lewis. No knew some facts about him.  I knew he had been an atheist that became a Christian.  I didn't know how deep his struggle, or that J.R.R. Tolkien and others contributed to helping to open C.S. Lewis' eyes to God.  I think I would have been insulted if someone told me that I lacked imagination, and that lack was keeping me from belief in God, as J.R.R. Tolkien told his friend, C.S. Lewis. And yet, the point impacted me in a profound way.  

So many times we are moved by unrealistic fantasies.  We can believe in the force in Star Wars, Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings, and even witchcraft in Harry Potter.  As a child, I could believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.  We may see that all as pretend when we grow into adulthood, but we still flock to the movies that take us into another world.  What if those fantasies of different world and epic battles are simply God-given yearnings placed inside of us for Jesus and Heaven, which isn't fantasy? What if learning some fantasy gives us a glimpse of what is real, but not seen on Earth and in these mortal bodies?

I liked how simply and matter-of-fact C.S. Lewis was about going from unbelief to belief in Jesus. A motorcycle ride to the zoo opened his eyes.  God can do amazing things when a heart is ready and a soul yearns for answers.

I am getting ready to dive into many of C.S. Lewis' works, including the Chronicles of Narnia, which I plan to read aloud to my youngest daughter.  I felt that reading about C.S. Lewis before I began would help me understand a little more deeply about his writing. 

I caught a glimpse of a very intelligent man that was quite creative.  Even as a boy he was full of stories and characters and other lands.  He was drawn to writing them out, even as a child.  Reading how he, with his brother, dug a hole in the ground to search for gold at the end of the rainbow was humorous. When his father tripped in the hole, and punished the boys, I was saddened a little.  Try as he might to explain, C.S. Lewis could not get his father to understand.  I wonder is he felt lonely with that creative world in his head that many others didn't understand?

I am sure there are many other more in-depth biographies about C.S. Lewis. I trust the Cheistian Hero series, and... I already own the book.  My older daughters will be reading it for history soon. I recommend this book, as I do any of the Christian Hero books written by Janet and Geoff Benge.