A Life With Purpose: The Story of the Man Behind The Purpose-Driven Life [Hardcover]

George Mair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Now, acclaimed biographer George Mair provides a rare, personal look at the private man behind the powerful teachings. This inspiring biography reveals what prompted Warren to start preaching, the motivation behind The Purpose-Driven Life, and how he overcame serious obstacles to achieve success in every aspect of his life-from his work, to his marriage, to his visionary mission. For the first time, A Life with Purpose tells the story of the unassuming man who has dedicated himself to changing the world, one soul at a time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It's not about you." That is the now-famous depersonalization that opens Rick Warren's self-help guide The Purpose-Driven Life. Unfortunately, they are apparently words that his biographer took to heart, because despite its promising subtitle, this portrait tells readers almost nothing about the man behind the bestseller. Mair spends most of the book superficially exploring the phenomenon of megachurches and introducing some of Warren's role models for ministry. What information he does give us about Warren's life is sparse and blandly hagiographic: the son of energetic, saintly California church planters, Warren appears to have realized his pastoral calling early on. Because he's depicted as both pious and entrepreneurial from childhood, readers don't get to see him grow or evolve as a leader. Moreover, the book says almost nothing about his family life—for example, Mair tells us that when Saddleback Church was founded, the Warrens had an infant daughter, but she's never named or even mentioned again—nor is the fact that the Warrens went on to have two more children. If these perfectly basic elements to include in a life story are missing, it goes without saying that Mair also reveals no conflict, no difficult struggles and no rough edges to Warren's personality that could make him a real person instead of the smiling, guitar-playing, Hawaiian shirt–wearing cardboard cutout depicted here. (Mar.)
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About the Author

George Mair is the author of numerous books, including nine celebrity biographies. His book House Broken: How I Remodeled My Home for Just Under Three Times the Original Bid was recently named "Book of the Week" by People magazine. The recipient of thirty-two writing awards, including the prestigious Columbia University Silver Scroll for Best Radio Writing in America, Mair has also served as a CBS broadcaster, a Los Angeles Times syndicated columnist, and a radio talk-show host.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1st Printing edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425201740
• ISBN-13: 978-0425201749
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,962,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, March 27, 2005

By 

Charly O "thesinger" (Lake Forest, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life With Purpose: The Story of the Man Behind The Purpose-Driven Life (Hardcover)

This book is just plain wrong -- no interviews with Warren were conducted, Mair used conjecture to fill in gaps, and most of the book really doesn't even have anything to do with Warren.

And most troubling is the fact that where Mair DOES talk about Warren, he makes mistakes all over the place.

How do I know??? Because I have attended Saddleback Church for nearly 10 years, know Rick Warren personally, have listened to hundreds of his sermons, and I have even had dinner with not only he and his wife, but his father, Jimmy.

Believe me, this book is no biography of Rick Warren. Pass on it, and wait for an authorized bio.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Author Doesn't Know Rick Warren, March 26, 2005

By 

Someone Who Knows (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life With Purpose: The Story of the Man Behind The Purpose-Driven Life (Hardcover)

The author does NOT know Rick Warren and evidently did very little research on the man who wrote The Purpose Driven Life. In the second chapter alone, there are 15 factual errors. For example, Rick's father was not called "Jimmy, Sr.", East Texas and New Mexico (where Rick's parents were from) are not in the "southeastern United States", the family never lived in Sausalito, etc. Other chapters contain more factual errors or omissions. This book fails to detail Rick Warren's life and what it does include is riddled with errors.

For a book that is suppose to be about Rick Warren, there is too much filler about other people, church growth movement and Saddleback Church teachings.

Publishers Weekly review: ""It's not about you." That is the now-famous depersonalization that opens Rick Warren's self-help guide The Purpose-Driven Life. Unfortunately, they are apparently words that his biographer took to heart, because despite its promising subtitle, this portrait tells readers almost nothing about the man behind the bestseller. Mair spends most of the book superficially exploring the phenomenon of megachurches and introducing some of Warren's role models for ministry. What information he does give us about Warren's life is sparse and blandly hagiographic:..."

This book does not merit even one star. Save your money. It's is clear the author is just trying to cash-in on the Purpose Driven Life movement.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars INACCURATE! POORLY WRITTEN! A WASTE OF TIME! REDICULOUS!, April 20, 2005

By 

Ddrgtrf "Book Reviewer" (Trabuco Canyon, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Life With Purpose: The Story of the Man Behind The Purpose-Driven Life (Hardcover)

INACCURATE! POORLY WRITTEN! A WASTE OF TIME! REDICULOUS!, April 20, 2005

Reviewer: Robert Faraday "Book Reviewer" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

It is so obvious this guy never talked with Warren, or anyone even remotely associated or related to the guy. It is laughable all of the errors in this book. Warren's life has been well-chronicled in tapes, articles, and even tons of doctoral dissertations on Saddleback church and the purpose driven movement.

Mair was obviously just trying to make a buck on Warren's name. Publisher's Weekly and every other published review has panned this book as a rip-off. Don't waste your money.

I know that Schuller tried to jump on the TV bandwagon and claim that he influenced Warren (how?)but I asked Warren's staff and they pointed out that Saddleback was 6 years old before Schuller even met the guy. And Warren once wrote Schuller a note publicly distancing himself from the dear Dr. because Schuller was having all sorts of anti-Christian speakers on his TV show, and Warren disagreed with his theology. And Warren is ANYTHING but N.V. Peale- whom he has never met, never read, and disagrees with.

Stupid errors like saying Warren and his wife went to high school together, that Warren has one child instead 3, and a hundred other factual bloopers show this book was never researched but a cut and paste job from media reports that got it wrong the first time

The dangerous thing about this book is that is is gushingly positive, so some may be tempted to believe it is accurate. It is not at all. Anyone who builds an impression of Warren from this book either unbelievably gullible or just want to believe total fiction. Wait for a reputable biographer. Save your money.