Another Trip Into the Wardrobe

With frigid temperatures outside, and a cozy quilt calling my name on the couch at my home, I sat at work dreaming of lounging underneath that warmth while reading a great book. Unfortunately I had just finished my latest read, so I set myself to the task of finding its replacement. Being at work and needing to appear busy, I went to Borders.com to find one that sparked my interest. Instantly I was attracted to a literary memoir about one girl's love of the Narnia books since childhood, and her views on it after rereading as an adult. Thinking I would feel a kinship with this author, I reserved a copy. Unfortunately I did this before reading reviews of the publication.

One very honest reader had mentioned that while the cover makes you want to pick up the book immediately and discover the reason for the author's love of the fictional paradise, the reality was much less appealing. The author openly admits that she is not a fan of Lewis due to his religious beliefs, and rants about Christianity as a whole. Finally, she claims that had she known this was the underlying theme of the series she adored so much as a child, she would never have read them...also stating that Narnia would have been better off without Christ being involved. (My thoughts are...it would have been just another fantasy book had that been the case, and would therefore not continue to be read sixty years later.)

Recently it seems that memoirs have become something other than their original nature. The author doesn't tell a story, as much as stand on their soap box and tell their uneducated views on the hot topic of the moment. Yes, it may garner a few loyal fans in the process (Running with Scissors author Augusten Burroughs Picador is a prime example), but usually it only allows the author's ignorance and closed-mindedness to shine through.

Instead of purchasing a book that day, I went home and began reading my own copy of a well loved children's book. I was happy to discover I adored it every bit as much the second time around.