Customer Reviews

Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World

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In the span of one paragraph, N.D. Wilson made me break out in goosebumps then made me laugh and cry at the same time. His writing in Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl from Thomas Nelson Publishers evokes emotion like the best fiction, scratches the brain like the best philosophy, and stirs a love for Creator and creation like the best theology.

His bursts of thought are not always clear-cut and linear, rather they seem to be confusing and unrelated at times. As his ideas shape the chapters, however, and the chapters form the book, a step back reveals a beautiful piece of work.

And this, I think, was no accident. Wilson's premise is that the universe we live in is a work of art and the masterpiece of The Artist. It is a drama, a play, and God is the Author. And so, just as his writing style reflects, there are surprises, twists, and turns. It doesn't progress in an uneventful, gradual incline.

The best dramas have real tragedies, the best paintings have both shadow and light. Thus it makes sense that the best of all possible worlds made by an Artist/Author will have real tragedies, both shadow and light.

My favorite book of the year, hands down.

I'm not sure where to begin with this one, or how to communicate everything I'd like to without re-typing the entire text here.

I laughed - both that genuinely amused kind of laugh and that startled out of my comfort zone awkward laugh. I teared up - both from heartache and gladness. I underlined and bracket-ed and read pages at a time out-loud to my poor, unsuspecting husband. I gushed and I quit writing before I ever really began because Wilson has captured everything that is both horrid and beautiful in the world in every perfectly-crafted phrase I could have ever dreamed to pen.

So let's start here: buy this book.

Wilson uses words like Rembrandt used hues to establish himself as the 21st century's C.S. Lewis. The 21st century's C.S. Lewis, with an extra shot of eccentric. Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl presents life and creation as God's greatest masterpiece by evaluating the work as a whole, musing on the Artist Himself, and analyzing every colorful or dreary detail. Wilson's Notes will expand your view to appreciate creation at large, and focus your gaze to relish the details - soft and fuzzy, or dark and painful - at the same time.

And the language is wonderful. The whimsical cover and first taste of the Preface combined to make me wonder if this wasn't going to be a little pretentious, self-important, and/or exhausting. If this wasn't just a guy who likes being a little silly and a little random trying to use his gift with words to justify an entire book. That fear was quickly relieved. Substance upholds immaculate style, without waivering, for 200 pages.

Wilson confesses early on that he writes to believers. He references scripture and theology without much explanation or hesitation, but the book may still be a delight for spiritually-minded non-Christians who enjoy good art. My only regret is that he does not make a stronger, clearer case for salvation in Jesus in the one chapter that does address eternity. Admittedly, that's not his aim with the book, but part of me wonders if it isn't a missed opportunity. (The other part of me wonders if his gentle, almost vague approach isn't exactly what some people need to hear, so I hand Holy Spirit His job description back.)

I started this book on Monday evening and finished it Wednesday. And I think I might just start at the beginning again. It's encouraging, amusing, and heart-warming. Notes makes me want to live louder, love deeper, and laugh harder - to throw back my head and let go of the safety bar because we all know it's just for show anyway.

'Notes' is truly a small slice of heavenly art; a picture of what is and where it is going. As a doctoral student in philosophy, a minister, and resident of the whirling ball I can honestly say that this book captures something of the unity and diversity of God's glory that many others do not.

Unlike other commentators (and no offense) I take Nate at his word that there is intention in every page. The work is like a tapestry, not a scratch and sniff. One must dig, wait, watch the thread, hold on, and not let seeming confusion confirm suspicions of incongruity.

The book is a mirror to redemptive history: many stories, one great purpose and goal and God. I enjoy Don Miller, but this is no wannabe. Nate brings a fresh brush stroke, a wisely used artists' pallet to the exposition of the beauty of a universe where God is utterly huge...and you...dear reader, are not. Read this book for a feast of the fantastic.

Imagine a Rob Bell book, but with longer sentences and better theology. I suppose that's mean. Fans of Bell will think I'm taking a swipe at him (which I suppose I am). Fans of Wilson will think I'm dragging him down by comparing him to Bell (which isn't my intent). Okay, let's start over.

I read a review this morning talking about Francis Chan's book "Erasing Hell." Chan's book is a response to Rob Bell's controversial "Love Wins." The reviewer said of Chan's attempt, "right time, wrong book."

Trevin Wax: "Bell's book is troublesome, not because it is a thoughtful representation of [his position]... It's troublesome because it is seeking to make inclusivism beautiful. Bell succeeds at "dressing up" falsehood. Meanwhile, his evangelical critics aren't even bothering with the wardrobe. We are Nixon, and he is Kennedy. From a purely rhetorical, debating standpoint, we win. But Bell understands the medium."

Wax goes on to suggest that reformed types do great exegesis and historical theology and win the substantive battle every time. But folks like Bell and William Young (author of "The Shack") continue to craft great stories. "We grasp the issues, but others grasp the medium." So true.

That's where "Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl" comes in. It's hard to classify what this book is: philosophical musings, spiritual memoir, travelogue. It has something of all of these. But mostly, it's just beautiful writing. Wilson gives us a great example of robust theology artistically expressed. He grasps the issues and the medium. I can't recommend this book highly enough. And you also ought to check out the hour long DVD (a bookumentary of sorts).

I first heard about this book before I went to Sweden. My sister recommended it to me. She seems to know my interests well, so I listened to her and gave it a try. However, after reading a few pages of the book, I returned it to her. Wilson seemed a little too eccentric to me. And, at the time, I was in a phase where I wanted an honest memoir, with straight up introspective thoughts and stories.

"Tilt" isn't written like this, a little bit, but it's more like a poem. A very thought provoking, colorful poem. After getting home about a year later, I had some questions about God, and some pessimism towards life. This book approaches both, Wilson makes a compelling front to see and understand reality. Some of the themes of the book are: life, people, beauty, heaven, and hell. After I had started the book a second time around, I found myself enjoying it, and read to the end, including the special-thanks-to part.


The poetic style of writing in the book may take a while to adjust to, but after you do, it becomes addicting, and terribly amusing. It is one of the most engaging books I have read. Granted, you do need some imagination for his style, you must find some way to create your own stories through his writing. To create a film of sorts in your head. For example he talks about bugs a lot. At first I was really annoyed, "seriously, stop talking about ants, I stepped on one yesterday, you are making me feel guilty." But, after a while you start seeing the beauty, insight, and humor in his writing of bugs.

There is one part in particular where he gives a colony of ants human characteristics/comparisons, that of having a civilization, thoughts/dialogue, and fear. Somewhere during the reading you need to see the ants faces with human reactions, with human emotion and reaction. Once you can visualize that (and he usually helps out, through giving them dialogue or ideas), it becomes quite humorous. This type of reading may sound weird, but it is sort of like an animated film, with animals as the main characters. His writing does at times flow like a current of consciousness. To be honest, I like it. I feel as if I am having a conversation, and that sometimes I am asking him these brilliant questions, or creating these great illustrations that I personally cannot always find the words to, but Wilson does it for you, or rather, with you.

I have this habit when I read something insightful, or witty, to tag the bottom corner of the page. Most books I read have 10 or less. This book boasted 23. It spoke to me. Wilson digs deep and encounters our most important questions and themes. Ones that I think need to be addressed before you pick up the next novel, or watch the next blockbuster. I am not saying that this book is the one with all the answers, it isn't, but it provides a great start. Wilson makes you start to appreciate the small things (like bugs), and the big things (God and life). He also challenges you to address and question the difficulties of life, pain, death, silence, and work.

Here are a few sections from the book I enjoyed:

1. "When I lie on the ground, face down in the carpet, penitent with thankfulness for a life undeserved, for beauty and happiness unmerited, grateful for the stars and the starlings, for the grass and the leaves..."

(I am quick to realize and question suffering (see my last post), but rarely do I offer its rival the same reflective attitude. I will ask, "why this suffering, I didn't ask for this." But another question could be, "why this happiness, I didn't ask for this.")

2."The thing about Christians is that we usually want to pick one aspect of this world, one aspect of God's personality, and then stick with that."

3. "A daughter's face emerges from my chest, smiling beneath my chin.
`I cannot stay here forever,' she says simply, with her eyebrows high. She is wise.
I smile. `Why not?'
`Because I will grow. I will be too big and you will be old and sparkly.'
`Sparkly?'
`Yes. And then you will die.'
I laugh. She remains serious.
`And then I will get old and sparkly and I will die, and my children will put me in the ground.' "

For me, this book wasn't perfect, but it was close. Some of his ideas are not completely original, but his way of presenting them are. In one or two parts of the book I didn't see the best logic, and some deep questions are left in the air. And, there were still points where I had to adjust to his style of writing. Part of me wishes he had talked about Jesus more too, but I understand that wasn't his direct intention for this book. Regardless, I thought this was an exceptionally well written book. And I would recommend it to almost anyone, hobbit and man alike.

My rating: 4 ½ (out of 5) scoops of Butter Pecan ice cream. Very satisfying. (And yes, I did just have a bowl of butter pecan ice cream a few minutes ago, however I think I had 6 scoops)

I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I did with this book. I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. However, two sentences into the Preface I knew I would enjoy it.

Admittedly, it's not a book for everyone, especially if you prefer linear thinking over flow-of-consciousness thinking. N. D. Wilson confesses up front that this is an abnormal book - one that does "not go straight" but, rather, takes the reader on a Tilt-A-Whirl ride that reads and feels like one is going in circles. It may seem random, but in the end it all comes together.

The book is a trip on the earth through one orbit: winter, summer, spring. And, through all the noise and chaos, Wilson tries to bring resonance and clarity. The author brings to the discussion such diverse voices as philosophy, poetry, theology, story and others...and in such a way that they are fun to read.

The subtitle of the book gives it away: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World. This book is wide-eyed and free-flowing in its narrative, wondering in amazement at the world God has given us to live in. Wilson's "gift" to the reader is a reminder of "what we're made of, where we live and how quickly we'll be gone."

This world doesn't always make sense, the answers are not always easy (if they come at all), life is not always comfortable; it is a broken, wonderful world to experience, if we can just open our eyes to see it.

Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl focuses one's attention on the important questions of creation as the snapshot impressions taken during a year on the vast cosmic tilt-a-whirl are recorded. The amusement park ride is the metaphor for the globe spinning in multiple circles as it races through the universe. The various pictures are melded together and form a larger composition that distinctly shows the hand of a designer. Some of these observations are quick, drive by snapshots; others are examined in greater depth.

As I read the book there were times that I felt as if I were on an amusement park ride. The pictures flew by so fast that I had a hard time focusing. Then there are the times when Wilson stops the ride and lets us take a few deep breaths and examine a particular picture. His descriptions are thorough and he writes with good clarity. You truly are given a fresh glimpse of "wide eyed wonder" as you consider the intricacies of even the most mundane of things. I appreciated the book as a good introduction to building a worldview. Nate Wilson does more than make observations; he draws lines to help us connect the dots so that the larger picture begins to emerge.

I recommend this book for any that are willing to look at the world with that "wide-eyed wonder" and then draw honest conclusions.

See my full review at [...]

Some people see the world as boring, as nothing more than drab monotony. Others--including writers like C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Annie Dillard, and Frederick Buechner--see whim all around them; the enchantment constantly penetrating our world.

These latter types take seriously Jesus' admonition to `be like children'. Their child-likeness, their openness to amazement at what the world offers, is their ticket to full life. These are people who truly believe the world is magical at its core and who are captivated by the God who created it.

I've come across another writer who fits right in with the group above. His name is N.D. Wilson--whose abbreviated initials, as I've mentioned before, presume brilliance--and he has recently released a book titled "Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World" (Thomas Nelson, paperback, 201 pages, $14.99). In my quest to be enchanted, I was grateful to receive a review copy from the book's publisher.

Wilson, whose blog can be found here, is primarily an author of children's stories; this is his first book on spirituality for adults. But in my mind, the chasm between Wilson's two prime genres isn't particularly wide. Where some see the "Christian" and "Children's" sections far apart in bookstores, I see no fundamental difference in content between the two. At their cores, both genres speak to the same longings. The elements of a good children's tale are the same elements of a good book on spirituality. For God is in everything.

Good children's books pull you into another world, at least until you are too old--and seemingly `too smart'--to believe that the world doesn't exist. Good books on spirituality help you rediscover that same new world--a new kingdom--that you had, in fact, already believed in early in life. This world is what both genres breathe into; it is an invisible world full of wonder, of excitement, of imagination, of love.

Yet though this world may be invisible, it is no less real. Wonder, awe, and imagination should not be relegated solely to kid's book or stigmatized as fantasy. They should be central to people of all ages, and therefore central to all books. Our society does a great disservice to itself when it quenches the flame of wonder in life and seeks to banish real enchantment into children's books.

"Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl" aims to infuse our adult world with wonder once again. In the book, Wilson marvels at a world created by a marvelous God and tries to make sense of it all. The `structure' of the book is lightly based on the four seasons of the year. Other than those thin guidelines, Wilson's book is a chaotic swirl of images and incredibly beautiful prose that explores how humans throughout history have tried to make sense of this crazy world we live in.

Where Chesterton painted apologetics with whim in the twentieth century, Wilson does so for a postmodern generation in this book. Like Chesterton, Wilson jumps from idea to idea as he tours a vast array of times, places, and people. "Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl" left me feeling like I had just watched an epic tennis match--my attention was directed back-and-forth and to all sorts of directions. His sentences are often short and pithy, and there are few filler phrases. But this only added to the wonder I felt through reading. I felt like I was following a little kid who was in a toy store and kept pointing excitedly while exclaiming, "Hey! Look at that! Oh! Check that out! Wow! Did you catch that?"

In his writings, Wilson splashes around in all sorts of theological puddles; from Creation, to philosophy, to atheism, to the problem of Evil, and everywhere in between.

Referring to the German philosopher Karl Marx, Wilson states, "Marx called religion an opiate, and all too often it is. But philosophy is an anesthetic, a shot to keep the wonder away."

Wilson probes many of the great questions from history but seems to come at them through the back door; instead of detailing systematic theological proofs, he instead interprets the issues as art. This approach is often more satisfied with the beauty of existence itself rather than the question of its meaning.

The book also repeats the theme of Story again and again, which seems to be pretty popular these days. Wilson sees God as the divine Author, which would of course make Him an artist as well, for all story is art. God has written us into His tale, which when fully understood packs a deep significance into each of our moments. Or, as Wilson puts it, "We are always on stage. We are always in a novel, and even when no other characters are around, the art continues. The Triune audience watches."

And while Wilson is surely a great thinker, he is a poet at heart. He is gifted at taking routine scenes, like waves ebbing and flowing along a seashore, and injecting life and character into them:

"The ocean spreads to the horizon, and while the wind gusts and the waves crash, they are nothing compared to what this beast can do. The ocean is playing, licking the feet of a continent, itching to play rougher....The tide is always rising. Every day it rocks back on its heel to build momentum, to get another run; every day it crawls, slipping, up the beach. The ocean can never forget the Flood. It has tasted mountains. Waking and sleeping, it chews."

Wilson expands on the last few words in the book's subtitle--"Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World"--by asking, "But why would any Christian claim that God has stopped talking? Did He speak the world into existence? Does matter exist apart from Him? Is it still here? Are you still here? Then He is still speaking."

Wilson also offers some advice on raising children which I consider quite valuable, especially coming from his experience as a writer of children's books:

"The world is rated R, and no one is checking IDs. Do not try to make it G by imagining the shadows away. Do not try to hide your children from the world forever, but do not pretend there is no danger. Train them. Give them sharp eyes and bellies full of laughter. Make them dangerous. Make them yeast, and when they've grown, they will pollute the shadows."

The publisher describes the book as, "A visual, poetic exploration of the narrative nature of the world and the personality of the Poet behind it all." If it seems like that description is overloaded with artsy lingo, that's because it is. So is Wilson. And so is this book.

In fact, this book is in many ways similar to Rob Bell's latest book, "Drops Like Stars", in that both books are not so much read as they are experienced. By reading Wilson's book you will not learn about enchantment; you will be enchanted.

If you need to be injected with a dose of wonder, Wilson's book is definitely the prescription. To rediscover the enchantment that was natural in your childhood, have your eyes changed by Wilson's book so that you once again see wonder everywhere you look.

I blog review for Thomas Nelson and received this book free in exchange for post my reviews.

I used to love going to the carnival. I liked all the rides, but especially the ones that spun you, flung you around and of course the roller coasters that when really fast. In N.D. Wilson's book Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl you go on such a ride but never leave the ground.

Wilson takes a different look at the world around us from every perspective, almost at the same time. He dares to think both theologically and philosophically at many aspect of life that sometimes we don't know how to connect. He looks creation, providence and evil in not only what did happen, but what might have happened to what could have happened but didn't.

This is certainly a good one to have on your shelf as a reminder that the sin-tainted world we live in is not simple or straight, but the God who is Creator is there and hears. I don't know that one will see this book quoted in alot of academic papers but you will likely use its insights in teaching and preaching.

This is a splash of ice-cold water on your face in the morning, a celebration of all that this life is meant to be. N.D. Wilson has written a wonderful book that shines a light on what true Christianity should be. It's an apologetic for living life to the fullest, and it succeeds wildly.

Read it and you will be refreshed. You will be reminded of true, Biblical beauty that is always there. Huge questions are tackled - the problem of evil, does Hell exist, are we just puppets? Every answer that the author gives is drenched in both Scripture and laughter.

This is one of the few books that I will read more than once. It will go up on my shelf for now, but the next time the Christian life veers towards the mundane, I'll pick it up again to be reminded of the beauty of the Creator and the Creation. I have been a fan of the author's father for a long time, and now I look forward to N.D. Wilson's next book as much as Douglas Wilson's next. Don't just read this book, savor it, enjoy it, devour it. Highly Recommended.