Jack’s Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis

Jack’s Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis
Douglas Gresham
Broadman & Holman Publishers
ISBN: 0-8054-3246-9
Non-Fiction, Biography
Reviewed by Mayra Calvani

For those interested in a light yet informative biography of famous Irish author C.S Lewis, this may well be the perfect book. Written by Lewis’ stepson, this is a piece of work that will delight not only young adults, but adults as well.
Gresham recounts Lewis’ life from birth to death with obvious love, care and admiration, creating a touching portrayal of the gifted man who invented such unforgettable children’s fantasy works such as The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
Lewis was a highly intelligent, funny, compassionate and courageous man who suffered all throughout his life and whose mind and health were deeply influenced by major painful episodes, especially by World War I, when, like many other English young men of his time, he fought in the trenches and saw many of his friends get killed. He keenly pondered the reason for so much pain in the world, and this showed in his writing.
The book is full of interesting information—how Lewis used walking for inspiration, his full transformation from Atheism to Christianity, his friendship with Tolkien and other famous authors, his education at Oxford, the “club” he created, called The Inklings, which came to be an elite group of gifted literary and philosophical minds. There are several other biographies about Lewis, but while those others concentrate mostly on Lewis’ work, this one concentrates on the man himself.
This particular edition comes with an exclusive author interview on DVD, the perfect complement to the book. Now that the motion picture of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is soon to be released for Christmas, this timely work will make a worthy, beautiful gift for Lewis’ fans. Highly recommended.