After our exercise post, we’ve been asked for book recommendations. We hadn’t planned on a post about it, but since some asked, we felt others would be interested.
Steve and I just finished listening to an audible version of Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas. We are amazed by his story of salvation, encouraged in our walk with the Lord by this godly man, and inspired by his tenacity to pursue the course the Lord set him on.
William Wilberforce was born in 1759 and died in 1833. He knew John Newton and John Wesley. Despite his family doing all they could to keep him from salvation as a teen, in his early 20’s, the Lord brought Wilberforce to Himself. He lived the rest of his life serving God with all his heart, energy, time, and finances. When Wilberforce felt he should leave politics after his salvation, John Newton encouraged Wilberforce that God had a purpose for him there and that he should remain. Thus he was the man to lead the charge to first abolish the slave trade in Britain and its colonies and then to emancipate slaves.
There were a few parts of the book that were graphic in the violence of the time. They are easy to skip over. We certainly wouldn’t recommend it for children to listen to.
The author, Eric Metaxas, is a brilliant writer with an artistic ability to “paint” with metaphors. We continually enjoyed his masterful employment of them. We felt his writing skills made the whole story come to life.
Ideally, reading it is best. If you are like Steve and me and want to maximize your time by “reading” when you can’t read, the audio version is great. It is available from Amazon’s Audible, or if you have access to your public library, Hoopla might be an option.
Good news: If you don’t have an Audible account, you can actually get the book for free by subscribing to a trial membership. Click on this link, and you’ll see the option to Try Audible for Free!
Trusting in Jesus,
Teri
PS – The Amazon’s links are Titus2’s Amazon affiliate link. See our Privacy Policy.
**UPDATE** We DON’T recommend the author’s Martin Luther book. We were shocked to find crude and offensive vulgarity in it and promptly returned the book.
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life
dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy,
and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus,
to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
Thank you for sharing this! We love audiobooks for car trips, commutes, and cleaning. We had a free credit and were just discussing which one to get the night before you posted this 🙂
You two will love it. It is a great “read.”
Would this be appropriate for a 15 year old? If not, what would be the youngest age for which you would recommend this book? I love Wilberforce and would like to encourage young people to learn about him. I enjoyed watching the movie “Amazing Grace”!
It depends on the “child.” I felt Metaxas could have shared far worse detail in some areas, but kept it at a higher level. It was easy to fast forward the few places we didn’t want to hear. What we consider too much might not be a concern for many Christians. The only way you would know is for you to listen to it first. Also, we only used audio books when we can’t read. If we are active and can’t talk with others or have had ample talking time, then we will listen to books. For youth (everyone), reading is very important and to just listen might set bad habits.
Steve
Thank you for the book recomendation. I have never heard of him. It will be interesting to learn more.
We really liked it. Read the reviews for yourself and decide.
Have a great day in Colorado! I am loving the pictures of the Rocky Mountains. If you get a chance swing by Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs and take a tour.
We certainly are having great days here. I love the photos of the mountains too. They are great memories and sometimes when we are hiking, I am working so hard I don’t enjoy the beauty as much as I would like to enjoy it. The photos bring it all back.