The Biography Collection
Reading about other people's lives can inspire you and bring history to life.
Reading biographies is a great way to learn about history from one person’s point of view. I enjoy learning about other people, how they lived, and what they thought about life. As a child, I loved the Little House on the Prairie books for these reasons.
Who do you enjoy reading about? Please leave a comment.
Skimming through my list of 78 biography titles, I discovered only three have the CT Library of Congress (LOC) classification. Many of these books fall under the Christian classifications (BR, BV, and BX), the history classes (D, E, and F), or other categories, depending on the focus of the work. For instance, the LOC lists the beloved autobiographical volumes by James Herriot in the SF class for veterinary medicine.
Historical Biographies and Autobiographies
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs: 2000 Years of Martyrdom
What Really Happened During the Middle Ages: A Collection of Historical Biographies
This collection of biographies will get you up to speed on who’s who in the Middle Ages/Reformation in Western Europe. A valuable resource for homeschool history.
Scientists of Faith: 48 Biographies of Historic Scientists and Their Christian Faith
Another helpful supplement for homeschoolers.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
This tome by Eric Metaxas sat on my nightstand for over a year because the size of the book intimidated me (608 pages). But once I started reading, I eagerly devoured the author's prose, filled with lengthy quotations from Bonhoeffer’s writings and letters written to him. This work provides the reader with a unique insight into Nazi Germany.
Madame Curie: A Biography by Eve Curie, her daughter
Walt Disney: An American Original
My takeaway from reading this book: Walt’s success would have never happened without his brother Roy.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
I listened to an audio version of this autobiography that gives many details of Frederick Douglass’s life as a slave in antebellum Maryland.
Cheaper by the Dozen
A humorous tale about the Gilbreth family with twelve kids in the 1920s. It is a fun read from the Sonlight curriculum list.
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis
What Liberates a Woman? The Story of Pandita Ramabai, a Builder of Modern India
Ramabai was born into a Hindu family that traveled from place to place as beggars who read the Hindu scriptures to people. After each of her family members died, Ramabai met some Christians and accepted Christ. Later, she started a ministry that helped Indian widows who were cast out of their homes after the death of their husbands. A fascinating story.
My Life: A Guided Tour by Kenneth Nathaniel Taylor, author of the Living Bible.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, movie edition
William Wallace: The King’s Enemy
William Wallace was the subject of the famous Mel Gibson movie Braveheart, a Scottish hero.
Noah Webster: The Life and Times of an American Patriot
Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery
Eric Metaxas wrote this biography as a companion to the film of the same name. I had started reading a more scholarly biography of Wilberforce but got bored with it. I found this one did a better job of giving an overarching view of his fight against slavery while touching on a few of his other pursuits.
Leaders in Action Series
Beyond the Stateliest Marble: the Passionate Femininity of Anne Bradstreet
Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill
For Kirk and Covenant: The Stalwart Courage of John Knox
Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee
Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis
Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt
James Herriot’s books
As a child, I adored these books about James Herriot, a country veterinarian in Yorkshire, England, during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Missionary Stories
The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture
Did you know that Carey worked with William Wilberforce to end the Indian practice of wife burning?
Prisoners of Hope: The Story of Our Captivity and Escape from Afghanistan by Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer
These two single women served as missionaries in Afghanistan, were held prisoner by the Taliban, and rescued by American forces after 9/11.
Torches of Joy: A Stone Age Tribe’s Encounter with the Gospel
An amazing missionary experience in Papua New Guinea and a from the Sonlight curriculum list.
The Savage My Kinsman by Elisabeth Elliot
To share the gospel, the widow of the martyr Jim Elliot moved to a village of the tribe that killed her husband.
Under His Wings: Protected by God in China (the story of Walter and Helen Jespersen)
My friend and editing mentor Agnes Lawless wrote this biography about this missionary couple who worked in China until they had to escape during World War II. Walter attended the church where my husband and I met.
In Search of the Source
A missionary story in Papua New Guinea and a from the Sonlight curriculum list.
Bruchko
A missionary story from Venezuela and Colombia.
End of the Spear by Steve Saint, son of martyr Nate Saint, who was killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. The book is different from the movie of the same name.
The Rani Adventures
Ron Snell tells of his crazy adventures growing up as a missionary kid in the Peruvian jungle. My family immensely enjoyed these as read-alouds when our kids were young. In the last book, you learn how Snell caused Moody Bible Institute to add two new dorm rules: no snakes or blow dart guns.
Biographies on Current and Recent People
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett and her variety show team are my husband's favorite comedians.
Life Sentence by Charles W. Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship
Family Man: The Biography of Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family
Thinking in Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism by Temple Gradin
A high-functioning person with Asperger's and a famous cattle whisperer describes her childhood and adult life living on the autistic spectrum.
No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green
Through some of my youth group leaders, I became familiar with Keith Green’s music shortly after he died in a small plane crash in 1982. He remains one of my favorite Christian musicians.
Pat Robertson: A Personal, Religious, and Political Portrait
Homestead
In the 1990s, I wrote an author profile column for the Christian Library Journal, and Jane Kirkpatrick was one of the authors I interviewed. In this book, Kirkpatrick describes her and her husband’s crazy adventures in building a modern homestead on Starvation Point, Oregon.
The Irrational Season, an autobiography by Madeleine L’Engle, author of Wrinkle in Time
I Live by Faith, an autobiography by Alvin "Mike" Martin, founder of Crista Ministries of Seattle
Saving My Assassin: A Memoir (The True Story of a Christian Attorney's Battle for Religious Liberty in Romania)
I recently picked up this 2016 publication about Virginia Prodan's work in communist Romania.
The Common Sense of an Uncommon Man: The Wit, Wisdom, and Eternal Optimism of Ronald Reagan
Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life
This autobiography tells the fantastic story of Tass Saada, who once worked as a driver for Arafat, and how he later met Christ.
Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven
Mullins was one of my favorite Christian musicians, and I met him around 1990 at the Christian bookstore I worked for. He died in an auto accident in 1997.
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
What biographies have inspired you? Please share in the comments.
Mission at Nuremberg by Tim Townsend https://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=23997
For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton, about Eric Liddell. https://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=25676