John Howard Griffin
ISBN 1570755396 (9781570755392)
Orbis Books, 2004
£12.99

Category: Biography

Robert Bonazzi, editor, sums up his author: "John Howard Griffin lost his eyesight but never lost his vision." (p.16). It's an apt summary.

Although a memoir, this book reads as powerfully as any novel: Griffin, who died in 1980, takes you with him through his experiences, from a bombing raid in WW2 into blindness and paralysis - caused by injuries in that bombing raid - and back, incredibly, to sight and mobility.

Music lies at the heart of Griffin's life and reverberates throughout this account, carrying him from a position of no faith, where God is a myth, to spiritual enlightenment, with God at the centre. It's no easy ride, however: there's raw emotion, anger and pain along the way, yet always openness, wry humour and profoundly down-to-earth observations on life, relationships, sexuality and the writer's art.

Bonazzi has done a superb job in bringing this collection of Griffin's memoirs together. Some readers may find Griffin's down-to-earth style a little too blunt for their taste but it nonetheless deserves the widest possible readership.

Phil Groom, June 2004

Phil Groom is this site's Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He's a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

From a review previously published in Christian Marketplace Magazine, reused here by kind permission.
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