I enjoyed this book that was a memoir and christian living title rolled into one. It interested me partly for the last name because I'm familiar with her father's books, but I ultimately chose it because I wanted to experience Oxford through a person's eyes who was more than a tourist since she was going to live there for a year, but not really a resident. I was also intrigued by her faith journey because I could relate to growing up in the church and being used to that culture, then going out into the world and meeting people who didn't grow up that way or had left that way behind. The culture shock in England, though, was part of what she had to deal with, along with the way society views religion and faith over there. I didn't have as jarring an experience.
I liked how she thought deeply about things and found meaning and metaphor in different situations. One of the stories she tells is about a battery being stolen from the headlamp on her bike and how it was required to have a light. A friend of hers rode in front of her for weeks so she would have light to see by and she compares that to faith and how we don't do it alone. She talked about people who confused her, who didn't fit neatly into a box, such as her friend, Ben, who used to be a Christian and then had changed his mind. He was a deep thinker and she didn't think he would have made either decision lightly. He made her realize people have more layers than she had thought. I thought it was interesting, too, what she learned at a conference on art and the Christian. Christian should make sure their art portrays the truth, whether it's film-making or music, etc. Maybe instead of thinking of art as Christian or secular, we should ask is it telling the truth or covering up the truth.
I really appreciated her honesty with struggles she had, such as her struggle to share her faith or to even tell people she was a Christian who didn't seem interested and when she had so many doubts and questions of her own. I was also glad for the reminder that our faith isn't static and that we're constantly changing, feeling uncertain, learning and questioning. I could relate a lot to her and her questioning nature and her stories were interesting. She was a talented writer, too, with a poetic and funny voice. I would recommend this book if you like memoirs about faith!
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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