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Dec 17, 2009

Kim rated it:

This is the first book I read by Philip Yancey. His style is easy and he knows his audience includes both Christians and those who are searching. I've enjoyed everything I've read by him because of this.

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Apr 20, 2008

Carrie rated it:

love love love this book. yes it falls in the christian category, but it's simply about people who lived their lives in a way that's bound to inspire you. the 13 mini-biographies give you a good sense of these people and yancey helps you to learn more about them through suggested readings at the end of each chapter. i've read 3 other books already just based on what i learned from this book.

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Apr 04, 2009

Roshea rated it:

The book title says it all - particularly the emphasis on unlikely mentors. Philip Yancey witnessed, like many people, the injustices, such as slavery and racism, inflicted by the church in the name of God. Instead of walking away from the church, he journeys back in time and examines the live of 13 remarkable men who are not preached about as a fine Christian examples. However, on sorting through these unlikely men's lives he discovered God's handiwork. Mahatma Ghandi, India's 'Great Soul', l More...

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Aug 03, 2009

mirela rated it:

I like yancey very much!! he's one of my favourite authors, and, toghether with wurmbrand, my favourite author on "spiritual matters":) I found the title of this book intriguing and captivating at the same time, but when i opened it and saw it is about his mentors, i was thrilled. As far as it concerns me, nothing can influence and teach me more than a good living (or once living:P) example. So i'm excited to read it!

I read so far about Martin Luther King Jr., Chesterton a More...

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Dec 17, 2011

Ben rated it:

It is rare when you find a book that can change your whole perception on life. Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey not only changed my perception, but did what a good book is supposed to do: inspire a person. I will point out that not everyone will find it to be so dramatically life-altering. But Yancey had a childhood similar to mine, and his perspective is unique. I know that I'm a little late in reading this book (it came out in 2001) but I couldn't help but spread the word about it.

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Aug 09, 2011

Matthew added it

I read this book in one week, while doing a missions trip with my church to Guatemala.

I've long identified with Yancey, who comes from hardcore fundamentalist deep south segregationist Baptist roots; I too come from fundamentalism and the apocalyptic "low church". His earlier works cleverly slide in progressive, even liberal thought into a larger Christian context that paints a very different Jesus from the ugly model that (rightly) gets all the press.

But in this book he explores the More...

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Jul 07, 2009

Zigforas rated it:

This is the most moving and encouraging book I have read in a long time. What I liked best about it was how Phillip Yancey doesn't just compile a "top ten" list of inspiring people and reproduce children's story idealizations of their lives. He interweaves his own journey of faith, growth, and repentance with stories of how each person challenged him to reexamine his life and values, while avoiding the temptation to whitewash them into saints. I was very touched by the second chapte More...

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Feb 04, 2011

Christine rated it:

I love this book! It's a collection of mini-biographies and how Yancey was affected by each of the people, wrapping up into a sort of larger biography of him. Plus, it is amazing the overlap in reading this book alongside L'Abri and then alongside life in general. Carolyn is reading Silence - by Endo, a chapter in the book. Dr. C Everett Koop is mentioned in L'Abri (or something else I read lately), and is a chapter in this book. My worlds are colliding, and I love that reinforcement.
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May 07, 2011

Matthew rated it:

Excellent book. The subtitle says nearly all: "How my faith survived the church" -- turn out Yancey grew up in a racist church in the South and had to leave it for several years to come to terms with his own faith. Soul Survivor is written as 13 mini-biographies of 13 (really 14, as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are put in a single chapter) individuals whose writing and work helped the author rethink his faith. In the process it is in a way in itself a spiritual auto-biography. Throughout, he More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Angus rated it:

I found this book was much less tightly written than what I think are Yancey's best - '....Grace' and 'The Jesus...' but I also felt more inspired in some ways by it. (I also don't think the premise of reflecting on how these people changed or affected him really came through - where the reflection took place I didn't find it particularly deep and most of the space was spent discussing the others, which is probably a good thing).

I felt some synergy with some of the familiar characters - Ghandi More...

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Aug 05, 2011

Thk rated it:

A more advanced book for fans of Yancey's books. Yes the church and God can sometimes be at loggerheads, as exemplified by the life of Yancey himself. I was reminded by my pastor this week that the church is not as much a physical building but a living entity in us. I always enjoyed Yancey's books as he doesn't preach from the top of a pedestal. Like us he faces the same issues as us as we come to terms with God and His teachings. In this book he outlines why he takes this approach in truth, as More...

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Nov 12, 2010

Karen rated it:

The sub-title was about surviving the church. The title and subtitle were not interesting to me, but I thought, hey, I enjoyed his other books, I'll see what he has to say and since I got the book at the library, I had nothing to lose!

Was I surprised! Basically it is short biographical pieces on people who had a great influence on his life. All the inside details and books we had read in common were encouraging to me. Biograpies always encourage me. They have helped me from my child More...

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Apr 21, 2009

Gene rated it:

An encouraging book to read, and one that challenges some of my knee-jerk conservative reactions. I was surprised to find myself drawn to MLK Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. I am now curious to read something by Leo Tolstoy or John Donne. Finding this poem by GK Chesterton was worth the reading of the entire book:

Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world round me;
And with tomorrow begins another
Why am I allowed two?

This b More...

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Sep 16, 2008

Ron rated it:

Interesting, but hardly earth-shaking.

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Nov 14, 2010

Robert rated it:

Yancey writes about people that greatly influenced him and who have bolstered his faith. This is not the apologetic that I was expecting; it was not a rigorous defense of how a perfect God can transmit His love through a very imperfect church. Rather Yancey acknowledges on how the sin and corruption of individuals and entire churches has been challenging to his own faith. His answer to that challenge is seeing the impact of Christ on certain sinful individuals who, in spite of their shortcomi More...

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Dec 20, 2009

Dri rated it:

I really like Yancey, however I think this is the fourth or fifth book I've read by him and after a while it's a bit repetitious. There were some stories he wrote in there especially ones about Paul Brand, Martin Luther King,Jr, Ghandi, Tolstoy, Henri Nouwen that I found insightful and informative, but mostly b/c I did not know their life stories. In much of his other books as in this one, Yancey's main points are:life is difficult, humans are sinners, pain in this world is real, churches often More...

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Jul 04, 2011

Heidi rated it:

After reading What's So Amazing About Grace? and loving it I picked this book up. It sat on my bookshelf for over a year before I finally read it. I didn't know what to expect with a subtitle like How My Faith Survived the Church but I definitely knew I would be able to relate to some degree. It is amazing how Yancey brings up so many brilliant points without ever being disparaging (I can't say I have that gift, myself). It is an excellent read for so many reasons, not the least of which are More...

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Jun 03, 2011

Ruth rated it:

This is an excellent study book and I am using it as a textbook for a class I am taking. Well written about interesting people who have shaped our religious as well as our political history. I am learning from it.
Completed this book and this study class. It is a very informativbe and interesting look into the lives of thirteen great (and some just famous) men and an examination of their religous beliefs, what they base them on and how they have influenced their lives. It contains excelle More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 04, 2010

Jodi rated it:

Not a quick read, but one that challenges my attitudes and belief structure in a good way. This book makes me want to be a better person and Christian. It makes me examine my faith in a practical way. We're not talking "tea party" fanaticism here; we're talking about living life with the realization that whatever I do or say, or don't do or say, can have a profound affect on those around me. This book is about real people, who are nothing special in their own minds, but who leave a leg More...

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Dec 09, 2009

Caylene rated it:

Philip Yancey is my favorite Christian author. I thought I had read most of his books until I came across "Soul Survivor" at a used book store. "Soul Survivor" is Yancey's description of 13 influencial authors, humanitarians, scientists, missionaries, pastors, etc. (some of which he has met in person and some he's only read about). These people have helped shape Yancey's faith through the years. Each chapter is a mini-biography of one person - people like Ghandi, Martin Luthe More...

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Oct 18, 2008

Renee rated it:

A book about the thinkers, writers, dreamers, doers & believers that Yancey has either known or read. People who have influenced his faith in some significant way. And helped him rediscover God after rejecting his southern fundamentalist, racist "Christian" upbringing.

This book provided a great introduction to some really amazing folks both historical and contemporary, whose works I was not familiar with. Like G.K. Chesterton, Dr. Paul Brand and Annie Dillard. And others I More...

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Oct 18, 2010

Sue rated it:

Yancey's writing is itself a breath of fresh air amidst so many Christian books on doctrine, end times, family dynamics and other hot topics. He doesn't write from a position of authority, but from the point of view of a questioner, learning as he writes.

This particular book gives potted biographies of thirteen men and women who have had profound influences on Yancey's life and faith. They're not great campaigners of the modern church, or even martyrs of old. Instead, these are flawed More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Andrew rated it:

this review first appeared on [http://intraspace.blogspot.com]

this is not my first review of a philip yancey book, and i have to say all his books are pretty solid. but the two i have reviewed so far - the jesus i never knew and this one - would have to be my favourites.

i would seriously recommend this book to anyone who was jaded with christianity or anyone who thought they knew what christianity was about but hasn't gone in for it.

the book is subtitled " More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Brent rated it:

Yancey sets out the 13 people that were his spiritual mentors. There is a chapter covering each person. I enjoyed the chapters on Paul Brand, Dr. C. Everett Koop, Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky. He also gives the reader books that each has written or about them to read more about them.

Some of his choices were dull and you wondered why he chose them even after the 30-40 pages on them. It is interesting what people you would choose as those who have had the mos More...

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Sep 06, 2011

Claire rated it:

I'm so glad I read this book! I've avoided Yancey's books in the past because he's an Evangelical Christian, and I am someone who barely survived Evangelical Christianity with my sanity intact, but this book did have a lot of impact on me.

To start with, Philip Yancey does not try to defend the Church. His portrayals of MLK Jr, Ghandi, Henri Nouwen, and others did an important job in bringing the magnificence of the Christian Church down to a purely human, fallible place where someon More...

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Sep 12, 2010

Joel rated it:

Interesting read. Philip Yancey talks his wide array of personal heroes, ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. to Gandhi. Annie Dillard describes the importance of appreciating nature and there are some interesting glimpses into Tolstoy and Dostoevsky desperately seeking God. Also featuring prominently are C. Everett Koop (surgeon-general), John Donne, Shusaki Endo (Japanese apostates), and Bueckner.

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Jan 31, 2009

Cathy rated it:

The author tells about people influential to his spiritual thinking. I appreciated reading about him, and I appreciated reading about some of his influential people (Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy). But, generally I didn't think enough of what he was saying to just skim the book, barely. Instead, now I want to read biographies about the four people mentioned above.

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Aug 28, 2009

Julie rated it:

This book is so inspiring! Yancy provides 13 mini-biographies of key people who he says saved his faith from the church. He describes a difficult church background and credits these individuals with helping him not to lose his faith. I was constantly challenged and inspired as I read his interpretations of these spectacular people's lives. I highly recommend this book.

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Feb 11, 2009

Demetri rated it:

Very good perspectives and understanding from 13 people who encountered difference experiences with Christianity. There were questions of faith and doubt and obstacles that each character had to deal with. Yancey writes this book with great insight, encouraging me to get to know these 13 individuals even more. In addition, my faith was challenged even more.

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Jul 20, 2011

lexo rated it:

I already want to read this over again-- plus, Yancey suggests several books for further reading at the end of each chapter, so my list is growing yet again. This is one of the best works of nonfiction I have ever read. And it's an easy book to read slowly (good for those of us with shorter spans of attention), as it's something of a compilation of mini-biographies.

Having grown up in the church, I found Yancey's perspective immediately and deeply relatable, and his insights to be on More...

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