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.

	Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance by Frances Cavanah from Rand McNally Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $4.00 (2 in stock)
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	BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood from Candlewick Press for 4th-6th grade 2021 Newbery Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.99
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	Davy Crockett Frontier Legend by George Edward Stanley from Sterling Publishing Co. for 4rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Death Valley Scotty "The Fastest Con in the West" from Trans-Anglo Press for Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $16.00 (1 in stock)
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	Jefferson Davis and His Generals by Steven E. Woodworth from University Press of Kansas for 11th-Adult in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	John Brown Russwurm The Story of Freedom's Journal, Freedom's Journey by Mary Sagarin, Introduction by Ernest Kaiser 1^st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	John Brown: One Man Against Slavery by Gwen Everett, Illustrated by Jacob Lawrence from Rizzoli International Publications for 1st-3rd grade in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	John Deere Story A Biography of Plowmakers John & Charles Deere by Neil Dahlstrom and Jeremy Dahlstrom, introduction by David Vaught from Northern Illinois University Press for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
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	John Wanamaker: King of Merchants by William Allen Zulker from Eaglecrest Press for Adult in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS) $4.80 (1 in stock)
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	Kit Carson: Folk Hero and Man by Noel B. Gerson from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.50 (1 in stock)
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	Laura Ingalls Wilder: Pioneer Girl The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill from South Dakota State Historical Society Press for 7th-Adult in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM) $39.99 $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Leaders of the North and South Civil War Chronicles by Bill Sell from MetroBooks for 7th-Adult in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW) $7.00 (1 in stock)
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	Life of Andrew Jackson by John S. Jenkins from New Leaf Press for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $13.50
	Life of John Newton by American Missionary Fellowship from Attic Books for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.50
	Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1988 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (3 in stock)
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	Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman, Jr., illustrated by Maynard Dixon from Heritage Press for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $12.00 (1 in stock)
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	Peter Cartwright, the Backwoods Preacher by Peter Cartwright Undated from Cranston and Curts for 10th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Pioneering on the Plains Frontiers of America by Edith McCall, illustrated by Carol Rogers from Children's Press for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Robert E. Lee Gallant Christian Soldier Sowers Series by Lee Roddy from Mott Media Biography for 6th-8th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Robert E. Lee: A Life Portrait by David J. Eicher from Taylor Publishing Company for Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
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	Story of the Lincoln Memorial Cornerstones of Freedom by Natalie Miller from Children's Press for 4th-6th Grade in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN) $5.00 (1 in stock)
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	Unfading Beauty The Story of Dolley Madison by Tracy M. Leininger from His Seasons for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
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	Wild West Book Club from Time-Life Books for 6th-Adult in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
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	William T. Sherman Triangle Histories: The Civil War by David C. King 1^st edition from Blackbirch Press for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.00 (1 in stock)

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