The Shack
by William P. Young
First Published: 2007
6 Copies & Reading Guide
Mackenzie Allen Phillips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
Reading Guide:
LitLovers – Includes Author Information, Reviews, and Discussion Questions
Reviews and Articles:
USA Today – “Shack Opens Doors, But Critics Call Book ‘Scripturally Incorrect’” by Cathy Lynn Grossman
The New York Times - “Christian Novel is Surprise Best Seller” by Motoko Rich
Challies.com – “Book Review: The Shack” by Tim Challies
On the Web:
Author’s Website - http://windrumors.com/
Book Website - http://theshackbook.com/
Paul Young on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos (Canada)
If you enjoyed The Shack, you might like:
The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
When it came my turn to pick out a book for the discussion group, I remembered that I had really enjoyed The Shack. I hesitated choosing it for a group since the book concerns God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. These topics are not mentioned often in public conversation outside of Church and between friends unless in a demeaning way. We have to be so politically correct anymore. I believe that “most” everyone had positive things to say about the book, even if they don’t lean towards the ideas put forth in it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the book to any group that is open and willing to discuss a book that offers new ideas. What a different perspective it presents. (Tami M)