Christian and Other Books I Would Recommend

by Curtis Lee Hall

HOME

Most of the books listed below are Christian biographies and autobiographies, but not all. The books may not be suitable for all readers. Many of the books contain true stories of intense suffering and cruelty that some people might find very disturbing.

TRAMP FOR THE LORD
by Corrie Ten Boom
Autobiographical sequel to The Hiding Place, tells the story of Corrie's life during the many years following the Nazi concentration camp. A must read that covers much of what the Christian life is about.

GOD'S SMUGGLER
by Brother Andrew
Amazing autobiography of the man who smuggled Bibles past the Iron Curtain, and into other parts of the world where the Bible is restricted or prohibited.

AGAINST THE TIDE
by Angus L. Kinnear
Biography of Watchman Nee, a Christian teacher and preacher in China who spent the last twenty years of his life in a Chinese prison.

BRUCHKO
by Bruce Olsson
Truly amazing autobiography of a nineteen year old boy who becomes a Christian, and then buys a one way ticket into the jungles of South America. Another must read. Most people I know that have read this book, have read it in one or two days, because they couldn't put it down.

I DARED TO CALL HIM FATHER
by Bilquis Sheikh
Autobiography of a high cast Muslim woman who gets converted to Christianity after having a dream of John the Baptist (whom she never heard of) pointing her to Jesus. A must read.

THE HEAVENLY MAN
by Paul Hattaway
The biography of Brother Yun, a Chinese man who was tortured and suffered intensely in Chinese and Burmese prisons, and is still preaching the gospel. I had to shut my feelings off while reading a few of the chapters in this book. This was probably the most severe suffering I have ever read, and I have read of lots of horrible torture and suffering.

THE END OF THE SPEAR
by Steve Saint
Autobiography of Steve and his family, the son of one of the five martyrs who was killed in 1956 in Ecuador. Steve is now very close to those who killed his father, and considers them his family. This book is fantastic, a must read. Completely different than the movie of the same name.

THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW
by Philip Yancey
Autobiography and more by this well known author. Everyone, believer and non-believer, should read this book, in my opinion. It covers a lot of ground, including the history of Christianity back to the 1st century. It gets you thinking of what Christianity really is, and what it is not.

TORTURED FOR HIS FAITH
by Haralan Popov
Autobiography of the Bulgarian pastor who was imprisoned and tortured for thirteen years under the communist. I read this book in one night. It is quite intense.

TWELVE ANGELS FROM HELL
by David Wilkerson
About twelve early hard-core converts in Teen Challenge.

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH
By Demos Shakarian
Autobiography of the man who started Full Gospel Businessman's Fellowship International. A great book about the miraculous power of God and how real He is.

FAITH LIKE POTATOES
by Angus Buchan
Great autobiography of the farmer in South Africa who gets converted, and is now a well known evangelist. This book has also been made into a movie.

A NEW SONG
by Pat Boone
Autobiography of the well known singer and actor. I was surprised at how good this book really is.

KICKED OUT OF THE KINGDOM
by Charles Trombley
Charles was an enthusiastic Jehovah's Witness who didn't believe that miracles happened any more. Then his daughter was born with club feet, and Charles began to pray. His daughter was miraculously healed, and then Charles and his family were ex-communicated from their church. He was then baptized with the Holy Spirit and became a pastor.

JOURNEY INTO GOD'S HEART
by Jennifer Rees Larcombe
My friend's autobiography. Jen has been miraculously healed from a terminal disease and a lot more. Fantastic book. Jen is a very well known Christian author in England.

THE TANGLED LAMB
by Noel Davidson
Biography of Joanna Tinsley, an artist from Poland (born in 1969), how she got saved and married a guy from Ireland. A Really good love story.

NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING
by Dennis Bennett
Autobiography of the well known minister who gets unexpectedly baptized in the Holy Spirit, and afterwards is sent all over the world by God. His ministry affected thousands and thousands of people.

REBEL WITH A CAUSE
by Franklin Graham
Franklin's autobiography, the son of Billy Graham. Quite interesting book.

THE MAN WHO WAS Q
by Dave Porter
Biography about Charles Frazier Smith, the man who invented many gadgets for England and the allies during WWII. He also made many advances in dairy and crop farming.

SELECTED TO LIVE
by Johanna Ruth Dobschiner
Autobiography about a teen age Jewish girl in Amsterdam during WWII. Her whole family was murdered by the Nazi's, but she trained as a nurse and survived in the Holland underground.

THE RAGING
by Jutta Jamagin
Autobiography about a German half Jewish girl who survived WWII in Germany. Her family moved to Israel after the war, then returned to Germany. She married an American soldier, who later became a pastor and lived in Washington state. Jutta had a mental breakdown while she was a pastor's wife.

RUN, BABY RUN
by Nicky Cruz
Autobiography of the gang member who was converted by David Wilkerson in the book and movie The Cross and the Switchblade. This is a very good book about the power of God and the horrors of being in a street gang in New York.

THE FLYING SCOTSMAN
by Sally Magnusson
The best biography on Eric Liddell I have ever read. Eric was the main character and Olympic runner in the movie Chariots of Fire. He was an amazing man.

CHASING THE DRAGON
by Jackie Pullinger
Autobiography of the missionary to the walled city in Hong Kong during the 60's and 70's. Worked with Triad gang members. Talks about the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit for serving God.

C.T. STUDD AND PRISCILLA
by Eileen Vincent
Biography of the famous missionary and his wife. C.T. gave up wealth and fame to go to China and Africa for Christ. He was very hard-core and determined. A man of no compromise.

GOD'S GOLDEN ACRE
by Dale le Vack
Biography of Heather Reynolds, the woman who started an orphanage in South Africa to take care of the young victims of AIDS.

THE TORN VEIL
by Gulshan Esther
A story of a Pakistani woman who was crippled, and Jesus appeared to her and healed her. Afterwards she was severely persecuted for her faith.

LIGHT FORCE
by Brother Andrew
Another autobiography written years after God's Smuggler, about his ministering to Muslims in the Middle East, including terrorist and their leaders. This book has been considered controversial by some Christians. A good book questioning what is the right attitude, the one Jesus desires, towards Muslims and Zionism.

UNEXPECTED HEALING
by Jennifer Rees Larcombe
The autobiography describing Jen's instant miraculous healing and the events leading up to it.

IN THE POTTER'S HANDS
by Dale Evans Rogers
Hard-core and extremely honest book by the wife of Roy Rogers describing the molding of her character by the Lord.

BORN AGAIN
by Chuck Colson
Autobiography describing his conversion during the Watergate scandal, and his time in prison, including his ministry during and afterwards.

TAMING THE TIGER
by Tony Anthony
Autobiography of three time Kung Fu world champion, his downfall, and his subsequent conversion while in prison.

MIRACLE ON THE RIVER KWAI
by Ernest Gordon
Autobiography of a POW during WWII, and the horrors he and many others had to suffer through.

THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE
by David Wilkerson
Autobiography of the creator of Teen Challenge. The true story of a country preacher's fight against teen-age crime in the big-city slums of New York. Was later made into a movie.

ONE BRIGHT SHINING PATH
by W. Terry Whalin
Biography of Romulo Saune - A young converted Peruvian shepherd lad became the head of a team of scholars translating the Bible. But another gospel was spreading - the Shining Path, one of the world's most violent terrorist groups. A collision was inevitable. Some disturbing accounts of torture and martyrdom.

COME WALK WITH ME
by Dr. Melvin L. Cheatham
A moving autobiography telling of how the surgeon himself was profoundly changed and uplifted both by the Lord he had to come to serve and by the team of members of Christ's Body. It is a story of how much a missionary learns from those he has come to teach.

THE CHALLENGING COUNTERFEIT
by Raphael Gasson
Autobiography of a medium who used to consider himself a 'Christian Spiritualist Healer'. He eventually realized that the spirits working through him were evil. He iterates the need for discernment in Christianity, and how there is such a terrible lack of it, that much of what we experience in the super-natural that is being credited as from God in the church actually is not from God. A must read for Christians, but this book can be hard to find.

BACK TO JERUSALEM
by Paul Hattaway
Brothers Yun, Peter Xu Yongze and Enoch Wang, three Chinese church leaders who between them have spent more than 40 years in prison for their faith, explain the history and present-day reality of the Back to Jerusalem movement, which has its main focus in reaching the people of the 10/40 corridor.

THROUGH GATES OF SPLENDOR
by Elisabeth Elliot
Biography of the five young missionaries who were savagely killed while trying to establish communication with the Auca Indians of Ecuador in 1956. The story is told through Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of Jim Elliot, one of the young men who was killed. This event received world attention, was written about in Reader's Digest and Life magazine, and had a drastic effect on the increase of missionaries over the years following their martyrdom. A great book.

ON THE ROAD WITH JESUS
by Dave Cape
Dave received a direct call from the Lord to go walking through the roads of South Africa carrying a bowl and a small cross, washing people's feet as he went. This book is full of stories of the super-natural power of God through miracles, healings, prophecies, etc. I am connected to Dave through Erik the Flute Maker and his wife. Dave and me are both friends of Erik. They have done missionary work together. Another must read, but the book is hard to find in the USA.

LOOK, NO HANDS
by Brian Gault
The compelling autobiography of a man born with no arms and his struggle to prove himself normal in an abnormal world. A book that makes me realize that I don't have it that bad.

SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY
by Elisabeth Elliot
JIM ELLIOTT - One of the five Ecuador martyrs killed by the Aucas in 1956. His wife has woven the story of his life round the spiritual writings of his journals. Interesting read for Christians.

STEVE AND ME: LIFE WITH THE CROCODILE HUNTER
by Terri Irwin
The biography of Steve Irwin, as told by his widow. This is a really good book. Steve was a man of great integrity, and even more intense in real life than he was on his TV show, if that's possible. One of my favorite books.

JOHN GLENN: A MEMOIR
by John Glenn
Autobiography of the former Mercury 7 astronaut and Senator. John tells his whole life story. He has been with his wife, Annie, since they were infants. A great love story, and a great story of one of the first astronauts. I've read this book a couple of times.

NO COMPROMISE: THE LIFE STORY OF KEITH GREEN
by Melody Green
The biography of Keith Green, as told by his widow. The book drags a little at first, but then it really gets going. Keith was really sold out for Jesus, and had a lot of conflicts with the religious institution of his day. I go back and read parts of this book again and again.

SAVE ME FROM MYSELF: HOW I FOUND GOD, QUIT KORN, KICKED DRUGS, AND LIVED TO TELL MY STORY
by Brian 'Head' Welch
Autobiography of the leader of the heavy metal band Korn. An extremely honest book. Probably not for children.

GET TO THE HEART: MY STORY
by Barbara Mandrell
Autobiography of the famous country singer. Barbara openly tells about her faith in God, and her struggles. A very good book.

CASH: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
by Johnny Cash
If you like Johnny, or just desire to read a good biography, then you should surely read this book. I loved it. John is honest about his struggles, and you learn a lot about some other well-known people you might be curious about too.

AMERICAN HEROES IN SPECIAL OPERATIONS
by Oliver North and Chuck Holton
No matter how you might feel about war, this book of true events gives you a glimpse of what many special forces soldiers have had to suffer through since 911, and also documents their extreme courage, fortitude, and integrity.

TERROR ON THE SEAS - TRUE TALES OF MODERN DAY PIRATES
by Daniel Sekulich
Think the days of pirates are mostly behind us? Think again. Piracy is at an all time high. A fascinating book.

WITH THE OLD BREED AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA
by E. B.Sledge
Autobiography of a marine's experience on the front lines in WWII.

SO OTHERS MAY LIVE: COAST GUARD RESCUE SWIMMERS: SAVING LIVES, DEFYING DEATH
by Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite
This is one of my favorite books. These people are almost superhuman. Very intense.

SURVIVING MYSELF
by Jennifer O'neill
The star of the movie Summer of 42, and a former Miss Cover Girl for many years, honestly tells of her eight marriages, several miscarriages, an abortion, a gunshot wound, and much more. She eventually became a Christian, and thus experienced God's forgiveness and healing.

POLAR DREAM: THE FIRST Solo EXPEDITION BY A WOMAN AND HER DOG TO THE MAGNETIC NORTH POLE
by Helen Thayer
Another intense autobiography. It's amazing 50 year old Helen and her dog, Charlie, weren't eaten by polar bears, nor died from the extreme conditions they had to face. Check out the reviews of this book on Amazon.

SMITH WIGGLESWORTH APOSTLE OF FAITH
by Stanley Howard Frodsham
The best biography I have ever read on Smith Wigglesworth, the man who knew and walked in the power of God.

THE WAR TO END ALL WARS: WORLD WAR I
by Russell Freedman
A 19 year old boy shoots two shots from a revolver and starts a world war. Millions and millions die, tens of millions more are maimed and/or lose loved ones. Communism spawns and comes to power in Russia. The circumstances that lead to Nazism and WWII are put in place. The Cold War results from it, and still to this day millions and millions more die, are tortured, and suffer. If you don't understand what I mean, then you should probably read this book. All because of pride and so-called patriotism. War is so absolutely horrific and so absolutely stupid. I dare you to read this book if you don't agree.

IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM: FINDING THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
by Denise Jackson
Wife of legendary country music star Alan Jackson openly tells of their struggles, their separation, and eventually finding healing and restoration in God.

BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE: AN INDIAN HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST
by Dee Brown
When you think of genocide, do you think of Hitler, Pol Pot, and Stalin? Well, what about several of the leaders in the United States government who practiced genocide? It has been calculated that around 90% of the American Indians were wiped out by the beginning of the 20th century. This is a documentation of what many of these tribes went through. All of world history is marked with the fact that just about every ethnic group has tried to commit genocide against another ethnic group at one time or another. Sadly, it's almost always the victors who write the history books, so hearing the side of the oppressed is not always easy to find.

THE TETON SIOUX
by Nancy Bonvillain
This book goes into greater detail than Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in regards to how the U.S. government systematically broke all treaties, took most of the Sioux tribe's land, and destroyed the culture and spirit of this people.

LOOKING LIKE THE ENEMY
by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald
So you're a naturally born citizen of the United States, and the government decides that you could possibly be a threat. Do you suppose you would still have your constitutional rights to protect you? Think again! This autobiography of this amazing woman goes into great detail of how her and her family lost almost everything they had worked for, just because they looked like the enemy, and it happened to tens of thousands of others too. Don't think it can't happen to you also. There is a website about Mary at www.lookingliketheenemy.com. Later in her life, Mary received much recognition and was awarded for her services as a nurse and a humanitarian.

POLLYANNA
by Eleanor H. Porter
I'm not much into fiction, but this is one of my favorite books. Oh, how I wish I had an attitude like Pollyanna's. The glad game anyone? Fantastic book.

POLLYANNA GROWS UP
by Eleanor H. Porter
The sequel to Pollyanna. She is amazing as a grown up too.

SOUL SURVIVOR: HOW THIRTEEN UNLIKELY MENTORS HELPED MY FAITH SURVIVE THE CHURCH
by Philip Yancey
I believe every religious and non-religious person should read this book. It gets you to really think of who Jesus is, and is not. Do you know the real Jesus, or has He been tainted by your culture, church, and your own misperceptions?

LOVE WINS: A BOOK ABOUT HEAVEN, HELL, AND THE FATE OF EVERY PERSON WHO EVER LIVED
by Rob Bell
The extremely controversial book that asks, will God eventually restore all of His creation to Himself (Col 1:19-20)? Did most of our current beliefs come out of the Dark Ages and paganism? This book gets you thinking outside the box of orthodox religion. How old is your orthodoxy anyway? What was orthodoxy 500, 1000, 1500, or even 2000 years ago? Was it correct? How much has it changed? Even if you might not agree with Rob's conclusions, this book brings up many perspectives that many may never recognize nor think about.

HOPE BEYOND HELL
by Gerry Beauchemin
Written by a missionary. Are we ignoring a lot of scriptures that don't line up with our current theology? Have many scriptures been intentionally mistranslated in many versions of the Bible by those who had preconceived beliefs? This is a much more scholarly book than Love Wins. This book provides documentation from the first few century's Christian believers, and much, much more. You can download the book for free at www.hopebeyondhell.org. You can also get hard copies of the book.

THE JESUS STYLE
by Gayle Erwin
This is another must read. Gayle goes into great depth, using scripture, on who Jesus really is, His love, His personality, who He associated with, how He interacted with people, and much more. The understanding of who Jesus is in this book is amazing. It might be quite different than the Jesus you were taught. Gayle's books can be downloaded for free in MP3 audio format at his website Servant Quarters.

SEAL TEAM SIX: MEMOIRS OF AN ELITE NAVY SEAL SNIPER
by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin
The title gives you a fairly good idea of what this book is about. Howard's story from his childhood up to now. He is currently a chiropractor. It's amazing what these guys have to suffer through, and how it changes most of their lives forever.

MY DESCENT INTO DEATH: A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE
by Howard Storm
What happens when an aggressive atheist university professor has one of the most powerful near death experiences (NDE) ever recorded? Howard claims that he spent what seemed like years talking to Jesus and His angels (see YouTube videos). I've read this book more than 4 times. Even if you don't agree with a lot of what Howard says, the book will give you much to think about.

SOUL SURFER: A TRUE STORY OF FAITH, FAMILY, AND FIGHTING TO GET BACK ON THE BOARD
by Bethany Hamilton
The story of Bethany, who is now a professional surfer, who in 2003, while she was only 13 years old, had her left arm bitten off by a 15' shark. She got back on her board 3 weeks later! I love this book. This book was written when Bethany was 14. They've now made a 2011 movie about Bethany, Soul Surfer. If you watch the DVD, be sure to watch the extra features, especially the documentary part. I think it might be better than the movie. Bethany really inspires me to keep striving on. She is so cool!!

FORGOTTEN GOD: REVERSING OUR TRAGIC NEGLECT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
by Francis Chan
Have believers mostly forgotten that the Holy Spirit is how Jesus said He would leave God with us? Isn't becoming one with God done through the Holy Spirit? Are rivers of living water flowing out from you? Do others see the fruit of the Spirit in you? Are you distinctly different than someone who hasn't been born again of the Spirit? This is a good read, and I can really relate to what Francis wrote in this short book.

HELD BY THE WATCHTOWER: SET FREE BY CHRIST
by Susan Thorne
Susan tells her story of her 15 years with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and how she and her family finally escaped from their almost total control of what they thought, believed, and how this cult almost completely controlled their lives. Did you get your beliefs from a church, or were you taught by God alone? If you mostly only know what your church taught you, and you have or are experiencing so-called leaders in your church who attempt to tell you what to believe, how to act, think, and attempt to lord over and control your life, then you should probably read this book. Much of the brainwashing that is written about in this book, I have seen practiced in many so-called churches. Who is leading and teaching you, man and religion, or God (Matthew 23:6-11)?

LONE SURVIVOR: THE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF OPERATION REDWING AND THE LOST HEROES OF SEAL TEAM 10
by Marcus Luttrell
I had such an overwhelming feeling of 'unacceptable' as I wept while reading chapter 8. What is it like to go into war following a very different set of rules (ROE) than your enemy, show mercy on a few civilians who hate you, knowing it could cost the lives of your friends (and it does), and find yourself outnumbered by hundreds to just the four of you? This amazing true story will make you think and question many of our policies that have cost so many Americans the ultimate sacrifice.

BLOOD BROTHERS
by Elias Chacour
Great book that exposes the roots and motives of Zionism and what really happened in Israel in 1947. As a child, Elias Chacour lived in a small Palestinian village in Galilee. The townspeople were proud of their ancient Christian heritage and lived at peace with their Jewish neighbors. But early in 1947, their idyllic lifestyle was swept away as tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed and nearly one million forced into refugee camps. An exile in his native land, Elias began a years-long struggle with his love for the Jewish people and the world's misunderstanding of his own people, the Palestinians.

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND THE REAL WORLD: MY STORY
by Steven Curtis Chapman
This is a really good autobiography, extremely transparent. It gets quite intense through the 2nd half, and stirs the emotions.

KILLING JESUS
by Bill O'Reilly
A biography of Jesus and the historical events of that time, by the famous journalist. Learned a lot about the culture and history of that period around the time of Jesus.

KISSES FROM KATIE: A STORY OF RELENTLESS LOVE AND REDEMPTION
by Katie Davis
A very convicting and great book. Katie has everything going for her, but after high school she leaves it all, goes to Africa, and adopts more then a dozen children by the time she is 21.

IMAGINE HEAVEN
by John Burke
A pastor from Texas writes of the many near death experiences he has studied. A very interesting book, but I feel he was very selective on the NDE's he chose to cover, and then he tries to line them up with his interpretation of scripture. Certainly worth reading.

This is only a partial list of the many good books I have read. As I remember more books and read other great books I'll add them to this list, God willing. I also have some great books to download or read on the homepage of my website that is linked to below.

If you're wondering how I read all these books, since I'm totally blind, I either listened to them on tape or digitally downloaded them in an accessible format.

Last updated April 28th, 2020

HOME

814114733