The Great Good Thing
A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ
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4.7 • 84 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
No one was more surprised than Andrew Klavan when, at the age of fifty, he found himself about to be baptized. The Great Good Thing tells the soul-searching story of a man born into an age of disbelief who had to abandon everything he thought he knew in order to find his way to the truth.
Best known for his hard-boiled, white-knuckle thrillers and for the movies made from them--among them True Crime and Don’t Say a Word--bestselling author and Edgar Award-winner Klavan was born in a suburban Jewish enclave outside New York City.
He left the faith of his childhood behind to live most of his life as an agnostic until he found himself mulling over the hard questions that so many other believers have asked:
How can I be certain in my faith?What's the truth, and how can I know it's the truth?How can you think, live, and make choices and judgments day by day if you don't know for sure?
In The Great Good Thing, Klavan shares that his troubled childhood caused him to live inside the stories in his head and grow up to become an alienated young writer whose disconnection and rage devolved into depression and suicidal breakdown.
In those years, Klavan fought to ignore the insistent call of God, a call glimpsed in a childhood Christmas at the home of a beloved babysitter, in a transcendent moment at his daughter's birth, and in a snippet of a baseball game broadcast that moved him from the brink of suicide. But more than anything, the call of God existed in stories--the stories Klavan loved to read and the stories he loved to write.
Join Klavan as he discovers the meaning of belief, the importance of asking tough questions, and the power of sharing your story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this compelling account of religious conversion, Klavan tells his story of growing up Jewish in New York's affluent Great Neck village, ongoing conflicts with his strong-minded parents, and his eventual transition to Christianity. This embrace of a faith foreign to his family came at the end of a long search, one that had Klavan seeking his life's meaning in various places, including an encounter with Zen Buddhism. Early educational endeavors at the University of California, Berkeley, informed his passage. Marriage added to the complex picture, filling the author with a despair that would lead him to seek professional help. It took a transcendent encounter with the living Christ to bring Klavan to a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction and a sure knowledge of his place in the cosmos. God's answer to his prayer was "wildly generous, an act of extravagant grace." His personal quest for salvation finally found its culmination in a relationship with the Jewish messiah. This is a fascinating story of a life journey.
Customer Reviews
I aspire to be like Andrew loved this book
Great read; fan of the podcast really great insight in his history and just a great read overall one of my favorite books.
One of best Memoirs I have ever read.
This book has stayed with me and I keep it out in my family room. I have recommended it and given it to many. It’s a great good story for many reasons. First his childhood- I am fascinated by Andrew’s challenge in school. He is obviously bright but can’t pay attention because he is creating stories in his head, partly due to his creative genius and partly to escape family life. His self educating stage later in life where he reads everything is fascinating. Andrew’s journey to faith and healing from wounds, much from his relationship with his father, was a painful one. I didn’t have to go that route but I am so glad he shared it because in sharing it I know he has helped others who have struggled and given them hope. He continues to do that on his podcasts, which I highly recommend. His love story with his wife Ellen is also beautiful part of the story. I have the audio version too which I listen to sometimes- Andrew’s writing style is exceptional. Readers will enjoy many aspects of this memoir but the most remarkable aspect is how a secular Jew came to authentic faith in Jesus Christ. If you are not a person of faith don’t worry he’s not preaching - very much the opposite. This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read and I have read many because memoirs are my favorite genre. I cannot say enough great good things about this book. Thank you Andrew Klavan with so generously sharing your story.
Great
Excellent read couldn't put It down