The Shack

My mind has begged to read this book when life gets tough. It still amazes me how much more alive I feel when I’m done.

What a book!

While reading this book, I found that my faith was being renewed a long with Mack. Question i aHave had were answered and explained so elegantly. I recommend this beautiful story.

Amazing

Incredible and moving read.

My mom made me read this book years before her passing. I went through a lot of the same emotions that Mack did as well. Six years after her passing I stumbled onto the book and it was so comforting

Great story for anyone who is struggling to have faith or who already does! Beautiful! Keep an open mind and enjoy.

I love this message of God‘s gracious love which is poured out throughout this novel ; of his everlasting care for us in all life’s situations. The reading of this book has changed my mindset and views, when it comes to my relationship with The Lord, my family and people; I meet day to day. May this profound book enlighten and inspire every reader to live daily within the grace of Christ Jesus! 😇🙏🙏

The guy that said do not read the book.... is...... full of it. The book stands alone.... He is combining book and movie and the movie was butcher. To the person who gave the book a poor rating. Don’t go to Walmart and rate Target.... I’m trying to be nice.... that person is an idiot!!! It’s a fictional book.... Read it. Enjoy it or not.... but you are judging it based on your on bias ...... that is wrong!!!

I am catholic and this book is the exact opposite!! It has at least 14 heresies. The summary is; A father takes his kids camping, but while he goes and rescues his kids who flipped over in a canoe in the lake, his youngest, missy, is abducted and later murdered in a shack, by a crazy serial killer, called the ladykiller who kills only little girls under age ten. And leaves ladybug pins where his parents can find out there kid is dead. Anyways the murder is very disturbing, and I like murder mysteries but this one was bone chilling, in a bad way. The heresy part is he gets a letter telling him to go back to the shack, so he decides to go back, but when he gets to the shack it’s winter and missys blood stain is still visible near the fireplace, 4 years later. He throws stuff, and even falls asleep for a few minutes in the cold dilapidated shack, but when he realizes he dozed off he storms out, but while he’s walking away, everything suddenly turns into spring, and the shack turns into a nice little cottage, here comes the heresy, there are 3 people who live in the ‘little cottage’ and they say they are the holy trinity. The Holy Spirit is a Japanese woman who in the movie looks and acts more like a seductress, Jesus is a Saudi Arabian man, who wore flannel shirts, and the author says that God is an African American woman! She says that if she looked like the stereotypical God that he wouldn’t treat “god” the right way. I could only read up to chapter 4 or 5 I don’t remember, but it is not holy in any way honestly I think the devil was the one who took the form as the holy trinity, because that is certainly how it seemed. If you are Christian, than do not read this book, read the Bible, I hope I stated this as clearly as possible, but please save your soul and do NOT read this book. It would have been a great book if the 3 people were angels, but they weren’t so I just wanted to tell people this book is not as innocent as it seems, please do not let it deceive you. God bless you!

I fall in love with God every time I reread this book. Truly a beautiful story and heart melting encounter with God.

If you find comfort believing in a spirit controlling everyone's love. Then you will love this book. You will go away feeling good. However rational thought is strong also and finding love, beauty and joy in the natural universe does not have to be credited to a magical deity.

This story is absolutely incredible and brought me to tears. God’s love for us is never ending. A definite must read!

Best book I’ve read in a while.

It pays to have an open mind when reading. As a man who has been raised Catholic and the teachings of the church I found it easier to understand. Phenomenal book!

It was even better than the movie

Didn’t like the book

[I pulled this out for a third re-read after it was part of PBS Great American Read, and sparked a controversial give and take around its inclusion on the list. Very few of that group actually liked the book and it’s premise at all...] I originally read it in Seminary when it was first released and met the author at a forum in Ohio many years later. My book is yellow with age and full of dog-eared pages. The setting always draws me in for that eastern edge of Oregon near Wallowa Lake is where my first parish setting was. I know the area quite well. It also reminds me of the fantasy book “What Dreams May Come”. The book can be seen as a Christian fantasy and/or allegory. What gets me is the “down to earth, no bull theology” that it posits. A man-Mack- lost a child to “The Ladybug Killer” and Missy’s loss has obviously colored his and his family’s lives moving forward. His story of going back up to the scene and his encounter with The Living G-d in the form of three very approachable aspects and the discussions and actions related to it are both wonderful and transformative as he begins to let go of the nightmare his life reflects. For me, this has always been a book of hope. It has always made me weep, and it has profoundly influenced my theology and interaction with people in my parish and hospital work, as well as my own life. And, I have to say, in this instance, don’t watch the film...read the book. Very highly recommended. 5+ Stars

I loved the messages.