Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I have read Fearfully and Wonderfully Made several times over the last 30 years and I have given it as gifts many times. With every reading I am amazed anew by God's creative power!
Christians will find a deeper walk with Christ in this book.

I was especially touched, as a nurse, and readily understood the medical perspective of tthe body's systems working together. This book gave me an up front look, of how the Christ in us, is manifested in today's world as we walk in love, with God's wisdom from His Word. Thank you for such a heartfelt presentation.

Actually, I read this some time ago and purchased it this time to give to a cardiology surgeon who recently did very serious surgery on my wife. We are praying that this man will come to know our wonderful Lord.

The book was okay. The science was very good, but there is just a bit too much religion in EVERY chapter. If you want pure science in an easy to understand book, "The Universe Inside You" by Brian Clegg is much better.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is a collaboration between Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, with Dr. Brand supplying the meat of the book and Yancey using his journalistic skills to polish it into a well-written piece.

The book starts out with a somewhat long preface in which Yancey describes his relationship with Dr. Brand and how the book came to be, and my interest was captured from the first. The book is a series of essays, really, in which Dr. Brand reflects on many fascinating aspects of the human body, drawing on his vast medical experiences in London, India, and a leper colony in Louisiana. He then draws parallels between the structure and function of the physical body and the Body of Christ - the church.

The medical information in this book is absolutely fascinating -- although this is a short book I learned so much, all couched in language and terminology that is highly readable for the non-medical person. His analogies to the church were interesting and thoughtful, although I didn't always agree with his theology which is why this book isn't 5 stars for me.

This book is a fast and fascinating look at the absolutely amazing, complex machines that our bodies are. I hope to read the sequel for more of this captivating insight.

This is primarily a book about the human body and the startling complexity of what is under (and a part of) our skin. Four main areas of our bodies are discussed; the skin which holds us all in, our cells which make up an intrinsic little universe inside each human body, human bones and lastly motion. The insights into the physical human body are enough to make this book great for it shows that whoever or whatever created the human body was unfathomably intelligent. I prefer to believe that God was the designer and so this book causes me to be in awe of God, who I believe to be the creator of mankind. But for an atheist, this book would have to cause him or her to give great awe and respect toward chance. For if chance created our human bodies, it did one heck of a job. Though primarily about the physical human body, the authors are constantly making application to the spiritual body of Christ which, as the Bible tells us, is the entire group of people on earth who have believed in Jesus Christ. The Bible also makes a lot of comparisons between this strange group of people and the human body. Paul (one of the human authors of the Bible) tells us that God sees this group of people (I will refer to it as the church henceforth) like a human body, with many different parts, each part with a special function. In Yancey and Brand's book, they explore the different aspects of the human body and then show how these apply to the church. The analogies are insightful into how we as Christians are to function. In the introduction to the book Yancey writes, "In a sense, metaphorical symbols are the only way for us to grasp spiritual truths, which explains why the Bible uses them so lavishly... the human body expresses spiritual reality so authentically that soon the common stuff of matter will appear more and more like a mere shadow."

Yancey is a great author, and Brand is clearly a great doctor. The book is written as well as Yancey's other books and it is broken down into 25 short chapters. Each chapter has a specific point, and most chapters also offer an analogy about the church, the spiritual body of Christ. I read the book in 25 days, a chapter daily which was an excellent pace to be able to digest the book while still keeping it constantly fresh in my mind. I would recommend the book to any Christian eager to be astounded by the human body and the spiritual analogies that come from the mysteries of our physical bodies.

Note: This review refers to an additional book, "In His Image" by the same author that I consider a "companion" to this one.
In both these books the authors take us into the world of medicine as seen through spiritual eyes. The parallels between our own bodies and the Body of Christ are fascinating to say the least. Read, for example, how when one area of our physical body is injured an urgent call goes out and hundreds of thousands of cells respond by plugging the holes in the walls, protecting the weak, cleansing the area and rebuilding itself. Read also how the body responds when there is rebellion loose within it. The list includes the workings of: (Fearfully and Wonderfully Made) cells, bones, skin, motion, (In His Image) image, blood, head, spirit and pain.
The reading style is very relaxed and everything is explained simply so that you don't need a degree in chemistry to understand what's going on. A special bonus is Dr. Brand's focus on his life's work with lepers which is interwoven throughout both books. If you've got an interest in how the physical body works and how it relates to biblical concepts, get these books - you won't be disappointed. -- Moza

If you're like me, you have occasionally wondered at the human body. You might have marveled at the birth of a newborn, or wondered how in the world all of your parts work together so well. I am NOT a biology person. I took one course of biology in high school, and that was plenty for me. But this book is *fascinating*. It tells you things about yourself that you would have never guessed. It makes an amazing case for a Creator who uses a specific design in human beings. It makes the case so well that I was overwhelmed at times, gasped, and told whoever happened to be in the room what I had just read.

This book will make you much more confident in your belief in a Creator. It will give you amazing real-life facts that back up the Biblical ones. I have not been the same since reading this book several years ago. I still remember the impact it made on me, and I can still share with others fervently that there is design here. And the design cannot be argued. If you think it can be, read this book.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is a collaboration between Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, with Dr. Brand supplying the meat of the book and Yancey using his journalistic skills to polish it into a well-written piece.

The book starts out with a somewhat long preface in which Yancey describes his relationship with Dr. Brand and how the book came to be, and my interest was captured from the first. The book is a series of essays, really, in which Dr. Brand reflects on many fascinating aspects of the human body, drawing on his vast medical experiences in London, India, and a leper colony in Louisiana. He then draws parallels between the structure and function of the physical body and the Body of Christ - the church.

The medical information in this book is absolutely fascinating -- although this is a short book I learned so much, all couched in language and terminology that is highly readable for the non-medical person. His analogies to the church were interesting and thoughtful, although I didn't always agree with his theology which is why this book isn't 5 stars for me.

This book is a fast and fascinating look at the absolutely amazing, complex machines that our bodies are. I hope to read the sequel for more of this captivating insight.

This is primarily a book about the human body and the startling complexity of what is under (and a part of) our skin. Four main areas of our bodies are discussed; the skin which holds us all in, our cells which make up an intrinsic little universe inside each human body, human bones and lastly motion. The insights into the physical human body are enough to make this book great for it shows that whoever or whatever created the human body was unfathomably intelligent. I prefer to believe that God was the designer and so this book causes me to be in awe of God, who I believe to be the creator of mankind. But for an atheist, this book would have to cause him or her to give great awe and respect toward chance. For if chance created our human bodies, it did one heck of a job. Though primarily about the physical human body, the authors are constantly making application to the spiritual body of Christ which, as the Bible tells us, is the entire group of people on earth who have believed in Jesus Christ. The Bible also makes a lot of comparisons between this strange group of people and the human body. Paul (one of the human authors of the Bible) tells us that God sees this group of people (I will refer to it as the church henceforth) like a human body, with many different parts, each part with a special function. In Yancey and Brand's book, they explore the different aspects of the human body and then show how these apply to the church. The analogies are insightful into how we as Christians are to function. In the introduction to the book Yancey writes, "In a sense, metaphorical symbols are the only way for us to grasp spiritual truths, which explains why the Bible uses them so lavishly... the human body expresses spiritual reality so authentically that soon the common stuff of matter will appear more and more like a mere shadow."

Yancey is a great author, and Brand is clearly a great doctor. The book is written as well as Yancey's other books and it is broken down into 25 short chapters. Each chapter has a specific point, and most chapters also offer an analogy about the church, the spiritual body of Christ. I read the book in 25 days, a chapter daily which was an excellent pace to be able to digest the book while still keeping it constantly fresh in my mind. I would recommend the book to any Christian eager to be astounded by the human body and the spiritual analogies that come from the mysteries of our physical bodies.

Note: This review refers to an additional book, "In His Image" by the same author that I consider a "companion" to this one.
In both these books the authors take us into the world of medicine as seen through spiritual eyes. The parallels between our own bodies and the Body of Christ are fascinating to say the least. Read, for example, how when one area of our physical body is injured an urgent call goes out and hundreds of thousands of cells respond by plugging the holes in the walls, protecting the weak, cleansing the area and rebuilding itself. Read also how the body responds when there is rebellion loose within it. The list includes the workings of: (Fearfully and Wonderfully Made) cells, bones, skin, motion, (In His Image) image, blood, head, spirit and pain.
The reading style is very relaxed and everything is explained simply so that you don't need a degree in chemistry to understand what's going on. A special bonus is Dr. Brand's focus on his life's work with lepers which is interwoven throughout both books. If you've got an interest in how the physical body works and how it relates to biblical concepts, get these books - you won't be disappointed. -- Moza

If you're like me, you have occasionally wondered at the human body. You might have marveled at the birth of a newborn, or wondered how in the world all of your parts work together so well. I am NOT a biology person. I took one course of biology in high school, and that was plenty for me. But this book is *fascinating*. It tells you things about yourself that you would have never guessed. It makes an amazing case for a Creator who uses a specific design in human beings. It makes the case so well that I was overwhelmed at times, gasped, and told whoever happened to be in the room what I had just read.

This book will make you much more confident in your belief in a Creator. It will give you amazing real-life facts that back up the Biblical ones. I have not been the same since reading this book several years ago. I still remember the impact it made on me, and I can still share with others fervently that there is design here. And the design cannot be argued. If you think it can be, read this book.

There are lots of great reviews listed here on this book. I wanted to add my two cents! Rather than repeat what's already been written I'll just say I can't speak highly enough about this book. I've read it many times over the years. I find greater insight and motivation with each reading as I mature in my ability to understand and accept the message.
I have the hardbound copy of the fifth printing, March 1981. It includes wonderful illustrations by Charles Shaw.
I believe it is a worthy investment of your time to read. I recommend it.

I have enjoyed reading this book. The authors do a great job using our bodies and their intended functions as an analogy to the body of Christ and it's intended function. I have recommended this to several friends.

"Fearfully & Wonderfully Made" is a Christian devotional-type book. Dr. Brand talks about how the various parts of the body (cells, skeleton, skin, etc.) work and then draws from this insights about us as the "body of Christ." I really appreciated his insights and how he made biology very interesting. Although everyone can enjoy this book, I was also thinking that home-schooled teens might enjoy reading this before studying biology as it'll make the textbooks a lot more understandable. I'd highly recommend this book.

HAD LOTS OF STORIES, HARD TO GET THROUGH. I REALLY ENJOYED THE CORROLATION BETWEEN GOD AND THE HUMAN BODY.
IT WAS NOT A BAD BOOK AT ALL, VERY INFORMATIVE. (Excuse the caps ...easier for me to see...thank you).

I personally, like learning about the human body and the way it works. This book goes deep into the fine knitting of cells, bones, skin and the blessing of movement. It showed me how much I should appreciate the things that I normally take for granted. Such as if we didn't have that fine balance of cells in our body, we could either be destroyed by foreign invadors or by the one thing that destroys them!...our own white blood cells...resulting in Leukemia. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any reader. You don't know what you're missing if you don't pick this one up!!!

As the title suggests, this book explores many facets of the human body which - as the psalmist acknowledged - is fearfully and wonderfully made. More than just an understandable discussion of the various body systems, this book also delves into the history of significant milestones in medical research, stories from Dr. Brand's career as missionary surgeon in India, and discoursive parallels between the biological body and the body of Christ. Thoughtful, illustrated, and smoothly written, this is an excellent book.