Customer Reviews

C. S. Lewis: A Life

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White, Michael. 2004. C.S. Lewis: A Life. NY: Carroll & Graf.

One might wonder how the author, an atheist, would treat Lewis, once an atheist as well, but known by his writings as a foremost Christian apologist, author of the Narnia series, science fiction, scholarly studies, and other works. White generally treats Lewis with respect and clarity, although he consistently debunks any saintly attributes that Christians may hold of him. White is, for example, intrigued with the complex relationship of Lewis to his father and brother (Warnie), as well as with Mrs. Moore (whom he took responsibility for after her son was killed in war) and Arthur Greeves (a lifelong friend who was a homosexual), and embeds them throughout the biography. He ably discusses Lewis' scholarship and friendship with his male literary friends, the Inklings, especially focusing on the ensuing social distance between Tolkien (whom White has also written a book about) and Lewis. White is biased--for example, he describes Wheaton college as consisting of conservative Christians, classified as bigoted, hard-hearted and old-fashion. He wonders how such people can "morph" Lewis, who drank, smoked and told bawdy jokes, into the esteemed evangelical he is recognized as today. In a usually good review of the life of Lewis, discrepancies and biases of this sort turn up. Nevertheless, I would commend Lewis followers to read the book, if only because it presents him in a more negative and human light than other biographies.

Skip this one. Michael White's biography of C.S. Lewis is riddled with groundless guesswork in place of innovative research or thoughtful interpretation. In describing Lewis's early life,for example, he refers to Lewis's "overactive imagination," and comments that Lewis listened to "pointless, meaningless" sermons when he was taken to church as a boy. On what, exactly, does he base such conclusions? These are the sorts of unverified, opinionated comments that even a freshman English student would be expected to avoid in his research, and they are peppered throughout the book. Further, the prose itself is colorless. One wonders at the sheer lack of vocabulary. The book offers nothing that might flesh out the intellectual context of Lewis's best known works. This biography is a waste of time.