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ninasbooks57's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing, humble,godly man. Though there are a lot of numerical facts the stories he tells are priceless. I love this man and can’t wait to meet him someday!
midwifereading's review against another edition
3.0
Wow. This tome took me almost a full year to read. While I normally read through books at a much faster pace, this book was far too meaty to tackle it in one go. There were plenty of weeks in which I did not pick it up at all, because the information within was overwhelming at times.
Billy Graham is someone my dad always had great respect for. I have never known much about him other than that he is one of the world's most prolific evangelists, and through his preaching, thousands upon thousands have turned their lives over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I have never heard him preach, that I can remember. This book also belonged to my dad, and so it was important to me to read it.
Overall, I found the writing style very dry and straightforward. It often reads like a textbook written in the first person. However, the timeline of events and the milestones all serve to make clear that Dr. Graham is truly a humble man. He often turns the story away from himself, and toward others. I worried that his chapters on his relationships with various Presidents and world leaders would just be name-dropping chapters. Not so. Those chapters illustrate Billy Graham's desire to believe the best about everyone. To love everyone as he loves himself. To pray and encourage and share the Gospel with everyone, whether they are paupers, priests, or kings. I found his writing honest and forthright, with nary a hint of exaggeration or sensationalism.
My favorite chapters were the final chapters, which feel much more personal and open than the rest. These chapters zero in on his family life, his personal walk with Christ, and even his regrets as he looks back on his life. I feel almost as though these chapters could have been the sum total of his autobiography, as they illustrate his true legacy.
I am so glad I took the time to read every word of this book, and so grateful for this glimpse into the life of one of the 20th century's spiritual giants. A man marked by a passion for the Gospel, a love for the lost of the world, and who genuinely walked humbly with his God. Now 96 years old, this book was published when he was in his late 70's, and I often wonder what pages he might add if he could.
Billy Graham is someone my dad always had great respect for. I have never known much about him other than that he is one of the world's most prolific evangelists, and through his preaching, thousands upon thousands have turned their lives over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I have never heard him preach, that I can remember. This book also belonged to my dad, and so it was important to me to read it.
Overall, I found the writing style very dry and straightforward. It often reads like a textbook written in the first person. However, the timeline of events and the milestones all serve to make clear that Dr. Graham is truly a humble man. He often turns the story away from himself, and toward others. I worried that his chapters on his relationships with various Presidents and world leaders would just be name-dropping chapters. Not so. Those chapters illustrate Billy Graham's desire to believe the best about everyone. To love everyone as he loves himself. To pray and encourage and share the Gospel with everyone, whether they are paupers, priests, or kings. I found his writing honest and forthright, with nary a hint of exaggeration or sensationalism.
My favorite chapters were the final chapters, which feel much more personal and open than the rest. These chapters zero in on his family life, his personal walk with Christ, and even his regrets as he looks back on his life. I feel almost as though these chapters could have been the sum total of his autobiography, as they illustrate his true legacy.
I am so glad I took the time to read every word of this book, and so grateful for this glimpse into the life of one of the 20th century's spiritual giants. A man marked by a passion for the Gospel, a love for the lost of the world, and who genuinely walked humbly with his God. Now 96 years old, this book was published when he was in his late 70's, and I often wonder what pages he might add if he could.
debs4jc's review against another edition
4.0
It takes a while to get through this biography, but then Mr. Graham has done a lot in his eventful life. The book goes through his life chronologically, and it reads as if Mr. Graham was telling stories about what happened during tha time of his life. So often he will throw in a little rememberance that is only a couple of paragraphs long. It makes for a real personal feel to the book.[return]I enjoyed this book immensely. Some chapters were of less interest than others of course, my favorites were the ones in which he described his relationships with political leaders. I highly recommend this book, especially for those interested in famous people and/or religious leaders.
redjoshj's review against another edition
3.0
A great recounting of the preacher. Although the writing ended in 2001 and made little mention of the events after that. I would have liked to see an updated version after his death (RIP) with commentary of how he lived his last days in somewhat controversy.
tamaralgage1's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. I listened to this book which was read by Billy Graham. He has a wonderful voice and I highly recommend.
In his autobiography, we can see comparison to questions that plague his generation vs. today. Just as in his time, we find the blurred lines of religion and politics. As such, we are told we must support this politician and hate another based on religious belief. This is further defined in a belief we must support Police, BLM, LGBTQ, 2nd Amendment, Pro/Anti-Abortion Rights, etc. Billy Graham talks about the divides that were visible in his moment in history and how he addressed the demands. It was simple … God was his only demand and he made every attempt to avoid being drawn to support one side or anther in an argument. His one and only message was the word of god in addressing any subject.
Billy Graham lived between Nov 1918 to Feb 1918. This book provides many of the lessons learned to love one another; demonstrate kindness and compassion; and live in faith. Regardless of age, he would experience the questions and demands of youth; he would experience choices when he was not famous; he would demonstrate the grace of fame; and face the challenges anyone does that lives a long life.
If you are a Christian (regardless of faith), this is a must read. If you struggle with people calling themselves Christian, this is a must read. Finally if you are atheist or practice many of the world's other religions, this is a must read. This book and this life helps the reader understand what kindness and compassion of the Christian faith should look like.
In his autobiography, we can see comparison to questions that plague his generation vs. today. Just as in his time, we find the blurred lines of religion and politics. As such, we are told we must support this politician and hate another based on religious belief. This is further defined in a belief we must support Police, BLM, LGBTQ, 2nd Amendment, Pro/Anti-Abortion Rights, etc. Billy Graham talks about the divides that were visible in his moment in history and how he addressed the demands. It was simple … God was his only demand and he made every attempt to avoid being drawn to support one side or anther in an argument. His one and only message was the word of god in addressing any subject.
Billy Graham lived between Nov 1918 to Feb 1918. This book provides many of the lessons learned to love one another; demonstrate kindness and compassion; and live in faith. Regardless of age, he would experience the questions and demands of youth; he would experience choices when he was not famous; he would demonstrate the grace of fame; and face the challenges anyone does that lives a long life.
If you are a Christian (regardless of faith), this is a must read. If you struggle with people calling themselves Christian, this is a must read. Finally if you are atheist or practice many of the world's other religions, this is a must read. This book and this life helps the reader understand what kindness and compassion of the Christian faith should look like.
davehershey's review against another edition
5.0
I found Billy's store very encouraging and challenging. His humility comes through in this long story. He preached the Gospel on every continent; most amazing were the doors open to preach in the Soviet Union, China and North Korea. Reading of his friendships with every president since Eisenhower was wonderful because he demonstrated the love of Christ to these powerful people. Billy's interaction with these presidents serves as a lesson for all of us for he did not get involved in politics, he prayed with and for them regardless of whether he agreed with them or not, and he genuinely liked them. His love for all people comes out and it is easy to see how he truly enjoyed being around all sorts of people from the most powerful to the least, from Christian to atheist and everyone in between. At times the story seemed too stuffed with names and places, but what can be expected in recounting over a half-century of work. The final part of the book where he discusses his friends and family was a great conclusion as it took the focus away from Graham the celebrity and put it on Graham the family man and friend.
hiljajeffery's review against another edition
4.0
When I bought this book, I didn't realise it was over 700 pages long! It's taken me a while to get through it, but there's been a lot of gold in there. Some chapters were so thought-provoking that they led to extended thinking and journalling.
ferrisscottr's review against another edition
5.0
You might find it odd that an atheist would read the autobiography of Billy Graham but actually this is a re-read, I've read it twice before and really enjoyed it each time.
No matter how much our beliefs might differ there is no denying the importance of Billy Graham on the last 100 years and I find him to be worthy of the title "Most Respected American" (which he has been named many many times over the years).
One book can't cover nearly everything that he has done and seen over his 80 year career but I find this book to be a good starting point.
I wouldn't recommend it for everyone but for quite a few this would be a great read (I actually listened to the audio book on a couple really long training runs).
No matter how much our beliefs might differ there is no denying the importance of Billy Graham on the last 100 years and I find him to be worthy of the title "Most Respected American" (which he has been named many many times over the years).
One book can't cover nearly everything that he has done and seen over his 80 year career but I find this book to be a good starting point.
I wouldn't recommend it for everyone but for quite a few this would be a great read (I actually listened to the audio book on a couple really long training runs).