Out of the Shadows

by Faith Cook

Nine short, inspiring biographies of lesser-known Christians who made a difference. Perhaps best known is Patricia St John (the final chapter) to whom Mrs Cook pays a personal and moving tribute to someone who showed such kindness and who she knew personally.

155 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Faith Cook was born in China, the daughter of OMF missionaries, and now lives in Derbyshire. She is married to Paul, who served as a pastor in churches in Northallerton, Shepshed and Hull. They have five children and ten grandchildren. She is also the author of Lives Turned Upside Down, The Nine-Day Queen of England, Our Hymn-writers and their Hymns, Seeing the Invisible and Under the Scaffold.

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you have read a biography by Faith Cook, you’ll reach for another. This collection of 9 mini-biographies includes lesser-known people, many of whom were contemporaries or related to famous people (e.g., Charles Dickens, Isaac Watts, John Bunyan, et al).

I was impressed by how often people seemed to walk away from the Lord yet in the end, He did a marvelous work of grace in their life. The other thing that impressed me is the prevalence of death in the 1600s and how that affected everyone and also gave an urgency to sharing the gospel.

The last chapter is a very personal account of the author’s connection with Patricia St.John, and brings St.John to life in some ways more than her autobiography does.

From a review on the back cover… “As she [Faith Cook] depicts (what is often) the sadness of their circumstances and the tenacity of their faith she encourages us to keep placing one foot in front of another for Jesus’ sake.“ That, my friends, is what keeps me reading biographies.