Billy Graham: His Life and Influence by David Aikman

You would have had to live under a rock for the last 60 years not to have known who Billy Graham was. Yes, most of us know he was a preacher and an international evangelist. Unfortunately that is where most of us end our knowledge of Billy Graham. Where did he come from? What environment was he brought up in? What type of education did he receive? How did he become so successful at reaching people? And the questions go on. I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review of the book. Truthfully I knew little about Billy Graham. David Aikman the author did a superb job at letting the people who were in the dark about Billy Graham’s life.

The book begins by covering his childhood. How his parents and others had a great influence on his outlook and perspective on life and religion. The book goes into details the how and why he chose to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior and the steps he took, not always being the easy ones. Unlike most biographies David Aikman gives you a real life balance of who Billy Graham was and is. He tells of the mistakes, failures and struggles that most of us can relate to. His experience working with ten presidents is fascinating. How he worked with the different personality types and the struggles around others who were less accommodating. If you are looking for a good informational book about the life and the influences Billy Graham had this is a must ready book.

Against All Odds by Chuck Norris

I have seen this book many times on the books shelf. I have read his other books that talk about inner strength and positive thinking. I held off on this one thinking it was more of the same. For some reason I was finally compelled to buy the book. I had to admit I was pleasantly surprised with "Against All Odds". Yes, most of us know of his martial art titles, schools, movies, TV shows and other accomplishments. In his other books he goes through briefly his up bring into a poor family. In this book he explains the situation he grew up in detail with his father being an alcoholic and the positive determination and spiritual upbringing his mother provided. He talks about many of the mistakes and failures he had but more importantly how he learned from those and turned those to his advantage. If you love martial arts, a book with a positive message and a strong Christian philosophy then this is a must read for you.