Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir, by Carolyn Weber

 

This is a “Girl Meets God” story, but it’s much deeper than those three words might seem!  Carolyn Weber arrives at Oxford to study Romantic Literature.  Along the way, she is challenged and shaped not only by the authors she reads, but also by her fellow students.  The atheists, seekers, and committed Christians alike all have a part in her spiritual journey.   

I have read my share of autobiographical accounts of meeting God, but this is by far the best written. (The fact that the author completed her Ph.D. at Oxford in Literature has something to do with that!)  Most chapters begin and end with quotes from various works of literature.  

This book kept me up late at night and got me out of bed early in the morning.  I wanted to know what happened next.  From the outset, I knew she came to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, but she wrote the details in such an interesting, almost spell-binding way. 

I think every reader will see himself somewhere in the book.  As a believer myself, Weber’s journey reminded me of the great truths of the basics of the faith.  And I learned a lot from the way the believers in her life patiently let her struggle.  I appreciate that the book doesn’t end with, “And I believed in Jesus,” but continues on, showing how she grew in her faith and in learning to live it out. 

This is a book I can recommend to anyone. 

To read the first chapter, you can download it here.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own.