Born Again

Title: Born Again
Author: Tom Harpur
Genre: Non-fiction, Spiritual, Memoir
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Tom Harpur is an Anglican priest, Rhodes Scholar, Professor at University of Toronto, writer and editor for Toronto Star and a published prolific author.  His previous book "The Pagan Christ" has received critical acclaim.  In this book, Harpur delves into his spiritual journey away from fundamentalism and into spiritual freedom.  He discusses his struggles and triumphs along the way to spiritual self discovery.  What Harpur brings to his audience is more than a memoir, it is something personal and gives us a glimpse into his life.





When I seen this book on Netgalley I was interested in reading someone else's spiritual quest, but also was unsure of what to expect.  I have read a few memoirs that fell short and didn't seem as interesting as the synopsis made it seem, but this book held my attention from beginning to end.  Harpur basically opens the door to his own life for readers to experience.  He doesn't bore readers with every little detail of  his life, but pinpoints the critical points along his journey.


He writes with a knowledgeable, sage voice and include very candid comments about things he observed throughout life which made reading the book all the more real.  He makes it personal and relatable which is something I love about his memoir as opposed to others.  I haven't been able to feel connected to my author the way I did while I was reading this book.  Harpur address some of the things I have been thinking in my own personal spiritual odyssey.


Throughout this memoir, there is a lot of insight and revelation that leads to his personal renewal, his personal freedom from the fundamentalism of organized religion.  This book really hit home as I admit it is something I struggle with in my own personal walk.  I found it very resourceful and know I will find myself returning back to it time and time again., and I feel each time I return to it, I will find something else that will be helpful.


I recommend this to anyone who longs for spiritual freedom, and someone who enjoys memoirs.  It is definitely one of those reads that will get you thinking about things. 

Search For Significance

It took me longer to read this book than normal for the fact that I kept getting mad at it and walking away.  Why did I get mad at it?  A lot of what it was talking about described me too perfectly and that was hard to face sometimes.  This books makes you come face to face with hard truths about yourself and find the acceptance needed to understand them.

Every one is looking for significance somewhere, but do we look for it in God or do we look elsewhere? That is the question this book addresses.  It use scripture to back up the things it says and has exercises to help you understand the teaching within the book.  At the end is even a little workbook to help you through the book and study it and the Bible.  I found it helpful to read a chapter or two a day and work on the workbook sections at the same time.

It was easy to follow and understand.  It was filled with over the top and excessively wordy chapters.  No matter where you are in your walk with God, this book is helpful in taking that first step in finding significance within Him rather than other places.

I  know I will keep coming back to this book over and over again and will keep learning something in it.  A friend of mine recommended this book to me and highly recommend it to others as well.  If you want to grow and come closer to understanding God's love for us then this is the book for you.   Even though it made me mad over and over again I give this a 5 out of 5 star rating.

Tree Spirited Woman

This was a short little book, easily read within an hour or two, that focuses on many aspects of life that we struggle with on a daily basis.  It tells of one woman's meetings with a woman who referred to herself as Tree Spirited Woman.  The narrator(author) spends time with this woman learning her wisdom and knowledge she accumulated throughout the years.  It is a book that makes you look at your own spiritual journey and wonder how you can turn away from the negative things in your life or negative outlook on this and find positive gentle ways of dealing with them such as death and heartache.

While a lot of the things mentioned in this book are things that we have heard before in other forms, but this one puts it in a story format and addresses the ideas in a new light and encourages readers to think about these things differently than they previously have in the past.  I know it has made me rethink some things.  This is one of those books that you will re-read in the future and learn something new each time you pick it up. 

I found it to be a fantastic book to read and enjoyed it.  I am glad I picked it up on an impulse.  I believe I will be reading it again in the near future and see what else I can pick up from it.  I will give this lovely little book a 4 out 5 rating because I actually wish it was longer.