Biographies provide unique insight into an individual's life. Reading the life story of another believer can encourage and challenge you in your walk with the Lord. We read biographies to understand people who are different from us, to grow in empathy and to learn from the successes and failures of others.
Sometimes a biography is of someone still living that allows you to simply look further into their life. However, usually (and often my favorite type) a biography is written about someone who is no longer living. In those cases, we are able to not only get a detailed look into the individual’s life but also the time in which he/she lived.
I would like to recommend nine great biographies that I have read and learned from. Several of these are compilation-type books that provide a short introduction to several different people in one volume. These books are in no particular order.
- Shadow of the Almighty (Elisabeth Elliot) - Story of Jim Elliot
- For the Glory (Duncan Hamilton) – Story of Eric Liddel
- A Man Called Peter (Catherine Marshall) - Story of Peter Marshall
- Richard Baxter and Conversion (Timothy Beougher)
- Jonathan Edwards (Stephen Nichols)
- Portrait of Calvin (T.H.L. Parker)
- 10 Who Changed the World (Daniel Akin)
- Victorious Christians You Should Know (Warren Wiersbe)
- Steal Away Home (Matt Carter & Aaron Ivey) - Story of Charles Spurgeon & Thomas Johnson
