5 Real, Inspiring, Reads for the New Year!

Check out these biographies- real, inspiring reads- for the new year!

Written by the Elf 1/23/2019
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#1 Need a good inspirational read? Check out these amazing stories of ordinary people doing world changing things!

Book: Just Mercy
Author: Bryan Stevenson
Pages: 310   Published: 2015
He saw a system that needed change, and figured out how he could make a difference- one person at a time. Those people are changing the world.
*Make sure you also check out the new movie based on this book! We have a review with discussion questions HERE. (specifically geared towards talking with teens!)*

5 Other Inspirational Reads: 1) Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom 2) Leaving Microsoft to Change The World by John Wood 3) Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman 4) Life Without Limits Nick Vujicic  5) Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce

#2 Celebrities have some pretty extraordinary experiences, but they’re ordinary people. These were all enlightening and fun, inspirational reads.

Book: If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t)
Author: Betty White
Pages: 272   Published: 2012
Told in short bursts of 2-5 pages, hear some of Betty White’s fondest memories and funny stories!
*Make sure to check out the new documentary about her time on television- streaming now on Netflix*  

5 Other Celebrity Biographies Worth Reading 1) Born A Crime by Trevor Noah 2) Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham 3) Yes Please by Amy Poehler  4) Why Not Me? Mindy Kaling 5) There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale by Sean Astin

Find biographies and memoirs for under $4 at Thrift Books.

#3 Amazing tales, lives not to be forgotten. They gave up their life and left us incredible legacies of faith.

Book: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Author: Eric Metaxas
Pages: 624   Published: 2011
What do you do when faced with unspeakable evils? A phenomenal tale of a theologian who became a spy because of his faith in God’s just love.

5 Other Books on Martyrs 1) Foxe’s Book of Matrys  2) Sister Freaks 3) Jesus Freaks Martyrs and Revolutionaries 4) The Savage, My Kinsman by Elisabeth Elliot  5) The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

#4 Need a good motivational boost on setting some goals and achieving your dreams? Check out these amazing innovators.

Book: The Magnolia Story
Author: Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino
Pages: 208   Published: 2016
The story of how Chip and Joanna Gaines beat the odds and became T.V. sensations all because of an argument over one of Chip’s house purchases.
*You can find their show Fixer Upper on Hulu now*

5 Other Innovative Biographies– Inspirational Reads 1) The Great Eight by Scott Hamilton  2) Becoming by Michelle Obama 3) Eleanor Roosevelt (2) by Cook 4) Jim Henson the Biography 5) Hidden Figures

#5 Amazing stories exemplifying the strength of the human spirit, stories of survival!

Book: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
Author: Malala Yousafzai
Pages: 256   Published: 2016

5 Other Incredible Stories of Survival– Inspiring Reads
1) Ron Hall and Denver Moore Same Kind of Different As Me 2) Bringing Elizabeth Home by Ed and Lois Smart 3) Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens 4) Unbroken by Laurie Hildabrand  5) I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou 

Find biographies and memoirs for under $4 at Thrift Books.

Biography Suggestions for Inspiring Reads for Kids:

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