It is touching, and a lesson sorely needed today. There is a short section called, “Because He’s Your Father” where Metaxas recalls a lesson his uncle taught him about respect for one’s parent. The most succinct, and damning description of modern American Christianity as I have come across recently, “…like most “Christians” we had a loopy amalgam of half-beliefs, many of which contradicted the actual tenets of our claimed faith, and resulted in what is a typical American-style “tolerance”, in which one treads lightly on issues of faith and truth…” Some items from the text that I enjoyed include: The text explains how his family came to the US, and Metaxas’ birth, and then follows his growing up, through college, and into his lost early years, culminating in a born again experience for the author. Another quibble is that the first part of the text has a jarring lack of the use of transitions.Įric Metaxas is a first generation American, the son of immigrants, a father from Greece, and a mother from Germany.

Most of the time the dated stylistic flourishes come across as authentic to the author’s patterns of speech, albeit at times it was irritating. The text feels like a read from another time. At times it feels forced and pretentious, but the feeling comes and goes. FISH OUT OF WATER A SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE is an interesting introduction to the work of Metaxas, and I am glad I read it, as I think it may inform my reading of the biographies of others he has written.įirst off, be warned Metaxas uses elevated prose. I can’t remember who recommended I read his memoir, but I did. Metaxas has written on my “to read” pile, but I have not gotten to them yet. “We had touched Beauty itself, and Goodness itself, and Truth itself.” (3.5 stars)

Eric metaxas fish out of water