The Shack

Although this book was very thought provoking, there were many grammar errors throughout. This book was recommended by a close friend who gave it rave reviews, so perhaps I was expecting too much. I had just finished reading Larry the Penguin Searches for the Meaning of Life, by Charles Belser, which offers a completely different theological view on God. Both made me think therefore I give this book 3 stars

I read this book because my son, who has never been much of reader, loved it and I wanted to see what was piquing his interest. I knew the book appealed to him because it was of the Christian fiction genre and that it might not fit neatly into my spiritual ideology.

That did not turn out to be my biggest problem, for I found the book definitely wanting in literary merit. Specifically, Wm. Paul Young has not mastered the very basic writing rule of "show don't tell." Though he writes some wonderfully descriptive passages, he fails to adequately illustrate the murky religious ideology espoused by his "God" characters. The point is, as his characters often say, that these are things humans can not fully understand; they must simply have faith. It's clearly an emotional thing, but the masters of Christian writing such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were able to deliver a reader to the realm of intellectual comprehension as well as emotional understanding.

Young captures a reader's emotions more successfully than he does the intellect by picking horrific subject matter to dive into: the brutal and inexplicable abduction and murder of a little girl. He then employs imagination in tackling the after effects of such an incomprehensible ordeal and concludes that the only possible way to swallow such an event is by finding one's way via faith and forgiveness.

I'm glad I read the book for the window it offered into my son's heart and mind and for the opportunity it gave me to explore my own aptitude for love,forgiveness, and faith. There are many reasons for choosing to read a book and my reasons for reading this book were satisfied.

I just finished reading "The Shack" after a close friend recommended it to me. As I read it I was touched; for one because I could have written this book myself through experience, and two because it really brought home the relational experience that I have with the Lord myself. It was able to put into words the truth about love, and we need that now more than ever.
I have known the Lord in this way for over 30 years and I have sorrowed for almost that many years at how the church continues to leave relationship for control and hiearchy. How I long for people to understand the love of the Father! This book brings home that love, and though it might not have all the theological facts and clarity that "learned" folks might want to see, it is none the less an excellent and clear detail of the how much God really loves and wants to communicate with His children.
I know that there is an ulitmate judgement awaiting each of us, but my belief is that there will only be one question that each one of us will have to answer: "Did you love?" And with that question will come scene after scene where Christ appeared disguised as the "least of the brethren" giving us opportunity after opportunity to show our response. As true followers of Christ we are called to be like Him... He forgave, He loved, He healed, He tolerated more than anyone ever has because He knew Love as truth and walked in all of HIS ways.
The Shack will show the reader how important that love is, and it will help people who have been hurt by the religious cold-hearted ones. It will help the reader forgive and know that in God all things will be made right.
Go ahead and try it, you'll like it!!

I went to a christian school my whole life. i have been in church my whole life while i was a teenager i started using drugs and had a very bad trip on extacy the lord showed me alot of things and i went to church and got saved the next day for the next 5 years I went to church every time i could i quit drugs sex everything and prayed for hours a day but i still felt like i was never good enough i was still having anxiety attacks and constatly scared i was goin to hell even though i was doin the best i could which was really good. Then i got tired of church and how people are there so I stopped. for 3 years i was mad at God and did not understand alot of things in the world and lost my faith. my mom gave me this book to read. For the first time in my life i woke up knowing i am goin to heaven my whole outlook on life is changed. This book is how i always thought God to be but because of religion and the whole maybe if you cut your hair and pull up your pants god will save you idea i lost my way. now Jesus found me and He loves me thats the message of this book that God loves you. I love him and i dont have to do anything to earn his love. i finally fell truly free and this books makes me want to just love everyone i meet. I am touched to my core and will never be the same

odd. some good points, like an admonition not to view god as a mighty smiter, but otherwise, I didn't like it. The story was of forgiveness, which is great, the message was that everything happens for a reason, but young uses a coma (done before) to say that mack wasn't conscious for the whole book, jesus seems to be a simpleton, god is an oddity who doesn't really have an opinion and the holy ghost comes in and out (very ghost like, but also, very not here always). All in all, been there, heard that, not going back.