Newsboy: My Story of Hope and Second Chances
by John James
My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Memoir, Christian non-fiction
When John James first stepped down as the Newsboys lead singer in the late 90s, I was in high school. I had no idea what had led to this decision, but the band kept making great music, so I was content enough. Then, I remember very well the Newsboys concert my husband, son, and I attended (it had to have been around 2009-2011, since it was soon into the band’s new era), when John James stepped out onto the stage to talk. I’m pretty sure most of the people around us had no idea who he was, but I did. I had been to at least one concert before he left, owned several cassette tapes or CDs of the early Newsboys, and had seen Down Under the Big Top many times (I even had several of his lines memorized from the movie—still do, in fact, and still have the VHS tape). I hadn’t seen him in a long time and was excited he was there! He began to tell his story, talking about his addictions and sinful behavior that had led to his departure from the band. He talked about the moment he thought about killing himself, making a joke about it, and the people around us laughed. I didn’t find any humor in it, though; my husband and I stood there with mouths agape. I’m pretty sure I was holding back tears. I’m really glad I didn’t know about any of that back when I was a teen and the Newsboys was fasting becoming my favorite band (especially since the info circulating at the time was largely worse than the truth), only hearing some of the details after James had allowed Christ’s redemptive work to change his heart and his life.
This book expands a lot on what he shared during that concert over 10 years ago, and James is transparent and vulnerable in the text, not hiding or sugarcoating his choices and downward spiral. He starts with his childhood, a foundation that shows that he wasn’t just paying lip service to Christian tenets when he first started writing songs and speaking on stage as the frontman of the band. But like all of us who are sinners saved by grace, he made wrong choices, which he then compounded with more wrong choices and the decision to hide those choices from friends and loved ones. He talks of danger points, like disconnecting from a local church and neglecting one’s personal time with God, and he ends the book with a very hopeful note. I don’t think I’d call it a “happy ending,” exactly, because he is still suffering some consequences from how he lived for a while. But the major theme here, which is infused throughout the book, is that God can redeem those that are lost and is waiting to do so, if we’ll turn and repent. This book is definitely worth reading for anyone who is a fan of the Newsboys (in any iteration), is interested in stories about the Christian music industry, or is in a position where you believe you’ve fallen too far to be forgiven by God.
Find out more about Newsboy
If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!
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