Book Summary: The Shack By Mackenzie Allen Phillips

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Recommended: Essence of African American literature

The Shack is based on a man's tragic story, it is a fictional book even though it's written to portray as if it happened in real life. The main character is Mackenzie Allen Phillips, but in the story goes as Mack. He is married and a loving father of five. The story explains what happened to Mack before the present time. He took three of his five kids to a camping trip, and instead of being a happy family trip it ended in tragedy. While they were on the family trip, two of the children were playing in a canoe in the river. Kate accidentally flips over the canoe and Josh gets stuck under it and begins to drown. Of course Mack being a parent his first instinct is to run over and save his son. He does, but unfortunately Missy his youngest daughter …show more content…

He obviously would have mixed feelings about this seeing as he hasn't been there since his daughter was killed, but he still ends up going. When he gets there things get really weird, he meets the person who sent the not Elouise, an African women who her people call papa. He meets Jesus an Asian handyman. And finally he meets Sarayu an Asian woman who seems to be a gardener. All of these characters are very welcoming to him but overall by the end of the story they all teach him a valuable lesson. Papa gives Mackenzie warmth and understanding, she lets him know that it's okay to show your emotions and be comforted which she does to him. But most importantly she takes him to Missy's body and tells him she's with God now for him not to be sad. Sarayu helps him reach enlightenment. She is a gardener and uses a lot of the enologies, Sarayu tells Mack to take care of his life and appreciate is as if it were a grander he's been trying to grow. Finally Jesus who him and Mack become really close friends, helps him understand what the significance of love and sacrifice is. All these things really help heal mackenzie's heart and soul. Because the story also tells that his childhood wasn't easy at all and he has just been resenting his life. These characters heal him and help him reach clarity to everything that happens in life. By the end of the book

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