Biographies - Exodus Books

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"Did they tell you stories about the saints of old,
stories about their faith?
Stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight..."
—Rich Mullins, Boy Like Me, Man Like You

Stories about people have a way of affecting us in ways other stories can't. The Bible is primarily stories about people, and it is through these multiple biographies that we understand human nature, the history of redemption, and even to a great extent God Himself. The purpose behind any other biography is largely the same—to help us understand what it means to be human from the examples (sometimes even the bad examples) of those who have preceded us.

The biographies we have chosen for this section represent those of great leaders in history, social and military heroes, and Christian saints past and present who struggled to conform their lives to Christ's perfect example. We have avoided for the most part biographies of history's villains and chronic immoralists, not because they aren't interesting but because they don't represent lives worthy of imitation. We've also decided not to focus on athletes, actors, and celebrities, unless they've made important contributions outside their fields. That's not to say everyone found here was above reproach or even a Christian, but they all demonstrated real human virtues for which they are remembered.

Biographies are also useful for better understanding of a given historical period. While history books can provide good overviews of a period or events, the intimate detail of a good biography can better illustrate a time period and what it was like to be alive then. This also serves to demonstrate the universality of human nature, that people will behave basically the same during any given period and in any given place. Sometimes we get the impression that people of the past, especially people like missionaries and ministers, were somehow more pious than we are—the personal view offered by a good biography dispels this myth and offers encouragement that not even the best men and women are any closer to perfection than we are.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

	A Weed Is a Flower by Aliki Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99
	Alexander Graham Bell An Inventive Life by Elizabeth MacLeod from Kids Can Press Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.99
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson from Boyds Mill Press for 7th-11th grade 2002 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Award in Biographies (Location: BIO) $16.95
	Did You Invent The Phone All Alone, Alexander Graham Bell? by Gilda Berger, Melvin Berger from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.99
	Doctors Who Conquered Yellow Fever Landmark #78 by Ralph Nading Hill, illustrated by Richard M. Powers from Random House for 5th-9th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Electrical Wizard How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Eli Whitney: Great Inventor by Jean Lee Latham from Garrard Publishing Company for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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	George Washington Carver From Slave to Scientist Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
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	John James Audubon Landmark #48 by John & Margaret Kieran, illustrated by Christine Price from Random House for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	John James Audubon: Painting America's Wildlife by Janet Stevenson, illustrated by Robert Boehmer from Encyclopedia Britannica for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (1 in stock)
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	Story of Eli Whitney by Jean Lee Latham from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (3 in stock)
	Story of Eli Whitney by Jean Lee Latham Second Edition from Avyx, Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Eli Whitney by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by Fritz Kredel 1^st edition from Aladdin Books for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Story of George Washington Carver Signature Books #17 by Arna Bontemps, illustrated by Harper Johnson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of John J. Audubon Grosset & Dunlap Signature #27 by Joan Howard, illustrated by Federico (Fred) Castellon from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Thomas Alva Edison Grosset & Dunlap Signature #4 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Harvé Stein from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Thaddeus Lowe: America's One-Man Air Corps by Mary Hoehling from Kingston House for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Thomas Edison for Kids His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities by Laurie Carlson from Chicago Review Press for 4th-6th grade in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV) $19.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Who Was George Washington Carver? Who Was?...Series by Jim Gigliotti, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)

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