A review by cdjdhj
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

4.0

I have recently taken a couple of online classes about C.S. Lewis, but until now I had only read one of his books, Mere Christianity. The Screwtape Letters is truly a classic of Christian literature. It is written in a satirical tone as letters from a wordly-wise demon, Screwtape to his demonic nephew and novice, Wormwood. In the letters, Screwtape tells his nephew how to win souls to "Our Father Below," Satan himself. The letters are interestingly entertaining, ironically humorous and thought-provoking as Screwtape tells Wormwood how to use human nature to secure the damnation of a young man whom Wormwood has been tasked to take to hell. The addition at the end of the book, written several years later, Screwtape Proposes a Toast, takes on a political tone and comments about government and education in the 20th century, specifically the post WWII world. In today's "Cancel Culture" society, I'm afraid that C.S. Lewis might have been in real trouble, but much of what he wrote rings true, and gives even the 2022 reader much to contemplate.