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A review by bookishdutchie
Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
5.0
What a wonderful book.
I randomly stumbled upon its title while googling “books set at Oxford”. It took me a while to track down a copy. (This was before it was turned into a movie, so it was not yet widely available.) When I finally got my hands on it and sat down to read, I loved it instantly.
Carolyn’s (non-fiction) story resembled my own in so many ways. I too became a Christian in college. I had a lot of the same questions she had.
It’s refreshing to read about an intelligent, academic woman’s conversion. And other well educated people’s (students and professors) walks of faith. So often people think you have to leave logic and intelligence behind when you become a Christian. But you really don’t.
At some point someone tells Carolyn: “If you read what Jesus actually had to say, and not the culturally regurgitated garbage…” I loved that. Can we put that on a banner somewhere? People’s idea of Christianity rarely resembles true Christianity. Once those preconceptions crumble away and God reveals Himself…that’s where true life is found.
Aside from the story itself being wonderful, the way it is written is terrific too. The book is filled with so many literary, musical, cultural and biblical references. Those words felt familiar, hemming the story in like walls that I had run my hands over for years. A familiar element in a skillfully penned down personal account.
Well worth a read if you are a thinker and a fan of literature and academia. Or if you’re just curious about how someone finds God in the midst of student life at Oxford.
I randomly stumbled upon its title while googling “books set at Oxford”. It took me a while to track down a copy. (This was before it was turned into a movie, so it was not yet widely available.) When I finally got my hands on it and sat down to read, I loved it instantly.
Carolyn’s (non-fiction) story resembled my own in so many ways. I too became a Christian in college. I had a lot of the same questions she had.
It’s refreshing to read about an intelligent, academic woman’s conversion. And other well educated people’s (students and professors) walks of faith. So often people think you have to leave logic and intelligence behind when you become a Christian. But you really don’t.
At some point someone tells Carolyn: “If you read what Jesus actually had to say, and not the culturally regurgitated garbage…” I loved that. Can we put that on a banner somewhere? People’s idea of Christianity rarely resembles true Christianity. Once those preconceptions crumble away and God reveals Himself…that’s where true life is found.
Aside from the story itself being wonderful, the way it is written is terrific too. The book is filled with so many literary, musical, cultural and biblical references. Those words felt familiar, hemming the story in like walls that I had run my hands over for years. A familiar element in a skillfully penned down personal account.
Well worth a read if you are a thinker and a fan of literature and academia. Or if you’re just curious about how someone finds God in the midst of student life at Oxford.