Becoming C.S. Lewis – Review

Although C.S. Lewis’s writings and adult life are well-known, his childhood, adolescence, and the influences that shaped him are less so. Harry Lee Poe’s Becoming C.S. Lewis, the first of a three-volume biography, reveals the thinking and education of Lewis, the boy, and his transition to adulthood.

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As a boy, C.S. Lewis became deeply interested in stories about men’s journeys or quests to pursue something of value. Stories like the Odyssey, the Arthurian legends, and The Faerie Queen shaped his thinking and imagination and eventually helped him understand what he was searching for.

His childhood was marked by his mother’s death from cancer, books in his home, music, long walks, difficult school experiences, and W.T. Kirkpatrick’s tutelage in Surrey, England. The book does an excellent job of tracing his thoughts (through his letters), intellectual and spiritual development, and what led to his likes and dislikes. The author, deeply versed in the great books that influenced Lewis and his later writings, helps the reader understand the great stories of Western Civilization and why they mattered to Lewis and were instrumental in shaping his life.

I recommend this book for high school students and parents alike. It reveals Lewis’s mind and what shaped him. It also educates the reader through summaries of essential books and why they matter. Like Lewis, a young person’s future is shaped by experiences, books, and people. This book introduces readers to a broad and meaningful world of experience through the mind of one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the Western world. It is sure to help young people think seriously about what matters most.