Surprised by Joy

"A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere... God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous."

This book is not an autobiography. It is not a confession. It is, however, certainly one of the most beautiful and insightful accounts of a person coming to faith. C.S. Lewis' path takes us from a childhood in Belfast through the loss of his mother, to boarding school and a youthful atheism in England, to the trenches of World War I, then to life at Oxford, where he eventually came to know God through reading and studying.

Lewis was searching for joy - for an elusive and momentary sensation of glorious yearning - but he found it, and spiritual life, through the use of reason. In this highly personal, thoughtful and intelligent memoir, Lewis guides us toward joy and toward the surprise that awaits anyone who seeks a life beyond the expected.