Before I Go: Letters to Our Children about What Really Matters

How much more SINCERE can a book get than one written by a father for his children? How much more LOGICAL than one authored by a renowned philosopher? Peter Kreeft has received honors such as the Woodrow Wilson, Yale-Sterling Fellowship, Newman Alumni Scholarship, Danforth Asian Religions Fellowship, and Weathersfield Homeland Foundation Fellowship. Spectacular. But I think I'm safe in guessing his greatest achievement to date includes his children, for whom this book is written. Kreeft saves his best nuggets of wisdom for his latest, easiest-to-digest work. Whether you want to know the four most imporant choices in your life (I'm not going to spoil it but they're simpler than you think), how your life is art, or how simplicity can literally change the world, you'll find it in the pages of BEFORE I GO. Treat yourself to this gem of a publication. It's one you'll likely want to pass on to YOUR children as well.

As Peter Kreeft himself says, some of his simplest works are is most favored. This is one of them. Some of the most simple things in life can have the greatest affect on how well our life is. This book provokes thought on things that are often overlooked. I love Peter Kreeft's philiosophy and so far this is my favorite of his books. It deserves careful and thoughtful reading.

I liked the readable format in which to share some universal "words of wisdom" with my children. Perhaps reading them in another person's time & space will reinforce the significance for all.

Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for Reader Views (12/07) Having sat with several people as they draw close to the end of their life, I have noticed that many find themselves frustrated by the short time they have to say the final, important things to their loved ones. Peter Kreeft has taken a preemptive strike at that moment for his family by writing this short, readably warm book, "Before I Go: Letters to Our Children about What Really Matters." Kreeft states that this book is simply a "word-insurance policy. It is a way of speaking even after you are dead" (4). And he has written it for his grown children against the day that he may no longer be able to say what he deems are the important things, before he goes. The short chapters are normally succinct, lasting anywhere from three sentences to three pages, but the depth of insight vastly surpasses the amount if ink and paper. For example, in one short chapter, he poignantly reveals the two categories into which people generally fall, "There are only two kinds of people: sinners, who think they're saints, and saints, who know they're sinners. There are only fools, who think they're wise, and the wise, who know they're fools" (51). It becomes clear as one reads further into this book that the writer is skilled at writing and at writing in a memorable fashion. I found myself struggling to put the book aside, because each chapter enticed me to jump to the next. Kreeft teaches philosophy at Boston College, which shines through in several chapters, particularly in the superb craftsmanship with which he is able to hone an idea down to its primary point, like the following; "Worship God, love people, and respect stuff" (54). He is also a loyal Roman Catholic, and that similarly comes through clear and without apology all over this book. Neither of these facts detracts from the book, but is the reservoir from which he is able to dish out his nourishing and healthful comments. The realism with which Kreeft sees the world, and with which he writes, is a two edged sword. Because of the down-to-earth way he airs his thoughts, he will be easily grasped, and heartily appreciated, by the simplest readers: "We strut and fret and preen and pose, but only God can make a rose" (86). But his earthy approach might also catch some completely off guard, especially as he uses expletives on occasion. Yet these are never gratuitous, but serve to drive home a valuable, salient point. Reading "Before I Go" will be a pure pleasure for the thoughtfully reflective, and a valuable gift for many parents to use in passing on wise words to their children before they lose the ability to say those final, important words.

Peter Kreeft is an outstanding philosophy professor at Boston College who has written over 40 books, most of which are excellent. Professor Kreeft is similar to G K Chesterton and C S Lewis in that he is a Christian philosopher who writes very clear and profound books that are full of wisdom. BEFORE I GO consists 162 life lessons that Kreeft has learned, and each lesson is covered in 1 to 3 pages. Lesson 6, "The Most Important Person" is a hierarchy of what a person's priorities in life should be, with God first, one's spouse second, one's children third and so on. Lesson 9 is a succinct description of "What is a Good Person?" Lesson 48 has a funny litmus test on how to tell if a book is a great book; funny because it rings true. And Lesson 51 has a poignant lesson learned too late from the poet Thomas Carlyle. Kreeft's advice on how to keep marriages intact in Lesson 87 is short, sweet and dead-on-target. "Before I Go" is short - it took only about 3 hours to read - and full of wisdom. This is indeed a great book in that it gives cogent guidance on the good, the beautiful and the true. Were Socrates to read this book, he would realize that he had finally found that wise man that Socrates sought in ancient Greece but never found. This is Kreeft's 2nd best book - exceeded only by his outstanding HANDBOOK OF CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS - and I give it my highest recommendation.