I'm not a huge Metaxas fan, but his writing style appeals to me, and I've enjoyed some of his other books. He is a brilliant writer, which makes this book a little easier to digest, but it is about 50% too long. I appreciate some of the nuanced stories and building blocks of his childhood, but the middle of the book was like wading through mud. The last few chapters were where I wish we had more meat (which I think is good lead in for his follow up). Unfortunately, if it's this long, I will have to pass. A captivating idea, but not well executed. He's not a famous dead person, therefore, we don't need a 400+ page life chronicle. I did GREATLY enjoy him narrating the audiobook. The pace was a little slow (I listened to it at 3x), but he was a brilliant narrator for his own stories.

Funny and fun to listen to (this review is the audio version), Metaxas goes into detail about certain periods of his childhood and speaks to his cultural identity as the son of Greek/German immigrants. There are hilarious and touching descriptions of specific aspects of his life such as how his friend Scott looked like Opie from The Andy Griffith Show (if you’re old enough to remember that TV show) and when at the end of 5th grade, he remembers feeling very “American.” His class was outside standing around the flagpole to celebrate Flag Day. His teacher played taps on the trumpet with the flag waving in the air. His memory was of how sweetly and beautifully the trumpet sounded as he felt the feeling of being taught, without words, to love his country and the meaning of freedom. Each chapter in the book introduces you to a family member, friend, enemies, mentors, who influenced him in some manner and he talks about his father in many lovingly and sad instances. One downfall in the author’s reading of the book lies with the cadence of his reading. He seems to fall into a pace that is very slow and deliberate which can be annoying at times. But there is so much happening and so many stories told that perhaps, you may want to read the actual book as to not miss anything or to laugh over and over at a specific scene that you just can’t tear yourself away from. Wonderfully written.