My first Philip Yancy book. A profound and enlightening memoir that had the inspirational side benefit of reexamination of my own faith.

This book was not on my radar until I received a marketing email from Random House inviting me to read the book- because I had liked the book Educated by Tara Westover.

Philip Yancey has been a writer of religious themed books for decades, but this one is a true memoir of his upbringing. His parents were southern fundamentalists from Atlanta, Georgia who planned on being missionaries to Africa. But after having two sons (Marshall and Philip), the father died from polio at the age of 24. He had been fighting the disease attached to an iron lung machine at the hospital, but his religious sensibilities propelled him to leave against medical advice. The mother, grief-stricken at her husband's burial site, dedicated her two son's lives in service of God.

The now widowed Mrs. Yancey never even considered re-marrying, but steadfastly and determinedly raised the two boys on her own, deriving some charity income from her home church in Philadelphia as well as teaching bible study in various capacities. They moved practically every year, the boys having to keep changing schools, because of the need to find cheaper living accommodations. Eventually they wound up buying the cheapest version of a trailer which could be moved to various locations as needed (at one point church grounds where Mrs. Yancey taught), but at least it was theirs.

The author Philip was the younger of the sons. He learned to read well before even going to school, by his own design. He would see his mother and aunt mysteriously gleaning information from newspapers, and was hungry to crack the code. They weren't allowed to go to movies (not that they had the money anyway) or watch TV, so reading became a gift where one could travel in one's mind. Older brother Marshall had an exquisite talent for playing the piano, and also for standing up to their fire and brimstone mother. When Marshall decided to transfer out of one Bible study college for a more liberal one, Mother Yancey became so incensed that she "cursed" him that God would either paralyze him or make him lose his mind.

The book also covers Philip's personal journey in being called to God. He attended the same Bible college that his brother first went to, but struggled with his faith and mightily questioned everything including college rules, the integrity of his professors, etc. He also served as a vessel of communication between his psychologically challenged brother and difficult (and probably also psychologically challenged) mother.

I do enjoy reading how people survive through life's challenges, like keeping a roof over your head and providing for two children as a widow. I also found it fascinating reading about all the different living situations Philip found himself in, and how he adapted/survived. His eyes became open to the scourge of racism which he had been accustomed to growing up in the south during the sixties. Overall, this was an enlightening and interesting read.

Thank you to the publisher Convergent Books / Random House for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Books written by Philip Yancey have been a boon and a blessing in many believers' lives; I for one, can attest to that. They are "get real" books; drop the facade. In this book, Yancey unveils "where he's coming from" in those books. Again, a blessing to know of the struggles endured throughout his lifetime, at home and at church, yet being able to strongly come to terms, in sincere faith and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who have grown up in a home and/or church setting that have, as Yancey puts it, an "extreme form of faith" and have been spiritually and emotionally abused thereby, will relate to his "verbal selfie" aka "memoir" (his terms). They will know there is hope. Philip Yancey, thank-you for candidly sharing your life's journey; it helps!

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

September 2021

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by the publisher.

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This was my first time reading a Philip Yancey book and I loved his writing. He talks about his personal life and how he was hurt in the past by his family and how he grows as a person.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

We tend to get this idea in our heads that Christian leaders have everything in perfect order; that they are always holding a good hand. We think that they have had a great Christian life and have never been tempted to sin or been through troubled times. But this is far from the truth. When we look through scripture we find that God oftentimes chooses the weak or the least expected to do mighty things for Him.
As I picked up Phillip Yancey’s memoir, Where the Light Fell, I found the story of his life heartbreaking. But I learned several things in my reading that I shared on my blog. One thing for certain I learned is that Perhaps as parents, we should not shut down our children's questioning, even when it seems against God. They are searching to find God in their own ways. Answer their questions with respect perhaps even learning along with them. And remember it may take many years for them to accept Him as Lord.

Philip Yancey was always questioning his faith. What is Real? What is really a sin? He tested his teachers and mother at every turn. But in His questioning, he found the truth. He found a faith that he could grab onto and believe in. Not only that, he has been able to answer many questioning people through his books. His life and questioning of it gave him the knowledge to explain the truth to others that possibly, we who have always accepted the faith of our families cannot. Just take note of some of his book titles.

The Jesus I Never Knew

What’s So Amazing About Grace?

Prayer: Does it Make a Difference?

The Scandal of Forgiveness: Grace Put to the Test

WHY? The Question That Never Goes Away

Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find?

I am ashamed to admit I've never read one of Philip Yancey's books before, but I was deeply moved by this memoir. It resonated with my upbringing in a different kind of 'prison' (a communist country), struggling to understand what is real and what is fake, never believing what it was said because of what I could see with my own eyes, crushed under so many arbitrary rules, and escaping in great literature.
To this day I still feel a gap between church as institution, with its rituals that you must observe without questioning, and my personal faith. But then I never sought to understand it, whereas Philip lived and breathed it, rebelled against it and finally accepted it on his own terms. Admirable!

A profound memoir
Journalist, publisher of Christianity Today, and well-known Christian author Philip Yancey presents a special book with "Where the Light Fell. A Memoir" published by Convergent Books. He divided his book into five parts: 1) The Family Plot, 2) Boyhood, 3) Roots, 4) Disorder, and 5) Graced. Between the chapters there are quotes from well-known personalities, e.g., Richard Selzer, William Nicholson, Emily Dickson, William Cowper. The book starts with his unexpected discovery of the truth of his father's death when he brings his girlfriend home for the first time. Yancey talks about the fact that they were moving around a lot when he was a child due to their poverty. He was being labeled as "slow" (chapter 6) in contrast to his brother Marshall who is labeled as lazy and his reaction to it, but also as quick and smart. Later he is also labeled a sneak. Yancey talks a lot about the challenging relationship with his mother. In chapter 23 he talks about the different ways he and his brother dealt with their childhood: "Although we are both recovering from the toxic effects of our childhood, we react in opposite ways. Marshall becomes a proud atheist, shunning all religion. I accept a job with a Christian magazine, Campus Life." But he talks also about the results of it in the same chapter: "... But the pained look on his face shows me that lacerations of the soul can wound as deeply as those of the body."
This memoir is personal, open, and honest, but also profound. I recommend it for readers who are interested in what shaped Yancey's life and work. It is for readers who are willing to read a challenging memoir, who like memoirs that are honest, readers who do not want to ignore the topics of verbal, mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse, childhood trauma and the reality of life.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#WhereTheLightFell #NetGalley

I always enjoy a memoir, and this memoir is no exception. I had NO idea about Yancey's childhood. While this was a hard book to read, I appreciate him sharing his story. With notes of JD Grear, I will definitely be recommending this book to those who enjoy hearing about someone's life, and how he overcame all the odds and obstacles.

Raised by a poor widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to escape beyond the confines of their trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered an alarming secret about his father's death, a secret that began to shine a light on the motivations that drove his mother to an extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause.

Philip Yancey's ability to recall early memories from his childhood is striking, and his account of those memories is honest and vulnerable.

I probably would have liked it better if I knew who the author was or appreciated religious upbringing more.

This just didn’t end up being a book that interested me. When I first read the premise, I was very excited and invested, but getting into it made it clear that it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works for others out there!

Read if you: Want an enlightening and moving memoir of the dangers of rigid faith from one of the giants of contemporary Christian writing.

It's been years since I've read something from Yancey. He has a deep capacity for grace, love, and forgiveness that is quite admirable.

Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase for readers looking for profoundly moving and revealing memoirs of faith and childhood.

Many thanks to Convergent Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can not recommend this book enough! I read Where the Light Fell in one day. This book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

Where the Light Fell
by Philip Yancey
5 stars

Wow, what a book. A sad yet uplifting book about the childhood and life of Phillip Yancey. I absolutely could not put it down. I do believe a great many people are going to identify either with his legalistic background or the many questions he had regarding his faith.
This is truly a book for anyone who has ever questioned their faith or thought they were missing the bigger picture. Yancey has written a stark, painful yet inspiring account of his life and his faith.

I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

I loved this book. "Where the Light Fell" by Philip Yancey has a quiet power and a powerfully honest exploration of Yancey's life. I've been a long-time fan of Yancey's work, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his beginnings and how it has informed his life-work. It's been fascinating, impactful, and a blessing to read. I'm even more of a fan now.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warning: animal abuse. I am a huge animal lover, so many may not be bothered by it.
Let me start by saying I had never heard of Mr. Yancey before reading this book, I went into it thinking of it as a memoir, which I read plenty of, and it was a flop for me. I am thinking this is probably because 1) I am not already familiar with the author and 2) I am not a a huge Christian. I put this book down numerous times and finished numerous other books before finally slogging my way through this one. Learning about his Mother's mental illness was interesting, but he could not hold my attention and I felt many aspects were kot needed, like his brother'snumerous sexualI descretions. I did ask my sister about Philip Yancy and she was immediately talking a mile a minute about him and so many aspects of his life and books she has read by him. She is well aware of him already and would probably be very interested in his early life and what made him the person of God he is now, unlike me. I highly recommend this for those who know him and enjoyed his other works, but maybe others would be best to borrow from a library.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This author shares his life story and how you can be raised one way but by allowing God to bring the truth to light you can be set free from your past.
Thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy.

It's always quite unfair to review biographical content, but I'll share my honest opinion on this. The writing style is reasonable, nothing to point out there. But it was pretty boring, even if you identify yourself with the lifestyle shared in the book, which I don't. So maybe I also didn't make the best of choices picking this out.

Philip Yancey’s newest book, Where the Light Fell is a true testament to God’s grace for His people. Yancey grew up in an extreme, fundamentalist church, surrounded and inundated with racial hatred, poverty, cruelty, and mental illness. Yet through God’s grace, Yancey found love, forgiveness, and redemption. The subject matter makes this book sometimes heartbreakingly difficult to read, but the journey the author makes gives hope to everyone struggling to overcome their past.

Philip Yancey is very open about his childhood in this thought-provoking  memoir. He starts off by sharing information about how he discovered the horrible way his father died from polio; his parents were both behind the choices  that hastened his death. Perhaps he would have lived if he hadn't been moved away from the hospital and treatments for polio.

He also shares details about his growing up years and what I can only think of as hijinks from them. He and his brother were just a couple of typical boys raised at a time when children had a lot of freedom and spent good portions of their days outside. A big part of his life  was his careful introspection of his own actions and thoughts. At times, he would use this to find ways to get along with others--not always sincerely. 

Some of the hardest parts of the book are the details of his mother's behavior. From the angelic Bible teacher out in the world, to the  difficult mom who punished her children--often without a reason--and who would lapse into downright mean, horrible  comments.  Philip's brother admitted that he hated her. 

Moreover, another difficult part of the was the treatment of blacks. Because of  Philip's growing awareness of how unfair that was added to the story and covers a time in our history that was the beginning of much needed change in our country.

I recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy books by the author or the honest, ruminations of someone who grew up and lived during a time that in so many ways was a turning point for our country.