Religious Biographies

Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important innovators of the century, Tariq Ramadan is a leading Muslim scholar, with a large following especially among young European and American Muslims. Now, in his first book written for a wide audience, he offers a marvelous biography of the Prophet Muhammad, one that highlights the spiritual and ethical teachings of one of the most influential figures in human history.

In a remarkable true story of faith and blessings, a mother tells of her sickly young daughter, how she survived a dangerous accident, her visit to Heaven, and the inexplicable disappearance of the symptoms of her chronic disease. Annabel Beam spent most of her childhood in and out of hospitals with a rare and incurable digestive disorder that prevented her from ever living a normal, healthy life. One sunny day when she was able to go outside and play with her sisters, she fell three stories headfirst inside an old, hollowed-out tree...

The Happiest People on Earth is the fascinating story of ordinary people who had themselves qualified to achieve extraordinary things. This classic about the life of Demos Shakarian, who was a very success-ful dairy farmer in California, will also inspire you!

To understand the continued and far-reaching ministry of A. W. Tozer, it is important to know who he was, including his relationship with God. In The Life of A. W. Tozer, James Snyder lets us in on the life and times of a deep thinker who was not afraid to "tell it like it is" and never compromised his beliefs. Tozer's spiritual legacy continues today as his writings challenge audiences to a deeper relationship and worship of God in reverence and adoration. Here is Tozer's life story.

Ian Buruma explores the life and death of Baruch Spinoza, the Enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time

Teenager Lucas Leonard made shocking admissions in front of the altar - he'd practiced witchcraft, conspired to murder his parents, and committed unspeakable crimes. The confessions earned him a brutal beating by a gang of angry church members, including his parents and sister. Lucas was brought to the hospital dead, awakening the sleepy community of Chadwicks, New York, to the horror that had been lurking next door. Nine members of Lucas' church would eventually find themselves facing murder-related charges. But how did they get to that point? And what made Lucas confess?

The first definitive biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential intellects in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver. Recalling such bestsellers as David McCullough's John Adams and Walter Isaacson's Einstein, Maimonides is a biography on a grand scale, brilliantly explicating one man's life against the background of his time.

Filled with humor, wisdom and loving detail, the powerful story of Peter Marshall's life has touched the hearts and minds of millions of people. It's a story about love--the love between a dynamic man and his God, and the tender love between a man and the woman he married. It is also the gripping adventure of a poor Scottish immigrant who became chaplain of the United States Senate and one of the most revered men in America.

When Fr. Gabriele Amorth passed away on September 16, 2016 at the age of 90, he had given everything to Christ and his church. He performed as many as 12 exorcisms in a day. He faithfully served 69 years in the Pauline religious order, 62 as a priest, and 30 years as the pope’s exorcist.

Since resigning from the papacy in 2013, the first pope in more than 700 years to do so, Pope Benedict has lived quietly in a convent in the Vatican gardens in Rome. He has devoted himself to a life of prayer and study and has vowed to remain silent, until now. So much controversy still surrounds Pope Benedict’s time in office - in this book, written with best-selling German author Peter Seewald, he addresses the issues of his papacy and reveals how, at his late age, governing and reforming the Church was beyond him.

Daniel Allen Cox grew up with firm lines around what his religion considered unacceptable: celebrating birthdays and holidays, voting in elections, pursuing higher education, and other forays into independent thought. Their opposition to blood transfusions would have consequences for his mother, just as their stance on homosexuality would for him. But even years after whispers of his sexual orientation reached his congregation’s presiding elder, catalyzing his disassociation, the distinction between “in” and “out” isn’t always clear.

For years, Michelle LeClair, former president of Scientology's international humanitarian organization, tried to reconcile her same-sex attraction with the anti-gay ideology of the church. Michelle finally ends her horrific marriage, finds the love of her life, a woman, and ultimately leaves the Church. But the split comes at a terrible price. In this tell-all memoir, Michelle offers an insider's perspective on Scientology's pervasive influence, secret rituals, and ruthless practices for keeping members in line.

The Rainman's Third Cure is the tale of a young man caught between these apparently antipodal options and the journey that leads him from the privileged halls of power to Greenwich Village jazz bars to jail to the White House, lessons from a man who literally held the power of life and death over others, to government service and international success on stage and screen.

In the early 1970s, Swami Kriyananda asked Asha to start taking notes for the book he knew she would someday write. He explained himself to her in a way he did to only a few others. Since then, she has stayed in constant contact with him, as a devotee, friend, personal assistant, and eventually, a spiritual teacher in her own right. It's a rare gift to live with a true teacher. Experience it for yourself, as Asha brings you into meetings, conversations, personal counseling, living rooms, classrooms, long walks, meetings, and meditations.

Porsha Williams is a remarkable voice in the television and podcast communities. In The Pursuit of Porsha, she takes listeners on a deeply personal journey as she searches for happiness and self-acceptance, giving fans a firsthand look into the defining moments of her life that have not been captured on-screen or in the press. Charged with candor, vulnerability, and the sharp wit Porsha is known and loved for, The Pursuit of Porsha brings listeners back to the beginning and along her path of self-reflection and discovery.

Throughout the autobiography, Spurgeon records those aspects of life that only an autobiography can: his family circle, the daily labor behind his public works, and the feelings which led him to resist the reformation of the Faith of the Churches. Above all, he records his experiences of God's grace.

In 1992 Sripad Jagannatha Das was asked if he would do an exclusive interview with the Maharishi in Switzerland. The author readily agreed as the reclusive spiritual master almost never met the press and was embarking on an ambitious mass meditation program to purify vast areas of the United States. After a great deal of negotiation, the two finally got together on Christmas Eve and had a prolonged, stirring conversation that is documented here.

The Columbine tragedy in April 1999 pierced the heart of our country. We later learned that the teenage killers specifically targeted Rachel Scott and mocked her Christian faith on their chilling, homemade videotapes. Rachel Scott died for her faith. Now her parents talk about Rachel's life and how they have found meaning in their daughter's martyrdom in the aftermath of the school shooting. Rachel's Tears comes from a heartfelt need to celebrate this young girl's life, to work through the grief and the questions of a nation, and to comfort those who have been touched by violence.

In "Prayer of Power" Gabriella Avila captures the very essence of the impact unexpected change can have on an individual, their family, and their faith. Over the course of several letters and encounters, she pours out her heart as she fights through moments of hopelessness, fear, and heartbreak; which quickly resolves into moments of advocacy, hope, faith, courage, and love. Gabriella does this all while relying on the prayer of power!

Considered by many to be the first autobiography/memoir ever written, Confessions is a retrospective view of a life challenged by uncertainty, doubt, human frailty, and earthly desires. Augustine discovers and cherishes a deeply personal relationship with his God, all while describing the day-to-day dealings of his life in the fading, corrupt days of the Roman Empire.