Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

C.S. "Jack" Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" is one of the great classics of Christian literature; well-written, educational, full of a deep faith, and funny. It can be a difficult book to get the full meaning of if the reader doesn't have a fairly comprehensive grounding in the New Testament, and a decent command of the English language. This is not to say that only biblical scholars or those with a college education can enjoy 'Screwtape', but high school students, or those new to (or not of) the Christian faith, may be confused by some references in the book. Lewis wrote the book for the average Briton of the 1940s, presupposing a higher command of the English language and familarity with the Bible than is common today. Enter Presbyterian pastor Michael Poteet and his study guide to "The Screwtape Letters". Poteet writes the guide for readers with, I'd guess, at least an (American)10th grade reading level or the equivalent age elsewhere. He is especially good at ensuring the student understands the vocabulary used by Lewis. A good dictionary will come in handy here! Once a lesson is completed, though, the new words should be a firm addition to the reader's personal vocabulary. Poteet is also excellent with providing biblical references to ideas brought up in the individual letters, with some exposition. Each lesson in the guide covers 2 or 3 letters in the book with plenty of questions, both multiple choice and essay style. There is an excellent answer key in the back for the instructor to base her or his response around. There is an excellent introduction to the course, which includes information about Michael Poteet as well as a short biography of Jack Lewis. There is a short list of further recommended readings, both by and about Lewis, as well as URLs for web pages that can help the student along. There are also several essay questions at the end for a student to base research papers of various length on. While the study guide is designed for bright high school students, this would make an excellent asset for adults to use, eithier in a book reading group or in an adult Christian Education study group. The questions are perfect launching points for a spirited discussion of the book amongst any adult group. Each member of the group should have a copy of the Lewis book, of course, and I'd personally recommend the unabridged audiobook version voiced by John Cleese (available from Amazon) for in-class listening.