The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

Title: The Problem of Pain

Author: C.S. Lewis

First Published: 1940

No. of Pages: 104

Synopsis (from B&N): "Why must we suffer? 'If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?' And what of the suffering of animals, who neither deserve pain nor can be improved by it? The greatest Christian thinker of our time sets out to disentangle this knotty issue. With his signature wealth of compassion and insight, C. S. Lewis offers answers to these crucial questions and shares his hope and wisdom to help heal a world hungering for a true understanding of human nature."

Fiction or Nonfiction: Nonfiction

Comments and Critique: This book was so wonderful and so thought-provoking that I wanted to reread it immediately after I finished, and I would have if I didn't have so many other books waiting. But I guarantee that I'll be scanning it, if not reading in its entirety, again very soon. There were a number of points that I want to write down somewhere -- I'd go into it here but 1) it's really better suited outside of a review, and 2) I know that I couldn't do it justice. It's enough to say that this book has given me an entirely new view on human pain and why God "let's bad things happen." My only caveat to potential readers is that this is not an easy book -- it's incredibly intellectual and parts can be difficult to understand. I consider myself relatively intelligent, but I'm not ashamed to admit that some parts went way over my head. But even that can't detract from the overall greatness of this book. Highly, highly encouraged.

Challenges: 999 ("C.S. Lewis"); Spring Reading Thing