The Hobbit is one of my favorite books. But with the release of the first of three movies comes the inevitable release of many books about the story, it’s author, and lessons to be learned from it. One must determine which of these books is worth reading. I have read many books of this sort and on this story. Most are good, some are not.
Enter: Finding God in the Hobbit by Jim Ware.
This book is well written by an obvious fan of all things Tolkien. Each chapter starts with a paraphrastic re-telling of an event in the Hobbit. The author then reflects on how this segment of the story reflects Christian values that informed Professor Tolkien’s writings. Unlike some writers in this genre, Ware does not delve too deeply into the philosophy behind various concepts. He does give the reader good food for thought. Many of the topics he discussed I found myself ruminating on for the remainder of the day.
The chapters in this book are easily read in 5-10 minutes. I used it as a devotional and it served me well for 3 weeks. This book will not give you great philosophical breakthroughs but it will stick to your ribs. I found Mr. Ware’s book refreshing and would recommend it to others enthusiastically. It is definitely worth reading. If you are only going to read two or three books in this genre, make this one of them.
This book was provided to me by Tyndale in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
