Biographies

In this highly anticipated follow-up to the enormously successful Seven Men, New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas gives us seven captivating portraits of some of the greatest women who ever lived, each of whom changed the course of history by following God's call upon their lives--now in paperback.

Each of the world-changing figures who stride across these pages--Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Sister Maria of Paris, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa--is an exemplary model of true womanhood. Learn integrity and courage from the stories of heroines like

Teenaged Joan of Arc, who followed God's call and liberated her country, dying a heroic martyr's death;

Susanna Wesley, who had nineteen children and gave the world its most significant evangelist and its greatest hymn writer, her sons John and Charles;

Corrie ten Boom, who was arrested for hiding Dutch Jews from the Nazis and survived the horrors of a concentration camp, astonishing the world by forgiving her tormentors; and

Rosa Parks, whose deep sense of justice and unshakable dignity and faith helped launch the twentieth-century's greatest social movement.

Writing in his trademark conversational and engaging style, Eric Metaxas reveals how the extraordinary women profiled here achieved their greatness, inspiring readers to lives guided by a call beyond themselves.

The classic multimillion copy bestseller

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.

Of all the good gifts that God gives us, perhaps none is sweeter than the gift of friendship.-Charlene Quint Kalebic When she turned forty, Charlene Kalebic realized that her life was half-lived and that the sun was setting on the lives of her parents, both in their 80's. Before time ran out, she had a strong desire to understand her father's formative years while serving in World War II as a GI. Like most men of his generation, he rarely spoke of the war; he simply referred to it as The Big One. Her father had enlisted at the age of 17, and Charlene knew there must be something from that chapter of his life that made him the person he was today. The 60th anniversary of D-Day (June 6, 1944), provided the perfect opportunity to know more about those unknown years. Hoping to discover what had formed his amazing character, she asked her father to go to Europe for the anniversary and act as her tour guide. It took only a nanosecond for him to agree. Charlene found herself on a journey of discovery into her father's past, retracing his footsteps from London through Normandy to Berlin during WWII. It was there that Charlene relived her father's faith in action-kindnesses shown, promises kept, and lifelong friendships made in the lands he was charged with liberating. To her surprise and delight, Charlene learned some of life's greatest lessons from one of the world's greatest teachers in the twilight of his life. And she came to realize that the best sermon is one without words. What had left a lasting impression on the life of her father, would forever change her own. As the sun finally set on his life, I came to appreciate my father's greatest gift: he did not tell us how to live or even how to die, but rather, he lived and he died as it should be done-and he let us watch him do it.-Charlene Quint Kalebic

Winner of a third-place award in the memoir category from the Catholic Media Association.

"This is your cross, and I am not going to take it away from you. I will be with you, and I will help you, but it is yours to carry."

Christy Wilkens heard Jesus speak those words after she prayed for her son Oscar's healing in her parish adoration chapel one bright September day. Almost a year later she would find herself in Lourdes, France, seeking a miracle.

The grotto at Lourdes is known as a place of healing. But sometimes the miracle that occurs is not physical, but something much deeper. Wilkens made the long trek to Lourdes with her husband, Todd, and their toddler--who is plagued by mysterious seizures--through a program with the Order of Malta. In Awakening at Lourdes, Wilkens shares that while Oscar's condition did improve after their visit, the real healing took place between she and her husband. Through their time at Lourdes, they discovered a deeper love for each other, a renewed sense of appreciation for their faith community, and an abiding confidence in God's mercy.

Persuaded by her husband to take the trip, Wilkens summoned her faith- faith in God, faith in her husband, and faith in the doctors and other helpers who surrounded them every step of the way--to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Recording their experiences with deeply personal yet highly relatable language, Wilkens offers a firsthand account of the traditions and culture of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and the shrine's special servers, the Order of Malta. She also captures her own doubts, questions, and fears as she attempted to process the family's physical and emotional journey.

The Wilkens family's story will help you learn to be open to what God has in store for you and to see that if you surrender control, open yourself to God's grace, and lean on your community, you are never alone.

The book includes a study guide for individual or group use.

On Friday, March 20, 2009, fifteen months after the City of Oakland, California, passed a law making it illegal to approach a woman entering an abortion clinic without her consent, Walter B. Hoye II went to jail for standing on a public sidewalk outside an abortion clinic with a sign saying, God loves you and your baby. Let us help you.

The ordained Baptist minister could have accepted a lesser sentence of community service, provided he agreed never to return to the clinic. But he preferred spending thirty days in the county jail to forfeiting his constitutional right to free speech and his Christian duty to offer help to women in need, most of whom were black like him. Two higher courts eventually exonerated him: one overturned his criminal conviction, and the other judged that the enforcement of the Oakland bubble law was unconstitutional.

Walter's dramatic days in prison, where he lived and preached the gospel and won the hearts of fellow inmates, are detailed in this book. The political machinations that created the bubble law and then entrapped Walter are also described, using public records. Both stories are told in the context of Walter's background as the descendant of black slaves and the disciple of his hero Martin Luther King Jr., whose niece, Alveda, has written the foreword for this book.

In his riveting memoir, Kamal Saleem reveals the story of his life as radical Islamic terrorist and how he finally came to renounce his murderous mission, embrace freedom, and warn America of the continuing dangers of terrorism.

Born into a large Sunni Muslim family in Lebanon, Kamal was taught that the highest goal he could achieve in life was to be martyred while killing infidels, particularly Christians, Jews, and Americans. At age seven, he was recruited by the Muslim Brotherhood and entered an assault camp where members of al-Assifa, the armed branch of Fatah, trained for terror missions against Israel.

After years of training and many successful missions, Kamal became a leader among jihadists. A native Arab speaker and known for his fearless commitment, he learned to speak English, French, and Hebrew, enabling him to operate in nearly any country.

But in 1985, a life-changing event caused him to question the worldview he had spent his entire life pursuing--a worldview he was not only willing, but hoping to die for. As a result, he came to know three kind Christian men, and through them he saw the love of God--eventually coming to know their God as well. In The Blood of Lambs, Kamal shares the shocking story of his life as a terrorist, how he eventually severed ties with terrorism, and how he embraced Christ as Savior and discovered the beauty of freedom and the power of love.

The Impossible reveals prayer's immediate and powerful impact through the true account of a family whose son died and was miraculously resurrected.

Through the years and the struggles, when life seemed more about hurt and loss than hope and mercy, God was positioning the Smiths for something extraordinary-the death and resurrection of their son.

When Joyce Smith's fourteen-year-old son John fell through an icy Missouri lake one winter morning, she and her family had seemingly lost everything. At the hospital, John lay lifeless for more than sixty minutes. But Joyce was not ready to give up on her son. She mustered all her faith and strength into one force and cried out to God in a loud voice to save him.

Miraculously, her son's heart immediately started beating again.

In the coming days, John would defy every expert, every case history, and every scientific prediction. Sixteen days after falling through the ice and being clinically dead for an hour, he walked out of the hospital under his own power, completely healed.

The Impossible is about a profound truth: prayer really does work. God uses it to remind us that He is always with us, and when we combine it with unshakable faith, nothing is impossible.

Each saint has a special charisma, a particular facet of God that is reflected through her. Chiara's was to be a witness to joy in the face of great adversity, the kind which makes love overflow despite the sorrow from loss and death.

What is Catholic Traditionalism? Under what historical and cultural circumstances has it appeared? Why do some devout, knowledgeable Catholics embrace the paradoxical position that remaining true to Tradition entails deserting the official, traditional structure of the Church? Most importantly, what steps can be taken to help restore unity in the Body of Christ?

Matthew Arnold, a Catholic convert, answers these and other questions about Catholic Traditionalism. His moving first-hand account powerfully demonstrates how a faithful Catholic's legitimate desire for a reverently celebrated liturgy led him to tolerate the irregular situation of Holy Mass celebrated validly, but illicitly, outside the diocesan structure. His compelling testimony also explores how the licit celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, can have a positive impact on the life and the liturgy of the Church.

Told in the context of Arnold's personal witness and spiritual journey, this book concisely documents the century-long movement to reform the liturgy. This candid, poignant, and often humorous book exposes the spiritual peril at the heart of radical Traditionalism while remaining compassionate toward the legitimate aspirations of Traditional Catholics.

"Conversations with Mother Teresa" is a lively and personal portrait of this modern-day saint that captures Mother Teresa's vision, energy, determination, and great love for Jesus in the poorest of the poor. Italian Journalist Renzo Allegri relates his impressions upon meeting this "diminutive woman in love with God" in a way that makes us feel as if we were there with him. He also includes lesser known stories about her life: her Albanian family and the hope she never realized of seeing her mother and sister again; her successful plan to place a miraculous medal in the Kremlin; and the suffering she felt when leaving her convent to launch her new mission. All who read this book will share Allegri's admiration and amazement of Blessed Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity she founded, which he calls "an army that defies the impossible."

In the stories of famous people like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Dutch Shultz, Patricia Neal, Oscar Wilde, and more -- we come to learn that a deathbed conversion is not a loophole, or an unfair advantage. It is the mercy of God at work.

"I went from an indifferent apathetic Sunday Mass attending Catholic Christian to an on fire Catholic Christian in a few short years. What reignited my faith? The many encounters I had with the occult and diabolical."

So says renowned Catholic apologist and retired veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Jesse Romero. Now for the first time in print, Romero reveals the harrowing details of his experiences with the demonic while working for the LASD. Discover the true stories of spiritual warfare being waged in the streets and alleys of L.A., including:

Romero's encounters with Richard Ramirez, the infamous "Night Stalker"

How the Rosary drove out a demon that had taken hold of a young man

What happened when inmates involved in the occult would try to say "Jesus is Lord"

How a young man who had committed suicide returned to beg his parents for prayers to release him from the pains of Purgatory

...and much more.

The Devil in the City of Angels is much more than a catalog of strange and terrifying events. It exposes Satan as the Father of Lies so we can see how he works, and how to defeat him. Drawing on his own experiences as well as the most authoritative sources, Romero offers the reader numerous cautionary tales, ut also that hope that is only found in Jesus Christ and his Church.

Autobiography of one of the pioneers of the psychology of affirmation, a Gospel-based approach to healing and wholeness.

When high school valedictorian Ian Murphy was writing his graduation address, a teacher told him that he could not mention Jesus in his speech. She even threatened to pull the plug on the microphone if he tried to do so. Murphy's defiance, in the name of his constitutional rights, made national news, and his zeal to spread the Gospel, no matter the cost, became the defining passion of his life.

Murphy's public battle for his freedom of speech is where this conversion story begins, but then it retraces the other important experiences of his youth. He describes his free-spirited Christian parents, his early doubts, the influence of faith-filled relatives and friends, and the spiritual encounter that made him a believer.

At a young age, Murphy went from strength to strength as he sought after truth, grew in prayer, and shared his faith with others. But his doubts resurfaced when his friend and mentor, the leader of a Protestant college group, was murdered. After his trust in God was restored, Murphy became a Baptist minister in the Bible Belt, and from there his spiritual journey led him into the Catholic Church.

The unexpected twists and turns in Murphy's extraordinary story show that when a man gives his life to Christ, the Lord never lets him go.

On the same summer day in 1942, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and hundreds of other Catholic Jews were arrested in Holland by the occupying Nazis. One hundred thirteen of those taken into custody, several of them priests and nuns, perished at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. They were murdered in retaliation for the anti-Nazi pastoral letter written by the Dutch Catholic bishops.

While Saint Teresa Benedicta is the most famous member of this group, having been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, all of them deserve the title of martyr, for they were killed not only because they were Jews but also because of the faith of the Church, which had compelled the Dutch bishops to protest the Nazi regime.

Through extensive research in both original and secondary sources, P.W.F.M. Hamans has compiled these martyrs' biographies, several of them detailed and accompanied by photographs. Included in this volume are some remarkable conversion stories, including that of Edith Stein, the German philosopher who had entered the Church in 1922 and later became a Carmelite nun, taking the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

Several of the witnesses chronicled here had already suffered for their faith in Christ before falling victim to Hitler's "Final Solution", enduring both rejection by their own people, including family members, and persecution by the so-called Christian society in which they lived. Among these were those who, also like Sister Teresa Benedicta, perceived the cross they were being asked to bear and accepted it willingly for the salvation of the world. Illustrated