num_pages: 225
description: Sohrab Ahmari was a teenager living under the Iranian ayatollahs when he decided that there is no God. Nearly two decades later he would be received into the Catholic Church. In From Fire by Water he recounts this unlikely passage from the strident Marxism and atheism of a youth misspent on both sides of the Atlantic to a moral and spiritual awakening prompted by the Mass. At once a young intellectuals finely crafted self-portrait and a life story at the intersection of the great ideas and events of our time the book marks the debut of a compelling new Catholic voice.Sohrab Ahmari is emerging as one of the finest minds and writers of his generation and the story of his conversion recounted here will stay with the reader for a very long time. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput from the Foreword[A] striking memoir. Ross Douthat The New York TimesLives  indeed as I believe eternal destinies  will be changed by this book. I wish every angry young man who hates God could read this moving challenging personal confession of a still-young man who has been where they are and who gained wisdom and release. Rod Dreher The American ConservativeIf I could I would order a copy for everyone graduating college this year. An urgent and compelling account of the search for truth. Ed Condon Catholic News AgencyThe authors extraordinary gift for writing truly approaches as best as one can at any given time a true account of the incomparable beauty of the reality he recounts. Raymond Leo Cardinal BurkeRelentlessly honest deeply moving Sohrab Ahmaris story of his intellectual and spiritual journey from dismissive disbelief to vibrant Catholic faith  a journey propelled by some intriguing companions including Nietzsche Camus and Koestler  is food for both mind and soul and an important testimony to the invigorating power of truth. George Weigel Author Witness to Hope and The End and the BeginningThis book is a testimony of Eucharistic triumph. God seeks us and will transform us if we let Him. Sohrab Ahmaris beautiful memoir will help all of us trust in God alone better. Kathryn Jean Lopez Editor-at-Large of National Review Remarkable. . . . From Fire by Water is a spiritual memoir perfectly suited to our time. Jonathan V. Last Commentary[B]rave honest and often very dramatic . . . a powerful story powerfully told.  The TabletAhmaris memoir took me to places I have never been and gave me a fresh look at people and places that seemed very familiar. Most especially Ahmaris book explored a restless human heart searching and seeking until quite unexpectedly coming to rest in the Lord. JD Flynn Catholic News AgencyBuy Sohrabs superb book for its story of personal faith but also its revelations of life under a farcical theocracy. Tim Stanley The Catholic HeraldIf you're going to write a book about your religious conversion it'd better be a great yarn. And if you're going to write a memoir while youre still in your early thirties you'd better be a great writer. In From Fire by Water Sohrab Ahmari has both boxes checked. . . . Ahmari is a precise and evocative writer which makes From Fire by Water easy reading and good reading.Matthew Hennessey The University BookmanMemoirs written by people who are still in their thirties are almost never of interest to anyone. Sohrab Ahmaris however is a grand exception. Robert P. George McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Princeton UniversityA thought-provoking story . . . a breath of fresh air . . .The author is a gifted wordsmith ably portraying a variety of colorful scenes and scenarios  physical and philosophical.Lela Gilbert Newsmax[A] forthright and well-written spiritual memoir. Hannah Niemeier The New CriterionHis book offers a long candid and unsparing look at the young Ahmari at the Shi'ite Muslim society into which he was born in Iran and the secular America where he came into maturity. Philip F. Lawler Catholic CultureFrom Fire By Water is a book that I would place in the hands of any young over-confident over-zealous skeptic. It's a book that college-age kids need to read as they flirt perhaps for the first time with new ideas that sound avant-garde and rebellious for rebellion's sake but only end up disappointing. Andrew Walker The Public Discourse[E]loquent prose and a compelling story. Madeleine Kearns National ReviewAn arresting sort of modern-day permutation of St. Augustines Confessions. Like Augustines spiritual autobiography Ahmaris compellingly written memoir is punctuated with soul-aches and poignant laments for misspent time. It brims with final awe at the irruption of grace into a soul so wounded by sin. Julia Meloni Crisis MagazineA wonderful read for anyone who is seeking a deeper meaning to life whether they be persons of devout faith or of none at all. Christine Rousselle The Washington ExaminerAn engaging account of [Ahmaris] journey to faith. . . . extraordinary talents as a writer. R.R. Reno First ThingsAhmari writes beautifully and the story he tells is fascinating. . . . Although Ahmaris context is a different one from [Thomas] Mertons more than once while reading the book I saw correlations between their autobiographies. Gregory Hillis AmericaI thought From Fire By Water was a story about conversion. But it's far more than that. It's about the journey of civilization and the great problems of our time. Seth Frantzman The Jerusalem Post
language: English
title: From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith
publisher: Ignatius Press