Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Book Review: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

In sports it's called the sophomore slump. A player has a great first (freshman) year and then can't live up to expectations the next. Donald Miller fully admits that after a very successful experience with Blue Like Jazz, a New York Times bestseller for 40 weeks, he went under the radar and did little more than get off the couch. Through a series of events and conversations with his roommate, Miller realized that he wasn't living a good life; he wasn't writing a great story. An avid learner and critic, Miller begins studying story in the context of films. Why? Because he's been approached to adapt his memoir into a screenplay. He's writing his own feature film, staring himself.

Donald Miller gained a nationwide following with his memoir, Blue Like Jazz, in 2003. His style of writing was refreshingly honest, critical, and insightful. But his cynicism left readers with a void and a sense of a missing component. Should we question so much of the Christian life without pursuing answers? In A Million Miles Donald Miller shows us how he has matured from a critic to an editor. He's been charged with the task of making his story work. And the story is compelling. The backdrop is a movie - Miller's life being edited for a screenplay on the big screen. But when two professional movie makers tell Miller that his story lacks some excitement, he's forced to examine his life and see if there's a better story to tell.

I was captivated by Miller's context of examining story and how it translated to his personal life. The characters he encounters and pursues will keep you riveted also. This book will be an enjoyable narrative and a challenging reflection at the same time.

1 comment:

Matt Winzenried said...

Nice review Hans, Im excited to pick up the book today and dive in.