Review: Billy Graham: His Life and Influence by David Aikman

Goodreads: Having known more American presidents, foreign leaders, and famous people than any other American living or dead, he has been uniquely able to speak to the heart of the average person and bring peace and clarity to a nation in trying times. Graham's ministry flourished during a challenging period in the American experience, when the nation was coming to terms with its unexpected new strength in the world and grappling with the most serious racial and social upheavals since the Civil War.

Kritters Thoughts: First, let me tell you how excited I was to get this book from BookSneeze to review, more than excited!!

I chose to receive and review this book because first my "hometown" for four years was Charlotte, NC, and it is a city that I will always wish to return to. Second reason I chose this book is because in college I was a religious studies major, I was always interested in how religion affected society and how society affected the progression of religion.

SO for my review. This was not your typical biography. It was more of a biography that was torn apart in chapters that organized his life into themes, not exactly in chronological order. I enjoyed this different take on reading about someone's life. As well, the book set up allowed for other people's accounts of the encounters they had with Billy Graham.

I think my favorite chapters were involving the presidents. I was absolutely unaware as to the impact that Billy Graham had on each presidency. After reading this book, I am completely aware that our America would be a different place if Billy Graham hadn't interceded in critical moments in history. What an amazing thought - that one person had that much impact over a long length of our American history.

Finally, I loved reading the last part about his family. Although his wife, Ruth, was mentioned throughout the book, I enjoyed reading more about her and the children they raised. After reading about the many trips and crusades he was a part of, you didn't realize until the end that his wife kept their home and raised their children basically on their own - a sacrifice to allow her husband to preach to the world.

I would recommend this book to people who have an interest in history and religion. It was definitely a thought provoking read and was hard to read laying by the pool!!

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Total pages: 301

2010 Challenge: Non-fiction (pick your own)

**This book was provided free of any obligation by BookSneeze. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.