Fish Out of Water

A Search for the Meaning of Life: A Memoir

By: Eric Metaxas

Narrated by: Eric Metaxas

Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens when one of America’s most beloved biographers writes his own biography?

For five-time New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas, the answer is Fish Out of Water: A Search for the Meaning of Life - a soaring, lyrical, and often mischievous account of his early years, in which the astute Queens-born son of Greek and German immigrants struggles to make sense of a world in which he never quite seems to fit.

While millions know Metaxas as a celebrated author, the witty host of Socrates in the City, and a nationally syndicated radio personality, here he reveals a personal story few have known. The scion of two families with very different traditions, he enjoyed their affection and support through his riotous but successful years at Yale, yet later felt abandoned as he drifted toward an abyss of meaninglessness from which he barely escaped.

Along the way, Metaxas introduces us to an unforgettable troupe of Runyonesque characters who join this quintessentially first-generation American boy on his odyssey, underscoring how simultaneously funny, serious, happy, sad, and meaningful life can be.

©2021 Eric Metaxas (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Absolutely Fantastic

Absolutely fantastic. Very long yet leaves you wanting another volume immediately. The author’s reading is heartfelt:

He is so awesome

First heard him when he spoke at Cornerstone Chapel. This is a great book about his unique upbringing and journey to Christ. From being Woke to Christ.

Reliving my childhood

I was born in 1961 and grew up in a Christian home in Michigan. My family heritage was long established in America. So the similarities of Eric and my life couldn’t be more different but as I listened to Eric, I relived so many times of my childhood and post graduation of depression and wondering what now that I immensely enjoyed the book. Eric paints such vivid pictures of life. There were several times of laughter and sharing the stories with family members. It was also a wonderful depiction of how God draws us to himself each in our own way so that we can hear him.

Enthralling and funny, but try 1.5X

Eric is a great storyteller, and captures very well a prolonged struggle with whether life itself has meaning or is meaningless. But it’s done as a thoughtful consideration of a completely relatable life story, rather than as a philosophical treatise. And it never fails to wonderfully pull out the humor from these stories.
He reads it very carefully and clearly, but I just couldn’t take the pace. Speeding it up to 1.5x was just about perfect for me.

Fish Out of Water

Delightful story of human frailty and God’s mercy. Eric is an excellent wordsmith, humerus and serious thinker. A delightfully, entertaining and profound reminder of meaning.

Worth Listening

Metaxas is an excellent writer and narrator and manages to entertain throughout an extremely detailed account of his first 25 years. It’s somewhat over long (do we really need three chapters of travelogue describing a post college trip through Europe?) and he seems to be trying to preserve a lot of personal memories that may or may not further the narrative. Still, parts of it are funny as hell and I loved his descriptions of his ethnically Greek extended family. I related to his “lost” period after college and his eventual opening to faith. If I were to write my own autobiography it would probably follow a similar argument arc, so I found this to be worth the time even if too drawn out.

Performance was a huge distraction

I liked the book over all, but Eric Metaxes’ stilted reading style was almost more than I could bear. I almost abandoned the book several times, but the story kept me hanging in there until the end. Thank goodness that over! LOL. I do also wish he had continued the story. I kept waiting to hear how he met his wife. And more about his parents in their later years. And Greece! What more of Greece? I also have feeling that I would have laughed aloud more if I had been reading this book myself or if just about ANYONE else had been performing the book. Was it perhaps read by a computer program that had been fed sound bites? A truly perplexing and unpleasant performance of a really good book.

Fantastic book. Awesome transformative story

I really am impressed with Metaxas' memory. He can recall thing at an extremely young age.
Lots of interesting perspectives. I like the way in which he views the world and describes it in written form.
The way in which God reaches him is really amazing. I wish that he spent more time talking about his spiritual transformation.
The only downside which I grew accustomed to is Metaxas, his tendency to read in short, staccato bursts. However, he reads extremely well, was a joy to listen to.

it's a good review of Eric's life and how he was lead to the Lord.

I enjoy Eric Metaxes quite a bit. I've read a lot of his books but I'm always a little annoyed when he reads his books. He's a good writer but not a good orator and his reading always sounds so stilted and disjointed.

Enjoyed thoroughly

A writer I am not so m review will not go into great detail. I enjoyed this book and loved hearing the author read it! Nostalgic. Eric, through his words took me to each place he wrote about. The most hilarious was on the train with the Frenchman!! I’m hoping 2 of my sons will listen to this book, Eric’s humor and dialog I believe they will enjoy and appreciate.

Thank you Eric for sharing your story and I look forward to the next book and hearing about your walk with the Lord.