There is a an enormous depth of tradition and prestige associated with the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and those who study there are affected in one way or another by the institution’s aura. Studying at Oxford is “a heady, hearty experience that changes you forever because it cracks you open ultimately to the humility of learning”, according to Carolyn Weber in her book Surprised by Oxford: a Memoir.
After an impoverished childhood in a dysfunctional family in Canada, the author won a postgraduate scholarship to study literature at Oxford. Lonely and suffering from homesickness, she met a tall, dark and handsome American fellow student who introduced her to email as a cheaper alternative to phoning home, and then, over a period of months, introduced her to Jesus. The book describes the author’s journey to faith amidst the tutorials, architecture and traditions of Oxford.
There is nothing inherently interesting about such a commonplace event as a person going to a university to study. However, there is something immensely interesting about the questions and struggles of a person on the way to forming a genuine belief that Jesus is who he claimed to be. Many literature students study the poetry of John Donne, John Milton and Gerard Manley Hopkins, but only those who understand what they believed can fully understand what their poetry means. A review copy of this compelling and insightful book was provided to me by Booksneeze.