Home > Culture > Bright Lights, Dark Nights: The enduring faith of 13 remarkable Australians

Bright Lights, Dark Nights: The enduring faith of 13 remarkable Australians


By Simon Smart,

Blue Bottle Books, 2008,

RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Annet Maurer, a biography lover and a member of Hervey Bay Uniting Church.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, Dark Nights follows a common format of short biographies of 13 Christian Australians, some of whom are known to many (Tim Costello and cricketer Justin Langer) and some known only in their community, such as foster
mother Carolyn Stedman.

The author has interviewed each of them and written about their backgrounds, how they came to fi nd Christ and how they practise their faith in their workplaces and day-today lives.

Their stories aren’t tied together, except through their faith, yet overall the stories provide inspiration that Christian living in a modern world is not only possible, but highly relevant and can provide a guidepost in a troubled world.

Each story is well written and sometimes left me wishing for more about this person’s journey – the life was so full, an entire book could be written about their experiences and journey.

However, in the short space of each section, the author clearly articulated what faith meant to the person and how it impacted decisions they had made.

Overall Bright Lights, Dark Nights was an easy read with interesting insight into faith in modern, busy Australia.