In early 2025 I shared
a few reflections on Allen Levi’s Theo of Golden, which has become an
international bestseller. My friend Michael Daily recommended it to me. When I first
read it (I have read it more than once) it was a self-published book that was
so compelling that it easily overcame its rough editorial edges (which were not
many). While I have not read the Simon and Schuster (Atria) edition, I assume the
“edges” have been rounded.
It was a bit of
a dance to write about Theo, because I didn’t want to give anything away.
When people asked me then, “What is the book about?” all I could say is, “You’ll
have to read it.” This is the same answer I have today, the story has so many
facets that I don’t think I have any business in reducing it to a line or two,
and indeed, it keeps speaking in so many ways.
My friend
Michael recently sent me a link to a podcast about Allen Levi and Theo, I didn’t
listen to the podcast but I did read the transcript, and it is beautiful. While
the title is about the “real Theo,” I did not “see” that as I read the transcript,
in fact, I wasn’t interested in the real story behind the real Theo – I want to
continue to encounter the book as it was given life and continues to give life –
I want my relationship with the story to continue to grow, not to be frozen in
time or understanding.
What is beautiful
to me in the transcript is the story of friendship, friendship that is more
than friendship; relationship in which, as Paul writes, we are “members of one
another.” This is embodied in the podcast transcript in the hospital scene, in which
Dickey says of Ben, “He’s not a friend, he’s a part of me.”
Whether you have
read Theo or not, this is a beautiful piece to read or listen to…it
certainly portrays my ideal of our life in Christ…an experience I desire…and if
you haven’t read Theo…I think it is wonderful…beautiful…challenging…maybe
I’ll write a few more reflections…
Here’s the link:
Allen
Levi’s Golden Friends and the Real-Life Theo
love Bob
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