Book Review: Paul and Me

I met Karim Shamsi-Basha several years ago through mutual friends. At the time, I didn’t know anything about him other than he was a well respected photographer. Several years passed before I got to hear his amazing story, which you can read in his book Paul and Me: A Journey to and from the Damascus Road, from Islam to Christ.

 In America, we don’t know much about life in the Middle East. Despite what we might think of the governments there, we never learn much about the people, the culture, or the way of life. In the early pages of the book, the author share stories of his life in Syria. His love for family, especially his admiration for his father, is reflected throughout the book.

The book doesn’t compare the writer to the apostle Paul, but does contain several studies about Paul, who found Christ on the road out of Damascus. For Shamsi-Basha, it is am emotional journey that covers college life in the U.S., an interesting photography career, a near death experience, and a long struggle with faith as he had to reconcile his changing beliefs with the love of his family.

Paul and Me is a great reminder of the love of Christ, who died for all.