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Daily Feed Book ReviewA book review on "The Confessions of Saint Augustine", translated, with an introduction and notes, by John K. RyanOne of the most colorful and popular saints in the Catholic tradition is Saint Augustine of Hippo. He may be one of those next in popularity to Saint Francis of Assisi, especially in terms of their lives being known by many people. This book review will help those who want to know about his own autobiography, "The Confessions".Some details of Saint Augustine's life Although in the book, Saint Augustine's life is not clearly narrated compared to biographies made on him, it is good to know the popular details about his life that have helped him on the road to sanctity and to better understand his autobiography. Saint Augustine was born in Hippo, Africa in the early 4th century. He lived a licentious life in his early years and was involved in the teaching that was clearly not in line with Christian teaching - Manichaeism. Because of his mother's, [Saint Monica] incessant prayers, he gradually converted to Christianity. The famous story that is told about this conversion is the sermon of Saint Ambrose, whose words deeply touched his soul. Though Augustine sired a son out of wedlock, after his conversion, he included his son in the community which he started - a community that included his mother, his son, his sister, and his friends. His sister eventually became the abbess of the women and he became the leader of the men. This community grew and became what we know now as the Augustinians. A brief review of the autobiography 
The book of "The Confessions" is really very
interesting. In the very first chapters of the
book, you will really have a sense that the man
is indeed a holy man and is worthy of sainthood.
It is really uncanny for someone who has achieved
the status of bishop and doctor of the church to
write about the sins of his "infancy and childhood!"
This is something one must really read in order
to sense the sanctity of the man. And as you read
along the other chapters, you will not only read
about details of his life but also excerpts of his
gift of wisdom from much of his prayers and
reflection. There is a lot of philosophical
insights which you can read about that tell of
his intelligence and education. And much more
than these, are his spiritual insights on God and
His love and mercy for all mankind.The chapters in the book There are thirteen 'books' in the book itself and the following list will give the titles of these thirteen books. One 'book' has as little as thirteen chapters and another has as many as thirty one chapters.
A classic recommended even by non-Christians This book is so good that it is recommended by non-Christians who have read it without really knowing even in depth the Christian faith. For those who are busy in their professional lives, this is a book you can read, to reset your mindset from the "ratings race". It will bring you into a world of ideas that are rooted in truths that one can fully understand when fathomed with quiet time and silencing. It is the first few chapters of the book which are really interesting and easy to read. Towards the latter chapters, when Saint Augustine speaks more on the development of his Christian philosophy, the tone of the language begins to be heavier. However, you need not read every word nor absorb every paragraph. You can simply choose the parts of the book which will help you get a sense of the saint, his experience of conversion to Christianity, and what he grew to believe in. Related articles and resources:
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