Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte

A great introduction to a terrifically important writer

Published in 2011 by Thomas Nelson.

For most people, including this reviewer, C.S. Lewis was the gateway to G.K. Chesterton. Lewis, of course, is famous for being THE Christian apologist for his generation - a man who did not believe but then, after his conversion, was able to voice the thoughts and beliefs for millions with such landmark books as Mere Christianity. When I found out that it was the writings of G.K. Chesterton that helped to convert Lewis I had to start to looking into Chesterton (fortunately I have a Kindle - they have more than 2 dozen Chesterton books and essays for free, so I was able to get my feet wet in the ocean of writing that Chesterton produced without any worries).

That being said, I am a relative newbie to Chesterton so this biography was a welcome addition to my on again off again studies of the man.

Rather than give a blow by blow book report of this biography, I'll outline its general strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

-Good coverage of Chesterton's early life, including his early education. Like so many geniuses, he was indifferent to his studies and gave little indication that he would be celebrated throughout the English-speaking world for his written works.

-The book is fantastic at covering his intellectual life. All of his most important works are covered - the biggest ones with individual chapters. His relationships with other authors are discussed throughout the book. We learn about his prolific books, his play, his novels, his literary criticisms and his essays. Sadly, almost nothing is mentioned about his columns and work with newspapers and magazines.

G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

-Belmonte makes extensive use of quotes. He often lets Chesterton speak for himself and that is a good thing because Chesterton is extremely well-spoken.

-Chesterton's larger than life personality, good humor and charm are discussed throughout the book. Belmonte does a good job of using quotations from other sources, such as fellow authors or newspaper interviews to tell us about him.

Weaknesses:

-Belmonte tells us almost nothing about Chesterton's personal life after Chesterton's becomes a successful author. The focus shifts to his writing and its impact and only rarely shifts back. I can only think of four times: when he became gravely ill, when his brother died in World War I, his trip to the United States and his death. I would have appreciated more about Chesterton the man in this biography.

To sum up, Belmonte's biography of Chesterton gave this beginning Chesterton scholar a better foundation to build upon. Solidly done.

Due to some crazy federal regulation, I am required to inform all readers that I received this biography free of charge from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program. However, the thoughts and opinions expressed above are my actual thoughts and opinions because I tell it to you straight.

I rate this biography 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte.

Reviewed on February 4, 2011.

What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton

Written in 1910, still relevant a century later.

G.K. Chesterton's What's Wrong With the World is not a bit of light reading. There are heady thoughts throughout and the reader is invited to do some of the heavy lifting as well. I don't agree with all of Chesterton's conclusions either but he does have a wonderful way with words. Have you ever had an argument with someone in which you thoroughly disagreed with some of their points but admired the way they laid them out and their turns of the phrase? That is my experience with G.K. Chesterton in a nutshell.

I only picked up this volume because I read somewhere that C.S. Lewis was a devoted fan of Chesterton.

G.K. Chesterton

Be prepared, there is no one thing that is wrong with the world - it is a collection of things. Of course, any thinking person knows that there are always a collection of problems that are inter-related and cause all sorts of things to be wrong in the world.

Chesterton is strongly pro-Catholic church so be prepared that one of the things wrong with the world is that the world is not Catholic. Being a Lutheran myself, I smiled and moved on. Women working outside of the home is a problem Chesterton identifies as well. Not because women are inferior (he reveres the housewife and acknowledges it is draining) but because the home is a special place if well-tended by an extraordinary women - a place where the family can actually be free of the demands of society and work. Plus, a homemaker is, by the very nature of the job, a skilled amateur that knows a little about "a hundred trades." Homemakers are not specialized and that is good in Chesterton's eyes.

Why is specialization a problem? People become experts in just one thing and don't learn about the rest of the world. Think of our modern college system. Someone can get an MBA in business but never have taken an art class. Doctorates of art in all likelihood have never taken an econ class. Are those people well educated?

Probably his biggest thing that is wrong with the world is its habit of "altering the human soul to fit its conditions, instead of altering human conditions to fit the human soul." In other words, we conform to the arbitrary demands of society rather than making sure that society conforms to the needs of the human soul.

Tired of the "Think of the Children" mantra? So was Chesterton 100 years ago: "There has arisen...a foolish and wicked try typical of the confusion. I mean the cry, "Save the children." It is, of course, part of that modern morbidity that insists on treating the state (which is the home of man) as a sort of desperate expedient in time of panic. This terrified opportunism is also the origin of the Socialist and other schemes."

Chesterton also has several comments on education that to this 20 year veteran teacher sound grumpy, fuddy-duddy and exactly 100% right.

I rate this essay 5 stars out of 5 stars. It can be found on Amazon.com here: What's Wrong with the World.

Reviewed on October 24, 2009.

The Barbarism of Berlin by G.K. Chesterton

G.K. Chesterton's The Barbarism of Berlin is a lengthy essay written in 1914 defending the decision by the U.K. to join World War I and fight the Central Powers, Germany in particular.

It is a testament to Chesterton's powerful skills as a writer that I found myself agreeing with him so much because I've typically found World War I to have been one of the most extraordinary wastes of lives in the long history of a world that regularly wastes lives. Note that I do not agree with Chesterton's final conclusion (the war was a worthwhile investment of time, energy and lives) but he does make compelling arguments and the essay is worth reading just to have them so well laid out in front of you.

G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton makes a compelling argument that Germany's outlook on the world is different than France's and England's and that these competing worldviews are bound to confront. Eventually, one will win out - thus the war. Or, as he puts it, Germany has "the perfectly serious aim of destroying certain ideas, which, as they think, the world has outgrown; without which, as we think, the world will die." (location 118)

The essay is a bit dated by anachronistic racial terms and stereotypes, acceptable then but not now - but a knowledgeable reader understands that the world is a different place now. Worthy of your time if you are a history buff, especially a student of "The War to End All Wars."

I rate this essay 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Barbarism of Berlin by G.K. Chesterton.

Reviewed on February 20, 2010.