Favorite biographies

Home Page Forums Other Art Forms Non-Fiction Favorite biographies

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #4348
    Amanda Fischer
    @wordfitlyspoken
      • Rank: Wise Jester
      • Total Posts: 79

      Biographies, in my opinion, are a tricky thing to get right. They have to be factual, obviously, but I think to be effective they also have to read like a story. I grew up reading tons of missionary biographies both short and long, and they definitely had an impact on my life. As for my favorite…I’d have to say God’s Smuggler. But if I can list some other favorites, as well (most of which are sitting on the shelf right in front of me :)) : Servant to the Slave, about Mary Slessor. And from the Christian Heroes Then and Now series, George Müller. Oh, and does The Hiding Place count? Because I absolutely adored that…

      So, what’s your favorite biography (or biographies, if you’re like me)?

      • This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Amanda Fischer. Reason: Fixing punctuation
      • This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by Josiah DeGraaf.
      #4355
      Daeus
      @daeus
        • Rank: Chosen One
        • Total Posts: 4238

        I love Up From Slavery by Brooker T. Washington which is actually an autobiography. You can’t help but admire the fellow at every turn. I also have a short autobiography by my great grand father about how he and his family survived the Armenian Massacres and escaped to America. The tale reminds me of the saying, “Truth is stranger than fiction.”

        🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

        #4357
        Daeus
        @daeus
          • Rank: Chosen One
          • Total Posts: 4238

          Oh, I forgot. Alfred The Great: Asser’s Life Of King Alfred And Other Contemporary Sources. Also, The White Horse King, another book on Alfred The Great. I love Alfred the Great!

          🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

          #4367
          Sarah Hoven
          @sarah-h
            • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
            • Total Posts: 669

            My favorite autobiographies are Alicia: My Story by Alicia Jurman and In Hitler’s Germany by Bernt Engelmann (although it’s not exactly a biography). The Hiding Place is also one of my favorites.
            Daeus, your great grandfather survived the Armenian Massacres? That’s amazing. Was that when the Ottoman Empire killed one million Armenians? Or was that a different time?

            #4371
            Daeus
            @daeus
              • Rank: Chosen One
              • Total Posts: 4238

              Hi Sarah,

              That massacre exactly. Its quite an impressive story. I’ve considered one day turning it into a novel, keeping basically to the true story but adding parts to lengthen it.

              🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

              #4374
              Sarah Hoven
              @sarah-h
                • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                • Total Posts: 669

                If you do, I would definitely want to read it.

                #4383
                Amanda Fischer
                @wordfitlyspoken
                  • Rank: Wise Jester
                  • Total Posts: 79

                  Daeus, I’ve never read that Booker T. Washington book, but I did read a biography about him as a kid. Well, sort of. It was historical fiction. Ever heard of the Trailblazer series by Dave and Neta Jackson? Those were some of my favorite books as a kid. And your great-grandfather’s story sounds really cool! I would absolutely read it if you turned it into a novel. 🙂

                  Sarah, I’ve never heard of the Alicia one. But In Hitler’s Germany does sound familiar. I might have to check those out. 🙂

                  #18554
                  Andorin Xar
                  @andorin-xar
                    • Rank: Bumbling Henchman
                    • Total Posts: 3

                    @daeus, what format is that book by your great grandfather in? Is it hand written, typed? I really hope you have that backed up in some way (scanned, or something). It would be really cool to just see a snippet of it sometime.

                    #18563
                    BlueJay
                    @bluejay
                      • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                      • Total Posts: 1622

                      @wordfitlyspoken I have just been reading a whole lot of Christian biographies. Gifted Hands; A man called Peter; Susanna Wesley; No Greater Love; Bruchko; Miracle for Jen; Queen of the Reformation; Hudson Taylor; Teddy Roosevelt.
                      I have read the Hiding Place. (and ever other book that I could lay my hands on about Corrie ten Boom). It was a wonderful story and well written.

                      #18577
                      Sarah Hoven
                      @sarah-h
                        • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                        • Total Posts: 669

                        @bluejay Who is Bruchko about? That’s an unusual name; sounds Eastern European.

                        #18579
                        BlueJay
                        @bluejay
                          • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                          • Total Posts: 1622

                          @sarah-h Ooooooo. Bruchko (Bruce Olsen) was a 19 year old who went to South American to tell a deadly Indian tribe about Jesus. The natives couldn’t pronounce his name and called him Bruchko.

                          #18582
                          Sarah Hoven
                          @sarah-h
                            • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                            • Total Posts: 669

                            @bluejay Wow, that sounds amazing. Was he able to get through to them?

                            #18584
                            BlueJay
                            @bluejay
                              • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                              • Total Posts: 1622

                              @sarah-h Yes he was. 🙂 It took some time and a lot of trials, but God was faithful.

                              #18673
                              Daeus
                              @daeus
                                • Rank: Chosen One
                                • Total Posts: 4238

                                @andorin-xar I don’t know about the original, but we have two typed copies and my grandpa has another copy. I probably should get a digital file of it though. Good idea. If I do ever get it up on the internet, I’ll try to notify you of it, though I don’t know if I’ll have time for that about now.

                                🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

                                #18686
                                Sarah Hoven
                                @sarah-h
                                  • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                                  • Total Posts: 669

                                  @daeus If that ever happens, I would love to read it, too. I know a little about the Armenian Massacres, but I’ve never read a first-hand account, and those are the best. 🙂

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)
                                • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
                                >