What People Are Saying about It-
Anne Bradshaw From "Not Entirely British"
http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/2008/09/book-review-c-s-lewis-latter-day-truths.html
Below are answers to questions I asked the authors. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the works of C. S. Lewis—such as Screwtape Letters, Narnia, and Mere Christianity, to name a few--and to anyone who wants to learn more about a man who helped so many understand our Savior, Jesus Christ. I treasure my copy of this well written and well researched book.
1. What sparked your interest in C. S. Lewis?
My sister, Marianna Richardson, is a BYU Education Week Speaker and mother of twelve. Last year she asked me to work with her on a book about the great biblical historian, Alfred Edersheim, used extensively by Talmadge and McConkie. Well, we found so many references where he was quoted that it got us wondering who else was commonly quoted by church authorities. Right away we thought of Shakespeare, Milton, Van Goethe, and of course C. S. Lewis, the most quoted of all. So we began with him.
2. How long did it take to write this book?
The two of us worked for almost a solid year. Right in the middle of the project, Marianna's husband was called to be mission president. She was able to finish her copy just before her final preparation to leave for Brazil where she is serving with her husband. She still has five children at home. Marianna is amazing.
3. Have you been to England and seen where he lived?
No, but we felt a little like Warnie and Jack as we worked and wrote together. That was fun. I also learned so much about Lewis that I never supposed. The loss of his mother was devastating to him and then to be sent to that horrible boarding school with his brother- those events shaped his life. I was also surprised how autobiographical his fiction was.
4. Why do you include some quotes more than once?
We tried to show, first of all, Lewis's context of the quote, where it was found and his intended meaning and then how the quote was used by LDS church authorities. Many quotes were used by multiple people. We wanted it to be as complete as possible. The most common quote is Lewis's famous statement that we are all "potential gods and goddesses," next that homemaking is "the most important work in the world, and third the "living house" analogy.
5. How did you and your sister choose which parts to write?
I had done some marketing and university studies and so I took the last part, categorizing the quotes into a database. Marianna worked on the autobiographical section at the front. We swapped each other's chapters and editted them adding our own insights. On the middle section we each did about half, choosing the topics and Narnia books we each liked best. My favorite was The Horse and His Boy". Marianna loved Prince Caspian about the restored gospel. The movie softened the themes of the book but it was still pretty good.
6. Who do you hope will read this book and what do you hope they will gain by reading?
Everyone. I think there are so many treasures that we hear or read only once and then forget about. Both in Lewis's writings and in the wonderful conference talks and Ensign articles, there are so many truths to be remembered. I learned so much more about pride and what it means and why Lewis was worried about it. I learned about the role of women and how much Lewis supported it, and then was reminded of Barbara Smith and President Kimball's strong words on the same subject.
7. Is everyone at liberty to use C. S. Lewis quotes without seeking permission?
C. S. Lewis quotes are not public domain. We paid for the copyright to use this material. Even in order to use his quotes electronically you must pay for them. Most are owned by the C. S. Lewis Company. Others from Harcourt and Eerdman's. Also, quotes from LDS Church Authorities must be requested for copyright. There are no fair use guidelines. We were very careful to follow all appropriate copyright laws in the production of this book.
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