This was a struggle for me to begin with. I haven't read a lot of Yancey's books but I was fascinated to read an account of a prolific Christian author's walk with the Lord. What I struggled with at first, well for much of the first half of the book was the emphasis on Yancey's early years and the amount of detail provided. I wasn't convinced I needed to read so much detail of his fundamentalist upbringing and its impact on his young life and that of his brother, Marshall. In addition, I grappled with the picture I was being presented with of their mother and how it grew in its severity. I wasn't sure if that was fair to her being put in the public eye in such a difficult and at times negative light.

I kept wondering when Yancey's story was going to take off. When would he experience Christ in a way that would change his life and take it out of the challenging environment Yancey lived in for much of his first 20 years?

And then it came. And in a very dramatic way. The skeptic experienced Christ using his imagination on reading the parable of the Good Samaritan. I couldn't put the story down from that point on.

Suffering and Grace. The two great themes of Yancey's writing reflect his life. He tells us this at the end and for much of this memoir we read the sufferings of his mom, Yancey and especially Marshall. It's confronting at times and terribly sad.

And then there's grace. Lots of it.

I thought we'd read more about his writing and his adult years but much of the latter are still reflections on the impact of his early years, even to the extent of Yancey feeling led to apologise to many that he hurt in those formative times. More grace.

This isn't a memoir for everyone. There were many times I thought of packing it in as I tired of story after story of the impact of the southern fundamentalist beliefs of his mom on the two boys. But I realise at the end that we have to read that to better understand the wonder of grace and how both the suffering helped shape the man and allowed for him to discover that wonder so he could minister so effectively to others.
And I made peace with how Yancey presented his mom too.

I received an early ebook copy from the publisher via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

Where the Light Fell reads equal parts intriguing fiction as it does memoir - it's engaging and detailed and thought provoking, and makes you question your own origins and why you think/feel/believe the way you do - and how that came to be the case.

What beliefs did your family have in general, and about you specifically? What story did you have to live up to? Why? Have you ever thought of what your life (or that of your parents) would be, had things been just a little different? What did they have to do to survive?
This is what Philip Yancey explores, diving into not only his quest for approval and faith, but his brother's rejection of the ideology, choosing instead to escape via various drugs. One upbringing, two very different paths.

Not my typical style of book, so it did take a bit of work to get through, but found it engaging and thought provoking.

I received an email from the publisher inviting me to read this memoir that stated it was similar to books such as Educated by Tara Westover, which I loved, so I decided to give it a try. I suppose 'loved' isn't entirely accurate, because her story is at times downright terrifying, but I think you understand what I mean.

I have never read Yancey's other work, and I confess I had never heard of him until I read this one. He is incredibly brave for sharing this with the world and I found I could not put the book down.

Yancey details his life, living with his mother and older brother, Marshall after the death of his father. His father died young from Polio, so it was just the three of them for a very long time. The elder Yancey died after he and his wife, southern fundamentalist Christians, decided to leave his health and life to God and reject the option of remaining in the Iron Lung. It would be a decision with catastrophic consequences for many years to come, beyond his death which of course in itself was catastrophic for the young family.

From then on Yancey, his brother, and mother moved constantly. She relied on support from their church and from teaching Bible studies whenever she could, wherever they were at. Being without means, the family often moved nearly every year in order to find affordable housing. The boys were constantly uprooted as their mother drove herself deeper and deeper into incredibly hostile religious beliefs, among them being that her sons were meant for some great divine purpose and she would do everything she could to ensure they stayed on that path to becoming missionaries.

Of course, this would not go well.

Despite both boys being gifted in various ways (musically, academically, etc), this was not enough for their mother. Or rather, those were not the gifts she wanted them to use, not the gifts she believed they were put on their earth to grow with.

As the boys get older, Marshall becomes increasingly adept at standing up to their mother who is constantly coming at them with the fire-and-brimstone sure to engulf the boys if they stray. Yet stray they do - yet their paths diverge greatly in how they do so.

When Marshall first went off to college, he attended Columbia Bible College. Yet his rebellion came quickly and when he transferred to a less-zealous/more-liberal school, their mother reacted as one would expect: cursing him by calling on God to paralyze him or cause him to go crazy. Yet Marshall managed to go on with his life as he wanted to, as his mother's religious convictions simply drove him further and further from the church and faith she clung to so tightly. It will surprise no one that Marshall became an atheist.

Philip would eventually follow his brother to Columbia Bible College, where he had his own rebellions. Yet, despite his mother's behavior, Philip was not driven away from the church. Instead, it caused him to delve deeper into faith, to explore the possibilities of faith and grace, instead of faith tied to the constant fear his mother had raged at them all their lives. Yancey details at length his constant questioning of the world around him in his time at the Bible college and it eventually led him down the path he has walked to reach this point, where he can look back on his life so far and find healing.

There is no denying that the boys had an abusive upbringing, given the two vastly different personalities their mother possessed. So proper and deeply spiritual in public, yet at home spiritual in such a violent way that can't really be called spiritual at all. Through this memoir though, it seems the author has come to terms with that childhood and young adulthood. It eventually delivered him to wear he is now, blessed in having found true faith with grace and forgiveness.

Highly recommended.

Phillip Yancey often writes about pain, suffering and grace. His memoir, Where the Light Fell goes some way to explaining where those themes originated. Written with honesty and at times, heart breaking, Yancey tells of his growing up years and the influences that shaped him.

After his father’s untimely death, Philip Yancey and his brother Marshall were raised in a strict fundamentalist Christian household, by a mother who was under extreme pressure to maintain her image as a successful Bible teacher while her children were often emotionally abused and neglected. Both sons went on to Bible college, but while Marshall dropped out and lived a highly chaotic life, Philip graduated and began a successful career in ministry, eventually writing self-help books from his Christian perspective.

Philip Yancey’s memoir of his early life is emotional, and I felt sadness when reading about the mean things his mother said to both boys. I can’t imagine telling my daughter that I hoped she would be broken and have a terrible life, no matter how angry I was. The determination and drive demonstrated by Philip Yancey is admirable, and his love for God shows through in his writing.

This memoir is, I think, a cathartic exercise for Yancey. It often seems to be a healing experience to recount the toxic events from youth and that is what Yancey does. He takes us up to the last of his elementary school years in the first half of the book. His father died of polio when Yancey was still a toddler so he was raised by a single mom. His memories include having pets, going to the dentist, sticking a raisin up his nose, sibling rivalry, antics during long sermons at a fundamental church, skipping a grade in elementary school, the Cold War, changing schools, southern stories, racist relatives, odd cousins, his mother unraveling, Bible camps and more.

Yancey then writes about high school, his fascination with science, breaking his bones repeatedly, self awareness and personality, attending a Bible college, having his first authentic spiritual experience, his older bother's spiritual crisis and later mental breakdown and drug habit, and graduate school and entering a career in writing.

Yancey does share a few thoughts on his life near the end of the book. He writes about suffering and grace. But the thrust of the book is Yancey's history alone. He writes in the Author's Note, “Looking back, I wanted to understand myself, as well as the environment that helped form me.” (4430/4463) He did so, he says, the only way he knows how, by writing.

I am not sure of the benefit of this book to the readers. It is a good example of how one one man made it through toxic experiences with a mature faith while his brother did not. What is missing, however, is how Yancey did make it through to to being the Christian he is today. Perhaps he has shared that in other books he has written but he does not do so here. So, if you want to read an engaging account of Yancey's experiences, this is your book. If you want insights into surviving similar toxic experiences, you will have to look elsewhere.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Classic story of overcoming what could be considered a difficult childhood; reminiscent of "The Glass Castle". I enjoyed the simplicity of the book, and that Yancey doesn't shy away from the "ugly" parts of his childhood. I did wish the book was a bit more polished, but this could be because I read the ARC rather than the final, published edition. I don't know that I would recommend the entire text to my students, but I could definitely see pulling excerpts to read with the class.

A searingly honest memoir about growing up within a fundamentalist Christian community in the south with an emotionally abusive mother and a brother who was brilliant but damaged. Yancey was raised a racist and he addresses that unflinchingly. His honesty about his shortcomings and poor choices is humble and illuminating. Anyone who has been raised in a religious family will be able to relate to a lot of things Yancey had to deal with, but his own experiences are pretty unique and make for absorbing and reflective reading. Unputdownable.
#netgalley

A very interesting read for me.
A memoir exploring his younger years and how his life was formed after the death of his father, Phillip Yancey takes us on a trip to the deep South, with all their beliefs and customs and their life with a mother who was determined that they fulfill their late father and her original destiny.
It took me a while to get into the book, but once it hooked me I couldn't put it down. I especially like the ending - how he went back to his childhood formative churches and tried to reconcile his past learnings with what he discovered as adult - acknowledging the learnings that were wrong but drummed into a child by his ultra-conservative church. How their intense childhood affected both him and his brother in different ways.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

This is my first book by Philip Yancey, but it won't be my last. This book tells the story of his childhood and all of it's ups, downs and sideways. From a mother who just didn't seem to care, to a brother who had mental illness ( which I believe, ultimately because of their mom) and a relationship with the church that in the beginning wasn't healthy at all. I could not put this book down. It is a memoir that is worth reading and I am so glad I did! 4⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Convergent Books and Philip Yancey for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I guess since Where the Light Fell was written by Philip Yancey I expected to feel a little more inspired after reading it. Yancey has written many books, some of which are absolute favorites of mine. This will not be one of them. I'm not sure it was meant to be. This book is a painful memoir of Yancey's birth family and his struggles to make sense of a broken and sometimes brutal church family.
It can serve as a glimpse into the 60's with all sorts of references to music, politics, TV shows and clothing. It can also give us a taste of how complex and sometimes misguided our faith communities can become.
To not only survive that dysfunction but to thrive and to become a writer who has impact on so so many people truly is a testament to grace itself. Kudos to Yancey for his transparency. He willingly inspects rascism, religious fanaticism and mental illness.
This is a very discussible book. There is a lot to unpack.
Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent books for this free ARC of Where the Light Fell in exchange for an unbiased review.

Many thanks to Convergent Books for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read some of Mr. Yancey's other works, and when I saw that he had written a memoir I was more than a little intrigued. This book did not disappoint. My. Yancey has a very humble and comfortable style of writing, making you to feel like a part of his story, and he has a way of describing events that brings them to life.

I appreciate how Mr. Yancey shared his story in an authentic and vulnerable way - describing his thoughts, feelings about, and interpretation of events while taking other people's perspectives into account. The American church has certainly gone through a slow evolution, if you will, over the course of his life. I think this is a great chronicle of some of the struggles and mistakes that have been a part of that. I so appreciate Mr. Yancey's gracious attitude in sharing his life story. A beautiful story from start to finish!

In Where the Light Fell, Philip Yancey writes his memoir, choosing to focus especially on his childhood through his college years. He and his brother had a difficult childhood with a firm mother who appeared to struggle with undiagnosed mental struggles. While she appeared devout to others and dedicated herself faithfully to the church and to biblical instruction for children, in her home, she was harsh, unpredictable, and angry. Money was tight and moves were frequent.

There are lessons to be learned in Yancey's realization of how his father died of polio -- his parents made the decision to have him discharged and seek alternative treatment, which feels prescient in today's polarization surrounding approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. In other instances of newfound relevance given our current circumstances, Yancey describes his experience and assumptions about race and people of color, and how those views were challenged and changed. He also examines his fundamentalist faith in new eyes.

I found this a gripping, beautiful biography frankly told in humbleness and gentleness. I appreciated his skill in revisiting his childhood, finding the moments that were transformative and the people who were supportive. This, ultimately, is the story of conversion on multiple levels: in his faith, in his relationships, and in his life.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

This is a powerful book exposing unexpected spiritual struggles of one of the best Christian authors of our time. It is an expose both of the hypocrisy so often prevalent within Christian homes and the resilience of the human spirit, especially when one looks to God for strength. Much of this book is not easy to read but it is a gripping personal account filled with transparency. I highly recommend this book.

Even though I'm probably not the typical audience for this book, but I was drawn in after the first chapter. The author does a great job revealing his discovery about his father's truth to then delve in and explore. As reader, I felt like I was looking through his eyes, going on this discovery journey with him. It is a fascinating personal story. An interesting look into Christian fundamentalism and life growing up in Atlanta, a city I struggled to live in and recognize in this book. At one point the author mentions how he straddled two worlds: his home and church and the world beyond. As part of the world far beyond, it was an interesting but sad perspective to read about.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir recounts the author’s childhood spent in rural Georgia where segregation was the law, racism was expected and encouraged and EVERYONE went to church. He writes of his fundamentalist Christian upbringing and his turbulent relationship with his punitive mother, both of which contributed to his eschewing anything God related for much of his adolescence and young adulthood.
Now a bestselling Christian author, Yancey’s honesty about his bumpy spiritual journey was quite refreshing. In today’s climate of divisive Christian toxicity, I can see how his perspectives on God and Christianity can seem like a breath of fresh air for seekers.
Thanks to #netgalley and #convergentbooks for this ARC of #wherethelightfell in exchange for an honest review.

Philip Yancey writes in this book that two life themes surface in all his books: suffering and grace.

That's why I've turned to his books again and again through the years because who hasn't had suffering and who doesn't need grace?

It’s delightful now to hear Yancey’s backstory.

In this book he takes us back to his father dying from polio when Philip was only three years old.

It changes the trajectory of his life. From then on, Philip and his brother Marshall will have scandalous ups and downs as they’re raised by their fundamentalist and mentally ill mother.

Yancey doesn’t hold back from the ugly parts of his life. He takes responsibility for things like this:

“As a true son of the South, I am born and bred a racist.”

and

“Secretly, I liked watching the way bluish smoke curled up from his nostrils. So that’s what sin looks like, I thought.”

But he shows us the redeeming parts too. We see the changes.

In true Yancey form, the writing is both glorious and haunting. He arrives at the conclusion that, “Nothing, in the end, was wasted.”

I haven’t attained all the wisdom of Yancey, but I appreciate how he is lighting the way for my path. I want to come to the same conclusion that he has at the end of this “verbal selfie”:

“Above all else, grace is a gift, one I cannot stop writing about until my story ends.”

Yes, please keep writing, Philip Yancey.

I’ll keep reading.

My thanks to NetGalley + Convergent Books for the review copy of this book.

Thank you to the author, Convergent Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir can be seen as a prequel to Yancey's many books on faith and belief. It opens up his life - sometimes in a brutally honest way (CW for verbal/mental/emotional/spiritual abuse, mental illness, racism) - and shows the reader what shaped him into the man he became. As I was moving away from my own bout with religion, I found Yancey's books some of the only writings that still spoke to my longing for faith and belief, and now I understand why. His faith didn't come easy, and he doesn't sugarcoat his failings - he highlights his personal and spiritual journey, and how he came to learn to differentiate between what God says, and what others say God says.

Am amazing book and so incredibly blessed to have read this book. Definitely one I’m keeping when I need a light to shine in the darkness

Where the Light Fell
Written in open honesty, Where the Light Fell is a book to be re-read. The author addresses many important issues, including where is God.