The Soul of a Lion- Review

The Soul of  Lion: The Life of Dietrich Von Hildebrand
      by: Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand

Ignatius, 350 pages, Paperback
Released on: October 1, 2000

***This book is one of my highly recommended titles. A must read, I read and reread this quite frequently and would be reading it currently if  I had not lent out my treasured copy.***

The Soul of a Lion (Ignatius 2000), is an incredible biography of Dietrich Von Hildebrand, one of the greatest Catholic Philosophers of the 20th century by his wife Alice. It is based on what she calls the "longest letter ever written". Alice was "saddened by the thought that, because of the difference in age between her husband...there was a large segment of his life not shared with him", so she asked him to write a biography of his life before her. With the passion he had for everything he deeply cared about, he set out on this task with fervor and would write each night that he waited for her to come home from classes.

Far from dull, this book is not for you occasional readers out there! It is exciting, engaging and a book you will simply not want to put down. Starting from the very beginning he expresses and relates those experiences that made him the incredible person and thinker he was with great detail.

The narration of his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood depict his fascinating search for Truth through beauty. A perfect example of grace building on nature! You can sense the love expressed in this dialogue, feel the tension, and powerful emotion in each situation and interaction.

I highly recommend this book.

added bonus: there are plenty sources for you footnote chasers out there which lead to many more "good reads"! I will warn you though, after reading this book you may want to read a lot if not all of Dietrich Von Hildebrand's writings.

As said by our Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI "I am personally convinced that, when, at some time in the future, the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is written, the name of Dietrich Von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time."