Born Again

I have been doing a reading surge these past few months on Vietnam and the Nixon years so when a friend recommended this book it caught my interest. Mr. Colson was a key cog in the White House during the Nixon presidency and his description of this time was fascinating. Mr. Colson’s describes in detail his transition from his own state of hubris to humility, after the Watergate scandal hit. He was never convicted of anything related to the Watergate scandal but he pleaded guilty to his part in trying to discredit Daniel Ellsberg by using untruths after Ellsberg had leaked the “Pentagon Papers”. His guilty plea surprised the prosecutors because it was not expected and nor had anyone ever been convicted in a similar circumstance. Also, he clearly followed the Nixon’s orders; however this was Mr. Colson’s way of receiving closure on the entire Watergate issue -- his way of accepting responsibility for the decay that had set into the White House. Mr. Colson had been known a Nixon “bull dog” that looked after tough and sticky task that Nixon required, thus the breaking of such a strong personality was not something people saw coming. Though Mr. Colson’s was a believer before Watergate, this life crisis resulted in a new dedication of his life to Christianity. His conversion resulted in his preemptive guilty plea, shocked his own lawyer, resulted in prison time, and led to the loss of his ability to practice law. The last third of the book is Colson’s vivid description of his time in prison and how he at first survived and ultimately thrived. His writing is so clear you feel like you are locked up with him as he enters the frightening world of a U.S. Federal prison. He describes how many inmates are permanently mentally damaged as they try to tune-out the world to survive their incarnation years, but then cannot snap out of this state when they are released. The book ends with Mr. Colson’s release from prison, but you can see how this experience set up Mr. Colson’s subsequent life work of helping inmates in their families. A very good book.

This is a wonderful book how God worked through a man's life while he was in prison and used this time for us glory

Such a well written book. Inspiring in its deep dive into human frailty and God's answer of hope and change.

Excellent read I recommend to anybody. Decided to buy this quite some time ago, and it was almost "left on the shelf". Honest and personal views of how the author got it all wrong in his life, and the life changing experiences he went through after Watergate.

The book reminded me of what God can do through one life surrendered to Christ. Even a life with a rough past. It is a gripping story that will strengthen your faith and remind you of what matters.