The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

The recent release of "Prince Caspian" prompted me to re-read these childhood favorites. In fact I am certain that I have re-read them more than 40 times. Several of them are held together by packing tape and need to be held with care to prevent the last 20 pages from falling out.

Reading these as an adult is significantly different from reading them as a child. For one, as I child the blatant Christian bent of the books was completely lost on me. I just thought they were lovely stories about a magic world, which just happened to include a magical lion. How different they are from this perspective! I can't help but feel that they are at least somewhat racist too, particularly 'The Last Battle' and 'The Horse and His Boy'. I'm sure I will always love these stories that gave me such joy in my childhood, but I remain unconvinced that I will encourage my future children to read them.