Mack takes his three younger children on a camping trip. His oldest two children are grown and live elsewhere, but the younger three are still with him and his wife, Nannette (Nan). The Shack tells the story of Mackenzie Allen Phillips (Mack), a father of five who lives with his wife and children in Oregon. This study guide uses the standard paperback edition printed in 2008.Ĭontent Warning: This guide contains references to violence against children and alcohol addiction. It is often cited as a rare example of a successful independently published work, but along with its enormous popularity it has also drawn criticism in some Christian circles for its theological positions regarding the Trinity and the Bible. The Shack achieved a long run at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and received the 2009 Diamond Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for surpassing 10 million copies sold. Windblown Media released The Shack in 2007, and by the summer of 2008 it had become a surprise bestseller, driven largely by word-of-mouth promotion. Assisted by Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings in the process of editing and rewriting, Young attempted many times to find a commercial publisher before the group decided to form their own company, Windblown Media, and publish the book themselves. The earliest version of The Shack was one of these stories, but some of its readers encouraged him to publish the manuscript. Having settled in the United States as an adult, Young began writing stories for his children and friends. Young is the son of Christian missionaries who worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, and he grew up alternately amid the Dani ethnic group and in missionary boarding schools before the family moved back to Canada. The Shack is a novel by Canadian author William P.

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