Rating: 
Summary: More an essay than a biography
Review: When I bought this book, I was looking for a really inspirational biography about St. Francis of Assisi and his spirituality. I found SOME in this book, but I would suggest looking in other places. The first chapter or two are a virtually meaningless introduction to St. Francis of Assisi. The story of his life is pretty good, but under the classification of a biography, it lacks the biographical data needed for that title.
Rating:
Summary: More an essay than a biography
Review: When I bought this book, I was looking for a really inspirational biography about St. Francis of Assisi and his spirituality. I found SOME in this book, but I would suggest looking in other places. The first chapter or two are a virtually meaningless introduction to St. Francis of Assisi. The story of his life is pretty good, but under the classification of a biography, it lacks the biographical data needed for that title.
Rating: 
Summary: Simplicity
Review: Without exaggeration, this book changed my life completely.St. Francis is by far one of the most important and influential men inthe history of the world, aside from St. Paul and Jesus Christ, himself. Francis' life--like the lives of all the Saints and great Christians--is a testament to the message of Christ. He lived "in the world, but not of the world." He made "the world a means and heaven the end." Francis denied the power of the material world over God's gift of spirituality, for who can hurt a man who rejoices in the pain--which he uses as his vehicle to reach eternal life--caused by the world? Who can starve a man who is constantly fasting? What can anyone take away from a man who's way of life is poverty? Without possessions and employment, no one could hold anything over him to persuade him to change his life. Francis had one master, and that was the Lord, Christ Jesus. Though Saint Francis would not let the world rule over him, he was not blind to the beauty in it. He saw everything as a great and divine painting, with God as the master painter. The world is simply the canvas, and all of God's creations make up the picture. In a way, time is the paintbrush... But, enough about that! Back to Francis! Francis refused to overlook Jesus' commands to seek God with all one's heart and life, and to leave the material world behind and deny the self to seek that goal. However, Francis was no mastermind who read every book and asked everyone for their opinions before he could give himself fully to God--that is not Francis, and he would never have become the Saint he is, had he been so stubborn. Like C.S. Lewis, he prayed, not because he made a conscious choice to pray, but because he could not help himself. God tends to work that way in our lives. My name is Michael Shirk, and I am a 17 year old high school student in Washington State. I owe much to G.K. Chesterton for his book. It taught me not only the ideals of a great man in our human history, but a deeper way to look at the message of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
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