James Patterson. Nora Roberts. Paulo Coelho. Stephanie Meyer. All names I would expect to find on the New York Times best-sellers list. But the current publishing buzz surrounds the number one soft-cover fiction book in the country right now– a book with the inauspicious title of “The Shack.” The book was originally a self-published effort that was distributed out of a garage that has now sold an estimated one million copies and is receiving praise from evangelical heavyweights like Eugene Peterson for it’s redemptive parable-style story.
“The Shack” depicts the struggles of one man, Mack, recovering from an unspeakable family tragedy by going to a shack in the woods where he has an encounter with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The twist? Well, God is an African-American woman who calls herself “papa” and the Holy Spirit is represented by an Asian woman, Sarayu. Mack confronts God with the big questions of evil, human suffering, and justice and through the process of his time at the shack, Mack comes away with a new understanding of God and faith.
I admit I picked up the book yesterday out of curiosity. It’s a pleasant enough tale with a few shining moments, and I truly appreciate the author’s own personal testimony of overcoming his own demons in a way that undoubtedly formed this book. However, those who are calling this book a modern day “Pilgrim’s Progress” are overstating the case a bit.
Not that it matters. I am sure Hollywood is already calling Mr. Young, and “The Shack” will be coming to a theater–or at least a DVD– very soon.
posted June 26, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I recently suffered the loss of my sister at 33 years old. She was killed by her estranged husband, leaving behind a 7 year old son and an 18 month old daughter and I miss her dearly.
I have been having a hard time letting go of what has happened and trying to find the “WHY” of all of it. Since I lost my dad to an accident in 1989 I have had a hard time saying GOODBYE.
My pastor at my church read a book called, “The Shack” and said that he thought of me when he read it. He was hoping that it would help me get some closure to what has happened. I read it and it was absolutely amazing. I cried, laughed but a lot of my feelings were in those pages. The more I read the more I understood how life works and how GOD meant for us to be. It is sad how messed up this world has gotten, but to know that GOD is there to pick up the pieces is comforting.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone especially those that have lost loved ones and find it difficult to have closure. It will keep you intrigued from cover to cover.
posted June 26, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I recently suffered the loss of my sister at 33 years old. She was killed by her estranged husband, leaving behind a 7 year old son and an 18 month old daughter and I miss her dearly.
I have been having a hard time letting go of what has happened and trying to find the “WHY” of all of it. Since I lost my dad to an accident in 1989 I have a hard time saying GOODBYE.
My pastor at my church read a book called, “The Shack” and said that he thought of me when he read it. He was hoping that it would help me get some closure to what has happened. I read it and it was absolutely amazing. I cried, laughed but a lot of my feelings were in those pages. The more I read the more I understood how life works and how GOD meant for us to be. It is sad how messed up this world has gotten, but to know that GOD is there to pick up the pieces is comforting.
I highly recommmend this book to anyone, especially for anyone having a hard time having closure from the loss of a loved one. It will keep your attention, feelings and questions answered from cover to cover.
posted July 9, 2008 at 12:13 am
I just finished reading “The Shack”. Here’s the thing, you will get out of it exactly what you want to. I loved it! The beginning was extremely difficult to get through but that made the rest even sweeter! I heard about the book sitting on a bleacher at a softball game from a fellow mother. We don’t belong to the same church and rarely talk on a spiritual level. However, there are now 5 of us reading it together. Isn’t that the beauty in it all? A book is bringing faith “out of the closet” so to speak in this little town. If you are like me and probably won’t ever get around to reading the entire Bible no matter how many times you have tried, it was refreshing and sad and wonderful and confusing and beautiful and a bunch of other emotions all rolled up together. I have already starting casting my favorite actors in the roles of The Trinity! It is a good read and I recommend it to (almost) anyone from 14 years and up.
posted August 5, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I haven’t read “The Shack” as yet but I’ve read “A Step Into Deliverance” by T. Pugh. It’s a riveting autobiography about a pastor’s journey into the deliverance ministry. There’s no heresy here, just jaw-dropping truth. A real page-turner!!
posted August 15, 2008 at 12:59 am
While on vacation, I read “The shack” and was captivated the entire time. This book has given me a fresh look into my understanding of the trinty. I talk to the Holy Spirit and call Him by the name of Jesus but I rarely ever speak to God. I guess that I have been trained to think that God is too holy to talk to. I understand that He is the same person but in reverance to His authority I never feel worthy of speaking directly to Him. Funny isn’t it, Mack thought the same way. Thanks to Mr. Young for writing this book and explaining the trinity in a way that simple minded people like myself can understand.
posted March 22, 2009 at 12:57 am
I understand the deep needs, and the captivation. God is our papa, abba father, and more than we can know. He is the answer to these heart breaking things, and when we come to the end of all things, He is all. But, He is not in the shack. I pray you are not drawn to this deception.