Experience C. S. Lewis’s Captivating Life with the Complete Biographical Trilogy Becoming C. S. Lewis (3-Volume Set) by scholar Harry Lee Poe represents a landmark achievement in the study of one of the greatest Christian thinkers of the modern era. This groundbreaking trilogy provides an in-depth look into literary scholar, novelist, and apologist C. S. Lewis. Each book painstakingly unfolds Lewis’s life―his key relationships, his conversion to Christianity, his bestselling books, and more. Poe brings to light new information on Lewis and corrects many earlier misunderstandings about him to show how his experiences of education, war, loss, and friendship shaped him into one of the most important writers and scholars of the 20th century. This set includes Becoming C. S. A Biography of Young Jack Lewis (1898–1918) , The Making of C. S. From Atheist to Apologist (1918–1945) , and The Completion of C. S. From War to Joy (1945–1963) .
Part 1 of a 3 volume set, this is by far the most detailed and informative of all the biogs I have read. What it is not though, is boring. No fluff, no hyperbole, no waffle. Just the facts mam, and only the interesting ones as well. Poe is a very readable author and this book flows along nicely and paints as fair, and as far as any of us can know, honest account of the young Lewis. Poe had lots of access to previously unpublished letters and so forth, and it has all added up to fine part 1 of his re/telling of the the Lewis life story. Another thing it does rather well, is show how the boy shaped the man. We all have our own perception of Lewis and maybe one of the reasons I like this volume is because it paints a picture of Lewis very similar to the one in my own head. Only 4 out of 5 stars because it contains the faintly ridiculous line,'Until he entered Arthur Greeves's bedroom during the Easter break of 1914, Jack Lewis had all the makings of an ax murderer'. Or am I just losing my sense of humour in my old age? An excellent book, for Lewis lovers only though.