Customer Reviews

My Second Chapter: The Matthew Ward Story

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In the interest of full disclosure, I was a "sometimes" fan of the music of The 2nd Chapter of Acts (especially the early stuff), and promoted a concert with them and Barry McGuire in Central Ohio back in the mid-Seventies. In fact, Matthew stayed at my house when they were in town (as they were in the habit of doing in each town at the time). I was then, and remain today, a huge fan of his amazing singing voice. While I hadn't been following his career too closely over the past 15 years, it was still with great interest that I read this book (devouring it within a day, despite my busy schedule). If you were a fan of Christian music in the Seventies and Eighties, you know that things were very different then than they are today, and even within that musical subset, The 2nd Chapter of Acts was quite unique as a group. I knew some of their background, but the book gives a lot more infomation about their parents' deaths at an early age, and how Matt (and his sister Nellie) were shipped off to California to live with their older sister Annie and her new husband, Buck Herring. There is a very honest retelling of Matthew's sometimes difficult relationship with Buck, who was pretty controlling, and it's very interesting to see how the group came to be, and the history of how things developed over the next couple of decades. There is also a fairly in-depth account of Matt's frightening experience with cancer in the Nineties (which involved both surgery and chemo). I can't imagine that there's a huge audience out there for this book...you'd have to have been a fan of the band for it to make much sense. But I certainly enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend it to fans of the band from so many years ago.

If you want to know more about Second Chapter of Acts you won't be satisfied with this minimal attempt by Ward to tell his life story. It's so disappointing that you can mostly skip the first 70 pages or so, which are filled with uneventful, typical childhood stories such as fighting with siblings or disobeying parents. Namely, this is boring and only for those dedicated fans who find it fascinating that he lied to his parents, ran away when he broke a window, or snuck drinks of beer when he was ten years old.

Even though you would think losing your parents as a pre-teen would provide significant insight into a person, Ward shows zero emotion as he just states the facts about his life. It's obvious from reading this that he does not share emotions easily. The few details he does share are incomplete--he mentions something about seeing his mom fall down the stairs but never finishes the story and mentions being withdrawn but says nothing other than "I was fending for myself when it came to issues of the heart. In some ways I began to live more like an animal than a human." Okay--how?

Even his Christian conversion story is stated so matter-of-fact in a sentence or two that you wonder if he actually recalls it at all. It's funny because in the preface he claims that he had to cut things out to keep it short! Why didn't he write about the worldwide adventures he claims to have left out for space reasons? Instead we get little bits and pieces of events but not much more than some bareboned facts and no emotion whatsoever.

He rudely makes fun of people, telling some nasty stories about his relatives and demeaning his California teachers. It's almost shocking to hear him make fun of a teacher with a paralyzed left arm. And these stories have no purpose to them other to just dredge up another uninteresting tidbit that keeps him from having to open up about his emotions.

The story of how they named the group is really dull and again barely worth mentioning. He then gives absolutely no details about recording their classic album "With Footnotes." Instead, he just mentions that they made it and then diverts the chapter to a story about how he first smoked Pot at 15 when he was a Christian and touring with the group!

Ward complains a lot in the book--its disconcerting to hear him put down concertgoers or families that they stayed with, complaining about being asked the same questions over and over. He also doesn't seem to realize what a great life he had in California--he went to the school of the Hollywood stars and lived in a mansion, yet manages to complain about those as well!

The only fire he shows is in his distain for Contemporary Christian music. He admits to loving secular rock. Yet he never explains his spiritual influence on his music. He attempts to finish the book with a little mention of God being the giver of his talent, but overall the book lacks much of a spiritual feel considering the three decades he has spent in music ministry.

There's an odd omission in the book--no pictures! Why wouldn't he put in photos of his parents, eight siblings or especially the brother-in-law who raised him (who is featured so much in the book)? He has made it very difficult to get to really know Matthew Ward.

There are other times in the book where his recollection is off. He claims that in the early '70s he was attending Latin Mass at the Catholic Church. But the mass changed to English around 1967 or so. He doesn't give the Catholic Church or nuns much credit for stimulating his interest in God, but the irony is that today this onetime Assemblies of God Pentacostal attends an Anglican church, which is about as close to Catholic as you can get!

There's probably an interesting story here to be told, but it should be done by an objective biographer since Ward can't seem to find much within himself to write about. I loved the group's music--but this book makes one realize that the person behind the music is very different from what he records.

This is not a typical auto-biography. That is one of the best things about this book.

I am the seventh reviewer of this book, and am currently the tie-breaker. The other six split evenly with five, four, and two star reviews. This book has reviews titled "Informative and Interesting" and "Unemotional and Unsatisfying Autobiography That Provides Few Interesting Stories". Obviously, you'll think one of those descriptions is wrong. I've seen a couple of other items where the ratings are fairly even between all five ratings, and on those I advise readers not to base a decision based on only one review. While this is similar, I feel this is different, because there are twice as many four and five star reviews (more than that if you count mine) as there are one and two reviews.

What makes this bio unique? There are no pictures in it. There is little reference to the recording and contents by Matthew either solo or with 2nd Chapter (though there's a little more of the former), as there is in the biographies of Keith Green ("No Compromise" by Melody Green) or Tori Amos ("Pretty Good Years" by Jay S. Jacobs). This is definitely not a tell-all book, and if it is in any capacity, it is telling on Matthew. Also, it is not straight chronological, but a little more thematic. True, like many other autobiographies (e.g. "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy), the first chapter is not the first one chronologically, because he's trying to create interest. But once you get past chapter three, the chapters are more thematic, than strictly time oriented. In addition, there are insets in most of the chapters, almost all telling about something in line with the chapter. (The exception is in his chapter about dealing with cancer, the inset lists other artists he collaborated with -- interesting and one I was glad to see, but not on subject with the chapter.)

One thing I like about this book is that Matthew does not portray himself as a super saint. The negative review stated above mentioned that Matthew made fun of a handicapped teacher. The full story is Matthew accounted of how he HAD (past tense) made fun of the teacher. First, this is Matthew pointing out his flaws, and second, this is consistent with Matthew being a class clown, which he admits to. If you read carefully, the truly negative comments he made about others were people he wouldn't name. On the other hand, he pointed out he butted heads with people (such as his brother-in-law Buck Herring) while at the same time making it seem like they simply disagreed. He also uses a lot of humor in this book, a large portion being self-depriciating.

The two negative reviews mentioned that Matthew preferred secular rock to CCM. But why? Simple -- he'd rather listen to good quality music he disagrees with lyrically than to lyrics he agrees with with inferior recording. He's an artist, not a clergyman, and so let's not fault him with that.

By the way, these comments were in his chapter on music. He is right on target -- that there are Christians in music who have not been called to that ministry, who are entertainers first and ministers second. He hits the nail on the head in this chapter, and while you may not agree with his selection of music to listen to, you can understand why he feels that way.

I am speaking here for myself, but I could see a kindred spirit in Matthew. I could relate to his being a class clown. Also, after he described his experiences with Prozak, I know I never want to take it myself -- it would drive my wife crazy!

Some people are disappointed. I'm not. Matthew should be applauded -- he did this by himself (no word about a co-author or "as told to"). One person found Matthew's stories uninteresting -- that is his opinion, which I completely disagree with. Matthew is great at telling stories. Besides the music chapter, his chapter on road stories was great.

Those of us who "grew up" in the Jesus Movement and the music of the 2nd Chapter of Acts should have embraced this book. Instead, MY SECOND CHAPTER reads like a first draft book proposal.

It's also very poorly edited. For example, Matthew's brother-in-law/Annie's husband and the band's producer Buck Herring is introduced TWICE in the book.

The 2nd Chapter of Acts recorded 13 albums, including two live albums. Matthew barely mentions recording their first album and is equally dismissive of their CS Lewis tribute THE ROAR OF LOVE. No mention of Kerry Livgren's involvement in their recording of a couple albums. No mention of sales, reviews, favorite songs, recording the albums, challenges in recording what Myrrh or Sparrow wanted them to record. Zero.

There are many little stories about his pranks as a youngster and sections devoted to touring "pranks" but they all ring pretty hollow and are pointless. Yes, we understand how funny it is to jam a sandwich into a bus so it spoils and smells in a week, but what was it like to sing with Donna Summer? Sorry that one of your home hosts kept you up talking all night, but what about Larry Norman and other Jesus Music pioneers that you met along the way?

The books jumps all over the place and people are introduced and then re-introduced later on. He spends some time talking about his relationship with Keith Green (whom I also knew) but keeps pretty much everything and everyone at arms' distance.

He has some wise observations about CCM and the current "pop worship" phase that I hope has peaked, but we never really get to know Matthew, we never get a feel of what it was like to be in a leading Jesus Music group in the 1970s and 80s, or if there was record pressure, which albums sold well, which were his favorites or not, etc.

This all reads like a first draft and it really needed much more content, organization and editing.

As anyone who was around me in college, and they will tell you I was addicted to the music of Matthew Ward. My roommate made the "mistake" (his words) of giving me Ward's "Toward Eternity," his first solo album released in 1979. I had heard Ward from some old Second Chapter of Acts tapes and saw why they were considered a pioneer group in the Christian music industry when they came on the scene in 1974.

I found Ward's book very enlightening. Mainly, this book served to give stories and anecdotes of his life and is an easy read. This book serves well in showing how God's steadfast and enduring love helps one persevere through the most painful of times. Ward understands what it means to lose a father and a mother within a two year span during his formative teenage years. Through God's divine providence, he came to live with his older sister and brother-in-law (Buck and Annie Herring), who became an incredible Christian influence in his life. Thanks to a random time around a piano in front of rocker-turned-Christian Barry McGuire, Matthew and his sisters Annie and Nelly sang such unbelievable harmonies together, that Barry took them on tour with him as back-up singers. This was the birth of "Second Chapter of Acts."

The most touching portion of the book was the portion that addressed his bout with testicular cancer in 1993. He shares much about how this affected him physically and spiritually, and how this affected his family as well. He went into great detail about the entire process--from finding the cancer to the chemotherapy to the recovery. Some may find these details gruesome, and others may wonder why Ward seems to make light of his situation (saying upon the entry of the chemo drug entering his body, "Here comes the poison"), but I personally appreciated the honesty. He shares these details to help the rest of us understand how significant and painful this process is, but also to give others who are struggling with this issue that he understands. All through this, he deals honestly with His walk with the Lord (both the ups and downs) and how Christ helped him to persevere through it all. Toward the end of that chapter (entitled "Uninvited Guest"), he provided this helpful insight:

"During and after my ordeal with cancer, the Lord began to show me in big and small ways that I was truly on His mind and that He was indeed concerned with those things that concerned me. I learned to see the father heart of God for the first time, and I began to see myself as His son. Of all the lessons I learned, that--by far--was the greatest." (174)

From this experience, God led Ward to release a worship CD that (in my opinion) is one of the most powerful and worshipful CDs you'll hear: "My Redeemer."

While this book does contain seemingly random stories about Matthew's life, the biggest value for me was Chapter 17 ("Musing on Music"), which outlines the advice he gives to aspiring singers who wish to delve into the Christian music industry.

"I always try to find out right away why people want to get involved in Christian music. The way I see it, music ministry is something that requires a call from the Lord. Even when people have the musical gifting that would allow them to perform Christian songs, that doesn't necessarily mean they should do it--not if they haven't been called to that kind of service by God. ... I ask, "Do you want to entertain or to minister?" (204)

He also asks, "Do you want to get involved in music because it's something you think you'd be good at or because it's something that's tugging at your heart?" His reasoning for asking is this: would they be happy and content singing in a small church in Kansas, or do they have to be on a big stage with lots of admirers? Along with these questions, Ward gives some of his helpful insights into the modern contemporary Christian music scene from an experienced perspective.

I found this book interesting simply because I am a fan of his music and ministry. Others who may not have that connection may find this book a bit scattered at times, but you can see how the Lord has used issues in his life to strengthen His walk and ministry to others. For more information about Matthew Ward's ministry, check out his website at [...]

It seems that Ward has so much to share but the awful writing really gets in the way. I hope he'll give it another try and find a better writer to add warmth, find an editor that will leave out all the uninteresting stories, be less critical of the people he met (although in the same breath says he misses them or loves them) and show more intimacy in his walk with Christ. It was off-putting to read him say that he didn't care to listen to his fans "rhetoric" (as he referred to it) when they were meeting him after a concert. A friend had to give him a new view of these situations. Really?

I finished the book hoping it would get better but ended up feeling like I didn't get to know Matthew Ward, the person, just an endless list of things he had done as if it were a resume.

This book is the autobiography of Matthew Ward. It was Matthew and his two sister's that made up the popular 70's and 80's group The 2nd Chapter Of Acts that transformed Christian Music forever. In "My 2nd Chapter", Matthew shares with us, in his humorous and honest way, stories from his life dating back to his early childhood, his days with the 2nd Chapter of Acts, his battle with cancer, his views on the music scene today, how God continues to change his spiritual perspective and what he is up to these days. I highly recommend it to all esspically Matthew Ward and 2nd Chapter of Acts fans. Being a huge fan myself, I loved this book. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I have. It will encourage you to seek the Lord and totally surrender your life. His life is a great example of what God can do when someone gives it all.

Matthew Ward is not just a wonderful person but a minister of the gospel of God and shares his journey in his book: "My Second chapter: The Matthew Ward Story." I feel it a priviledge to learn more about his story and how God uses him every day.

I have listen to the music by the 2nd Chapter of Acts since the 70s and was interested in the singers experience with the christian music business. I did find his insigts at the end of the book interesting. It is a good book if you grew up listening to Christian music and are interested what happens behind the scences.

Being a Matthew Ward fan since the 70's I was so excited when I heard he had written his story. I was not disappointed! I read it out loud to my family and we all enjoyed it. I was entertained, encouraged and uplifted. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is familiar with Second Chapter and Matthew Ward. Well, even if someone is not familiar it would be a good time to get to know him and his music!