William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity

by Kevin Belmonte, Charles Colson (Foreword)

Dramatized in the major motion picture Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce is the remarkable account of how one man’s vision, courage, and relentless pursuit of justice brought freedom to thousands and changed the course of history. “That the greatest and most successful reformer in all history is almost unknown today is a crying shame. Kevin Belmonte puts this right with his inspiring study of an inspiring life.” —Dr. Os Guinness, author of Unspeakable: Facing Up to the Challenge of Evil “An excellently researched and insightfully written biography … I applaud its sound scholarship and commend its perceptive insights into a great life.” —Brian Sibley, author of C. S. Lewis: Through the Shadowlands William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity is the definitive biography of the English statesman who overcame incredible odds to bring about the end of slavery and slave trade. Called "the wittiest man in England" by philosopher and novelist Madame de Stael, praised by Abraham Lincoln, and renowned for his oratorical genius, Wilberforce worked tirelessly to accomplish his goal. Whether you are an avid student of history, a pupil of prominent leaders of the past, or simply someone who reads for pleasure, you will love award-winning biographer Kevin Belmonte’s vivid account of the life of William Wilberforce.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Leadership, Biography Memoir, Politics, Historical

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

KEVIN BELMONTE holds a B.A. in English from Gordon College, an M.A. in Church History from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a second Master's Degree in American and New England Studies from the University of Southern Maine. He has twice been a Finalist for the John Pollock Award for Christian Biography, and in 2003, his book, William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity, won that award. For five years, his biography of William Wilberforce has been taught as part of a course on leadership and character formation at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. On several occasions, he has served as a script consultant for the BBC, and also for the PBS documentary, The Better Hour. For six years, he was the lead script and historical consultant for the critically acclaimed film, Amazing Grace. Kevin resides in a seaside village in Maine with his wife, Kelly, and their seven-year-old son, Sam.

Reviews

[ੈ✩‧₊˚ faithreads *ೃ༄ (inactive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

literally add this to your leadership library RN😍

such a great book to learn more about William Wilberforce!! I read 10 pages a night for a month ish so I could really understand and that helped a lot! I’d recommend to SLU ppl (🤭) or anyone who wants to learn more about this awesome figure from history!!

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say you did not know.” (Wilberforce)

[Watermarked Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt genuinely sad when this book finished—sad to leave the “written company” of a believer who I admire so much.

This is the third biography I’ve read of Wilberforce. I already knew a fair amount about of his work for the abolition of slaves in England, which this book did cover, but it also explored his faith and personal life in more detail. The best aspect of the book was how much original source material Belmonte included. I bookmarked many direct quotes from Wilberforce’s speeches and letters that I found incredibly profound and moving—not surprising from one of the most celebrated orators in England’s history.

What stuck me most was how Wilberforce handled suffering. He was doing crucial, exhausting, eternally important work, yet God still allowed him to suffer terribly through ulcerative colitis, severe spine issues, and near blindness. Yet this didn’t seem to thwart Wilberforce’s joy in Christ or determination to serve God and mankind with his life.

Also, near the end of his life, Wilberforce’s profligate oldest son racked up 13 million in debt. Willberforce rescued him, losing his fortune and beloved home in the process. Like Wilberforce, I dearly love my home and flower garden (he was a lover of flowers and all they reveal about God’s love and creativity). I can imagine how bitterly I would struggle if God allowed this to happen to me—especially if, like Wilberforce, I had always been sacrificially generous and given up many opportunities for profit in order to live with integrity. But a passage from a letter Wilberforce wrote brought me to tears, where he explained to a friend how God had used even this for his good, and that “Like David, I can truly say that goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life.”

One complaint I have about this book is that the author seems to have tried to arrange it topically instead of chronologically. It got pretty confusing at times, like when he started talking about people whose death he’d already covered. I could take away a star for the poor organization, but the content is so impactful that I still give it five.

So much of Wilberforce’s life is inspiring to me—not only the great impact he had on his country, but his own personal habits, view of life, and faith. I truly can’t wait to meet him in heaven someday. He is a part of the “cloud of witnesses” in my life that urges me to “run with endurance the race God has laid out for me.”

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was rating Wm.Wilburforce himself, I would give this 5 stars. I have a new hero! What an amazing man..What an amazing gift to humanity this humble man was. I'm going to search out some of his writings, especially "A Practical View of Christianity" and read what were some of his favorite authors (which I probably should have already read), Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Chalmers, Isaac Milner, William Cowper, etc.
However, to review the book itself, I would call it a "textbook" read which isn't always a bad thing. Lots of facts that, I think, were meticulously researched though the authors biases are very evident--Belmonte is a Christian finding all information to support Wilberforce's devotion to Christianity. Not that I doubt the strength of Wilberforce's devotion.
Also the book was divided into subject sections, not in any chronological order. Belmonte covered Wilburforce's childhood initial influences,and then covered his two main missions in life, the abolition of slavery and public moral reformation, then covered some of his philosophies, achievements, etc. It was very interesting but sometimes hard to figure out what happened when unless I paid close attention to specific dates.
All in all, a good book about a fantastic, and fantastically unsung, hero!

[Robyn91856 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I didn't add this book to my reads. I think it is one of my top favorites. I listened to the movie "AMAZING GRACE" again this weekend when I was sick and went back and reread parts of the book. He is one of the most unsung heros in our times, he relentlessly founght against the african slave trade in Europe before it was a huge issue in America even. He introduced these bills into the House of Commons for over 20 years, before anything ever changed and did it against ALL odds.
He lived his life for others, was highly influenced by a man named John Newton, who soul was destroyed by being on some of those slave trade ships, and eventually changed his life and became a priest. I think this is a MUST read for anyone. I love it....

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'd have to read other biographies to determine the author's level of bias (he was complementary of Wilberforce to a fault, almost making him a saint), for the most part, he seems to paint a grand mosaic of a life that was, and still is, highly regarded for his lifelong work to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire, among other things. He describes a man who didn't just dive in to change a wrong, but strove to do so logically, and with regard to consequences for all involved.

If the way he's portrayed in the book is accurate, he was certainly a man to be emulated. His devotion to family and to the causes of those less fortunate than himself is admirable, at the very least. And I can't even fathom the level of correspondence he tried to keep up with.... up to 20 letters a day!

All in all, a very enjoyable, uplifting read, which is a nice change from a lot of the more depressing current world news of politics these days.

[Rod Innis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about a great man.

[Riley Semchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

As for William Wilberforce, I give him 5 stars out of 5. He was an incredible champion of the faith and one of the most important people of the last 500 years. I look forward to researching more about his life.
As for this book, it was okay. Belmonte definitely did his research, but as for a story teller, he seems to be lacking. The climax of the story seems to happen in the first 3rd of the book. After that we are given wonderful anecdotes, but that's it.
Overall, I'm glad to have read it.

[Travis Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful examination of the life of one of the great heroes of the western world, Belmonte tracks the arc of the abolitionists life with careful and exacting detail. Incorporation of primary sources and a robust look of his life outside the fight to end the slave trade results in a very complete portrait of the man. The non-chronological nature of the book can make an already dense read hard to follow, and one imagines Wilberforce's detractors aren't always given a fair shake - but on the whole, the book is remarkably well researched and written, and it's a story every modern social justice advocate should know by heart.

[E.F. Buckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for a book report back in High School. Mr. Wilberforce was a very interesting and inspirational man.

[Randall Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good biography about one of the most decent humans ever to reside on this planet.

Many know his name and maybe a little something about him. He is most famous for his lifelong battles to eliminate the slave trade, then subsequently to eliminate slavery in the British empire.

This book nicely fills in the blanks about his early life, his family life, his friends and his colleagues in the British parliament.

He was a man who did the right thing despite some of the negative consequences that resulted to him personally in doing so. Nonetheless, he persisted.

If you want an inspirational book about doing the right thing, following your conscience and acting in accordance with you morals and values, do read this story. Man could we use a lot more men and women like William Wilberforce today!

Character of the nature of Wilberforce is sadly lacking among politicians in the US at this moment. Many of them, especially those purporting to be Christians, could learn a lot by studying his life and actions. If you're going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk. Seems almost quaint in today's world. Nearly two hundred years later, his example is still one to emulate in personal and professional situations.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was reading the book, I was convinced I’d give it a three-star review. Kevin Belmonte did a fantastic job researching the life and context of William Wilberforce, but structuring the boom was less masterful. The book was set up with an explanation of Wilberforce’s early years coming first, which makes sense (and as Lewis argues in Surprised by Joy, often the most interesting part of any biography). The interest was kept up in telling of his conversion.

Where the flow and structure of the book takes a major hit is the deviation from centering on Wilberforce’s life: Belmonte lays out the first and second major tasks of Wilberforce’s (being the abolition of the slave trade and the reformation of English morality respectively). Unfortunately, a story of battling in Parliament, while integral to how he achieved the momentous objects that he fought for, was distracting from the man himself. Many people have achieved great things, and achieving anything in a democracy takes determination, steadfastness, and a miracle, but for me, the most compelling thing about Wilberforce was his character and integrity. I dog eared pages and treasured quotes from Wilberforce’s letters or diaries that Belmonte included. I most wanted to know the man and the spirituality of the man behind the move toward abolition.

Because of that, the book markedly improved when Belmonte moved on to the topics of Wilberforce’s nature and ideas, his family life, and then his life as it drew to a close. It wasn’t until at least halfway or two-thirds of the way through the book that I learned that Wilberforce had gotten married (and some ten years before the date I was reading about at the time).

I think Belmonte structured the book in such a way that the readers see and understand his accomplishments and then are shown the man behind them. For me, having even a minimal understanding that this man led to the abolition of the slave trade is enough to want to read about his person. I think I would have preferred a structure that delved into the depths of Wilberforce’s life, spirituality, and person and then showed how this led to and empowered his fight against slavery.

Despite my long-winded desire for a change of structure in the book, as I mentioned I dog eared pages and want to read Wilberforce’s own book and perhaps look into collections of his letters or essays. This book, while picked up as an “oh that looks interesting” read of a great man has just sparked my interest to know more and to go deeper. Because of that, I gave it four-stars. Surely inspiring readers to go deeper in the subject matter is a mark of huge success. In the end, I had to say, well done, Kevin Belmonte, and God give us more men and women like William Wilberforce.

[Mike Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy to read biography that gives great insight to William Wilberforce's life and personality. Mr. Belmonte includes lots of source material from Wilberforce and from people writing to or about Wilberforce. It is mostly arranged topically. Of course it covers Wilberforce's well known fights against slavery and for improving the morals of his day. It also has a lot to say about Wilberforce's personal life and struggles. There are many delightful little stories and tidbits to illustrate the man's character.

My only real complaint is that the picture seems too good to be true. I absolutely believe Wilberforce was the moral force and interesting personality portrayed in the text. However, his life was complicated, and he made a lot of political choices that seem compromising. Belmonte notes many of these, but mostly passes over them saying Wilberforce was misunderstood. I hope this is just the cynic in me, but I suspect some of Wilberforce's opponents were more correct than it seems in this text.

[Ryan Mauldin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great man; slightly dry bio...

“Why is it that there is a charm that attracts the admiration of men to their destroyers? A propensity to applaud those very acts that bring misery upon the human race, and on the other hand to pass by unheeded the placid and even tenor of the real benefactors of their species?”

“As to the arguments in favor of the slave trade deduced from the Holy Scriptures, I am not much disposed to enter into a discussion on them, because I can scarcely believe they are urged seriously. He who can justify the slave trade from the practice Josep, might justify concubinage and capricious divorces from that of the patriarchs. With regard to the passages referred to in the New Testament, our blessed savior’s grand practical rule of doing to others as we would have them do to us, is the shortest, so it is perhaps the best refutation of all such laborious sophistry.”

[Russel Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read about one of the great humanitarians of his or any age. Belmonte's work pairs nicely with that of Metaxas in that he devoted far more time to Wilberforce's life after the abolition of the slave trade than did Metaxas, and the latter did a better job of explaining the substance of Wilberforce's Christian faith rather than just the existence and sincerity of it. It wasn't a great work; it was awkwardly both topical and chronological (the first mention of his wife Barbara came 2/3 of the way through the book) and one did not come away with great insight into the human condition. Still, it was a fine and readable account of a Christian life well-lived, with great impact in his own time and for all time.

[R. West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this biography. I didn't know much about Wilberforce, the British movement to abolish slavery, or the British political system. I started Pollock's biography and quickly felt lost in the details. Belmonte, in contrast, offered a simple introduction for beginners like me.

Belmonte organized the book topically. There was a chapter about abolition, a chapter about his work to reform manners, and a chapter about his home life. This organization wasn't my preference because it was difficult to see how Wilberforce's story fitted together.

Still, however, it was a readable and helpful overview of Wilberforce's life, and I would recommend it.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this review was just on the life of Wilberforce I would have to give five stars. I would very much want people to learn about him instead of Napoleon. Someone who moved society forward without having to kill thousands but instead freeing them.

The text itself I struggled to read all the way through. One of the major problems is the amount of anecdotes that jammed in without a real plan of why they need to be included.

[Daniel Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary look into one of the moral giants of history. William Wilberforce’s resolve in the face of a world that was firmly against the motion of abolition is incredible. The author does a tremendous job of highlighting both Wilberforce’s political and religious thinking to highlight how he was instrumental in taking down the slave trade in England and eventually slavery altogether.

[Malcolm France · Rating 5 out of 5]

Focusing as much on Wilberforce's character as on historical events, this is a very readable portrayal of one who lived by the Golden Rule: "do unto others...". Perhaps a tad uncritical, it's worth 5 stars for what it tells about the power of humility and tenacity.

[Paul Herriott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard W.W.’s life told in brief summaries, but this book brilliantly elaborates on the hard fought life and the incredible generosity that nearly bankrupted him. Wilberforce was certainly one of the most extraordinary men of his age.

[Jimmy Chavedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Christian and do not know William Wilberforce, you need to. The “great change” (his conversion) inspired him to be a godly man and fight the slave trade in England. Either this book or Pollock’s account of Wilberforce are an appropriate introduction to this wonderful man.

[Byron Easterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suppose you want to be involved in helping to abolish human trafficking. In that case, I find it essential to seek historical ways the world has abused humans through slavery and ultimately how that slavery was abolished. One book that helped me understand is this book.

[Greg M. Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward account of the man who pushed England to abolish slavery.

[F.Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent man. What to in the slave trade and to bring Christian Mores into society

[John Agnew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like the structure at all. I thought he was going to ignore his life partner completely, until she gets a mention very late in the book.

[J Beazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography was excellent, making one wish they could have known the great man!

[Keeley Hernesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible read that truly drives deep into the life of Wilberforce, not just his accomplishments but his true heart. It’s refreshing to read a biography written by an author so admiring of the subject.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a long, and sometimes tedious, book. Nevertheless, I wasn't disappointed that I took the time to read through the life of this rather amazing individual.

The author provides quite fascinating insights into the minds of Christians of the day -1750 or so into the 1830s. Wilberforce led the two decade effort to shut down the slave trade in the British Empire - not by legislative power or trickery alone, but through the much larger scale of changing the society's view of the practice, changing a cultural tolerance of the practice.

Wilberforce was from the start a persuasive, articulate, enthusiastic leader, who would have risen to the position of a leader in the country on his own talent. His decision however to become a Christian and live scrupulously to the tenets of the faith would add a crucial but tension-filled element to his life. Tension filled in the sense that at time what was politically expedient was not in agreement with his understanding of Christianity, and at those points, he would take positions counter to the leadership of the day.

The author carefully describes Wilberforce's beliefs and decisions of how he would conduct his life and compares them to the larger societal norms of the time. He introduces Wilberforce's quite famous (at the time) book, "A Practical View of Christianity" that is available for readers today.

Beyond the achievement of ending the slave trade that Wilberforce is connected with, the author goes on to describe (in comprehensive detail), the man's efforts after that. He set out to change society's views on morals and ideals. All new to this reader.

The biography is thorough, full of quotations of writings by the man and other leaders of the day, so it can get tedious reading through the different manner that people spoke and wrote hundreds of years ago. I didn't find it to be a hagiography, which was one of my fears seeing it was being published by Zondervan.

So it's worth the read, but be prepared to slog along, insightful and wholesome as it is.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe I found this book as part of David Gergen's syllabus on leadership, for which Wilberforce provides a perfect example.

However, this biography is flawed to the point of nearly reaching hagiography. To paraphrase (I've misplaced my copy, otherwise I would use direct quotations. They are easy to find.), Belmonte will write "Wilberforce was a great dad, for example, his biographer son wrote in his biography of his dad 'he was a great dad.'" Such imprecise opinions from clearly biased sources are used all over the place, with liberal use of [bracketed inserts] and ... ellipses to whittle down source material to the most generic praise. Moreover, these quotations are never properly sourced, so although some other reviewers mention that the book seems a bit academic, it could hardly be used as such.

It drew me into this wonderful man's history. I would love to find a more interesting biography, particularly one that went into more detail about the slave trade itself and other historical context not immediately available to modern readers who may not be studying the period from other angles. As I mentioned, its unlikely anyone seriously studying Wilberforce or abolition movements in general would find this biography useful.

[Jeff Whittum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I think no title could approach, let alone match, that of Eric Metaxas' Wilberforce biography, a listen to Kevin Belmonte's biography proves me wrong. A story worthy of being written over and over again, this version stands as one of the finest renditions of it. I wish I could give this, as well as Metaxas' work more than 5 stars. They would both be well-deserving.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is a little thick, especially at the beginning, but I loved learning about Wilberforce's life and found all the details fascinating. he was a great man, and the book tells you about more than just his fight for the end of the slave trade.