William Booth

by David Malcolm Bennett

The Amazing Story of the British Evangelist Whose Heroic Efforts Touched Society's Greatest Evils The expressions on the faces of the men, women, and children on the filthy, smelling streets of London's East End in 1865 told the sad for them, life would never change. They would always be poor, always hungry. No one would champion their cause. As William Booth walked their streets, the British evangelist was deeply moved and revolted by the squalor. He knew he must dedicate his life to bringing new hope to these people. At that moment, the Salvation Army was born, and under its passionate and energetic founder began its growth into one of the most famous evangelistic agencies in the world. The Biography of the Man They Loved to Call "The General"

Genres: Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information, just not what the cover leads you to expect.

It took awhile to get into how the book flows, because it really doesn't. Each chapter is pretty much a stand alone short history about a particular aspect of Booth/the Salvation Army. Sometimes the chapters flow together better than others, but the transition is often stark. Once you get used to that it's ok, but it's not the preferable way of doing things.

Furthermore, the book should have been titled differently. This book is really more a history of the Salvation Army under Booth's management than it is a biography on the life of William Booth. I completely understand that the Salvation Army was truly his life's work, but it felt like the author couldn't decide if he was doing a biography of Booth or his organization as it was not uncommon to go chapters without Booth himself being mentioned or involved - this was particularly true in latter chapters as the organization grew.

Still, learning about the Salvation Army's history and the man who started it was very interesting. I had no idea of it's scope as I'm used to just thinking of it as a thrift store that provides assistance on the side. The work is still worth reading to be sure, it's just not a fluid work, and the content isn't what the title & description lead you to believe.

[Lynne Stringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this condensed, quick biography on William Booth. Although this edition is out of print now, it has recently been re-released under the title, 'William Booth and the Salvation Army'. It is an easy read and provides a good, if brief, look at William Booth and what his life achieved.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like most of the story was about the Salvation Army and not so much about William Booth.
Also got annoyed with all the women preachers.