Mark Lee - Hurt Road: The Music, The Memories And The Miles Between

Published Friday 10th November 2017
Mark Lee - Hurt Road: The Music, The Memories And The Miles Between
Mark Lee - Hurt Road: The Music, The Memories And The Miles Between

STYLE: Biography and Autobiography
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 167606-BOK3445
LABEL:
FORMAT: Book General book

Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Don't be fooled by the title - the memoirs of Third Day founding member/guitarist Mark Lee are not some self-obsessed journey into how hard it's been being in one of Christendom's most successful groups of all time. Instead, the titular Hurt Road refers to the street where, as a teenager, he was hit by a truck and suffered multiple leg fractures. This incident is one of a handful that the Atlanta-born Lee picks out as being what he terms sucker punches in his life and he uses them to suggest how God saw him through these times despite his own failings - done in accessible fashion thanks to his conversational writing style and, going by tributes paid by others at the start of the book, his obvious standing as a decent and humble guy. The overriding aim of Lee's memoirs seems to be a debunking of the myth that there's a "happy ever after" waiting for us here on earth sometime in the future when, in fact, things happen that we may not expect or like but need to be lived through and learnt from. Such events also include the death of Lee's father from cancer when the author was only 16 and Lee succeeds in candidly (but without sensation) offering an insight into what it was like losing a parent at such a formative age. Elsewhere, Lee is refreshingly realistic about how, like the rest of us, his faith isn't always strong and how God's hand steers his life despite these shortcomings and it's genuinely inspiring see how down to earth this CCM superstar is about his relationship with his Saviour. Lee's notes on his roles as a husband and a father are equally inspiring and his observations will echo and encourage male readers who find themselves in the same boat as they try to navigate life, work, marriage and fatherhood. Interwoven amongst all the personal stuff is of course some history as to how Third Day came about and how they emerged from being a high school band to becoming the group they are today - all of which makes for a fascinating and captivating read.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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