What do you think?
Rate this book
7 Biographies
Seven More Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness
In this sequel to the enormously successful Seven Men , #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas offers more captivating stories of some of the most inspiring men in history. Join Metaxas as he shares about the lives of seven more men who faced insurmountable struggles and challenges with victorious resolve. Heroes and role models have always been essential for inspiring our lives and shaping the world. But in the last few decades, the need for men of valor and integrity is more vital than ever. Metaxas restores a sense of the heroic in the compelling profiles of seven extraordinary Becoming acquainted with these seven heroes cannot fail to make your life immeasurably richer. Each man demonstrates particular the courage to surrender themselves to a higher purpose and the willingness to give away something dear to them for the good of others. With vitality and warmth, Metaxas draws electrifying insights for our daily lives from the inexhaustible richness of history. Inevitably inspiring, this anthology reminds us that certain qualities are worthy of emulation--now more than ever. Praise for Seven More Men : "God often uses nobodies from nowhere with nothing to offer but hearts fully surrendered to him and uses them to change the world. Metaxas once again magically and masterfully illustrates God's guiding hand in the lives of seemingly ordinary men to produce great men who use their gifts and opportunities to bring glory to God and to serve others. This book will deeply inspire you to diligently serve God with all your heart, no matter your life's current circumstances, knowing that he knows the plans he has for you." --Kirk Cameron, actor and producer "Great biographers do more than relay the facts of history; they acquaint us with its authors and inspire us to emulate them. In Seven More Men , Eric Metaxas uses seven short biographies and five hundred years as thread and canvas to produce a magnificent tapestry to not only inform your mind but inspire your heart. These unvarnished stories of faithful endurance, unwavering hope, and costly love are a must-read for our generation." --Christopher Yuan, speaker, Bible professor, and coauthor of Out of a Far Country
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2020
181 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
About the author
Eric Metaxas
131 books2,254 followersIn a decidedly eclectic career, Eric Metaxas has written for VeggieTales, Chuck Colson, Rabbit Ears Productions and the New York Times, four things not ordinarily in the same sentence. He is a best-selling author whose biographies, children’s books, and works of popular apologetics have been translated into more than 25 languages.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
July 29, 2021
I love all Eric Metaxas's biographies. I had already read his book on Martin Luther, so not all of these were new to me. I think I liked the first 7 men better, but this is obviously still great. We need modern day heroes of the faith and Metaxas is so good at giving them to us.
Read
April 21, 2022I love Metaxis as an author!
He really pulls you in as you read.
Loved all of these stories - especially Sergeant York and George Washington Carver!
He really pulls you in as you read.
Loved all of these stories - especially Sergeant York and George Washington Carver!
June 27, 2020
Brief, easily digestible biographies of 7 men. They’re all good, but since Metaxas had already covered Luther and Whitefield in previous books, I was most fascinated by the stories of George Washington Carver and General William Booth.
May 19, 2020
Why is a single, 30 something woman reading a book about 7 More Men? I picked this book for the same reason author Eric Metaxas purposed to write it: “we are living in a time in which the concepts of nobility and virtue and heroism are either ignored or maligned.” I wanted to be encouraged that good men do exist (or at least they have in the relatively recent past) and I should not settle for marrying mediocre--literally or figuratively. Secondly, my father is one of those men of character and integrity who immediately comes to mind when asked who has been a hero to me. With Father’s Day approaching, I wanted to preview this book as potential gift material. I was, in turns, delighted and disappointed.
As stated in the book’s jacket, each man in Eric Metaxas’ 7 More Men “evinces a particular quality: the courage to surrender himself to a higher purpose, sacrificing something dear to him for the good of others.”
Martin Luther: “The life of this brash and fiery German monk served as the midwife not just to Protestantism but to the modern world itself.”
George Whitefield: enthusiastic, a derisive term for any expressions of faith that took God too seriously, evangelical, one whose zeal for God in Christ is central and is less interested in how one behaves but rather Who one believes. His influence was foundational one the world’s assumption that to be American is to be Christian, as “all men are created equal” and “all must be born again.”
George Washington Carver: scientific genius, artist, musician, humanitarian, and Christian pilgrim, who as a brilliant boy of ten experienced a divine encounter when he climbed up into the barn loft, knelt down to pray, and “God just came into my heart.”
William Booth: founder of the Salvation Army. “We are a salvation people. This is our specialty – getting saved and keeping saved, and then getting somebody else saved, and then getting saved ourselves more and more until full salvation on earth makes that happen within, which is finally perfected by the full salvation without, on the other side of the river…while there yet remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end!”
Alvin York: the most famous conscientious objectors turned soldier of the Great War, presented with the Medal of Honor “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty…Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest, which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat, the machine gun nest was taken together with four officers and one hundred and twenty-eight men and several guns...the greatest achievement accomplished by a common soldier in all the armies of Europe!”
Alexander Solzhenitsyn: Nobel prize winner who exposed the horrors of the Soviet labor camps, which destroyed the lives of some 60 million people, who played an undeniably dispositive role in the collapse of the Soviet Union, and who made an unlikely leap from atheism at age 10 to a rich faith in God that’s sustained him through eternity.
Billy Graham: came closer to fulfilling the Great Commission than anyone who has lived since Jesus, but he never visited the poor and downtrodden or the rich and famous without the realization that he was—first and foremost—an ambassador of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
However, the chapter on Alvin York featured several minor grammatical errors overlooked when editing for publication:
“The surprised Germans surrendered instantly, assuming that there far more Americans than there actually were.”
“Vollmer had no doubt that York would would as he said and blew a whistle, signaling to his men to come out, thrown (throw) down their weapons, as (and) hold up their hands (no period)
Tell Thoma to surrender, he ordered. (no quotes and no indent for dialogue)
“On about (either on or about, not both) November 1, York was promoted to sergeant.”
And in a paragraph about Billy Graham, every sentence started with “But:”
“But after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor…
“But the War Department said…
“But God had other plans…
“But Ruth was the daughter of a missionary doctor…
When pursuing his notes at the end, I believe Metaxas’ work may benefit from more extensive research. His information on Martin Luther is more diverse because he wrote a stand alone biography on the life of Martin Luther. However, nearly all of his information on the life of George Washington Carver is attributed to one author Lawrence Elliot, his information on William Booth derives from coauthors Janet and Jeff Benge, his information on Alvin York is retold from Douglas Mastriano, his information on Alexander Solzhenitsyn derives from Joseph Pearce, and his information on Billy Graham comes from...Billy Graham. It was as if the author were in a hurry to get it done rather than to do it well. In the end, 7 More Men is three stars at best. I have higher hopes for 7 More Women to be published in 2021.
As stated in the book’s jacket, each man in Eric Metaxas’ 7 More Men “evinces a particular quality: the courage to surrender himself to a higher purpose, sacrificing something dear to him for the good of others.”
Martin Luther: “The life of this brash and fiery German monk served as the midwife not just to Protestantism but to the modern world itself.”
George Whitefield: enthusiastic, a derisive term for any expressions of faith that took God too seriously, evangelical, one whose zeal for God in Christ is central and is less interested in how one behaves but rather Who one believes. His influence was foundational one the world’s assumption that to be American is to be Christian, as “all men are created equal” and “all must be born again.”
George Washington Carver: scientific genius, artist, musician, humanitarian, and Christian pilgrim, who as a brilliant boy of ten experienced a divine encounter when he climbed up into the barn loft, knelt down to pray, and “God just came into my heart.”
William Booth: founder of the Salvation Army. “We are a salvation people. This is our specialty – getting saved and keeping saved, and then getting somebody else saved, and then getting saved ourselves more and more until full salvation on earth makes that happen within, which is finally perfected by the full salvation without, on the other side of the river…while there yet remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end!”
Alvin York: the most famous conscientious objectors turned soldier of the Great War, presented with the Medal of Honor “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty…Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest, which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat, the machine gun nest was taken together with four officers and one hundred and twenty-eight men and several guns...the greatest achievement accomplished by a common soldier in all the armies of Europe!”
Alexander Solzhenitsyn: Nobel prize winner who exposed the horrors of the Soviet labor camps, which destroyed the lives of some 60 million people, who played an undeniably dispositive role in the collapse of the Soviet Union, and who made an unlikely leap from atheism at age 10 to a rich faith in God that’s sustained him through eternity.
Billy Graham: came closer to fulfilling the Great Commission than anyone who has lived since Jesus, but he never visited the poor and downtrodden or the rich and famous without the realization that he was—first and foremost—an ambassador of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
However, the chapter on Alvin York featured several minor grammatical errors overlooked when editing for publication:
“The surprised Germans surrendered instantly, assuming that there far more Americans than there actually were.”
“Vollmer had no doubt that York would would as he said and blew a whistle, signaling to his men to come out, thrown (throw) down their weapons, as (and) hold up their hands (no period)
Tell Thoma to surrender, he ordered. (no quotes and no indent for dialogue)
“On about (either on or about, not both) November 1, York was promoted to sergeant.”
And in a paragraph about Billy Graham, every sentence started with “But:”
“But after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor…
“But the War Department said…
“But God had other plans…
“But Ruth was the daughter of a missionary doctor…
When pursuing his notes at the end, I believe Metaxas’ work may benefit from more extensive research. His information on Martin Luther is more diverse because he wrote a stand alone biography on the life of Martin Luther. However, nearly all of his information on the life of George Washington Carver is attributed to one author Lawrence Elliot, his information on William Booth derives from coauthors Janet and Jeff Benge, his information on Alvin York is retold from Douglas Mastriano, his information on Alexander Solzhenitsyn derives from Joseph Pearce, and his information on Billy Graham comes from...Billy Graham. It was as if the author were in a hurry to get it done rather than to do it well. In the end, 7 More Men is three stars at best. I have higher hopes for 7 More Women to be published in 2021.
December 24, 2024
Seven short biographies about seven significant men in history. Every time I went to read a chapter of this, I was thinking “Ehh this is probably going to be a little boring,” and then it NEVER was. That’s credit to Metaxas for being an excellent writer who can make a factual biography engaging. Some of these men were well-known like Billy Graham and George Washington Carver, and some I had never heard of. My favorite chapter was the one about General William Booth (teaser: he was NOT in the military.)
Read this one with my husband 📕
Read this one with my husband 📕
March 21, 2023
Man where do I begin!!!! This was such a great book!!! It walked through the lives of some great Christian men. My favorite was George Washington Carver. Really good book that challenged my Faith and would challenged yours if you listen to it:)
August 19, 2020
I liked this one...I just wished he'd picked a wider selection of people. There were essentially 3-4 pastors in this one.
January 31, 2023
Truly I wish this book would never end. Everyone should read it and I hope there just continues to be more and more men
December 12, 2023
I absolutely love these books and think they are some of the best of their kind. They should be required reading for everyone! Reading the stories of these men is so challenging and encouraging and this is officially one of my favorite series ever now.
March 5, 2021
I heard once that kids today don’t have any heroes to look up to. First of all, there are several heroes living today, but in addition there are countless heroes that have left their footprint on our world throughout history. Seven outstanding heroes are discussed in this book – and unless you already know each story, I can’t help but actually feel sorry for you. You are missing out. The full title of the book is “7 More Men: and the Secret of their Greatness,” greatness being the common denominator of these men who each left this world a better place. They all also shared the common denominator of having dealt with hardships and experienced insults and threats of varying degrees. To read and learn of them is to develop a stronger person within you.
Instead of just listing the seven men, it seemed fitting to write a brief summary of their lives. Keep in mind, I can only give a fraction of the information contained in the book.
Martin Luther lived in a dark time of the world and found true light through the reading of Scripture. He experienced that light in his own troublesome life, and then shared to the world - at great detriment to himself.
George Whitfield lived in the 1700’s and preached at least 18,000 sermons plus 12,000 other talks, all over UK and America, crossing the Atlantic 13 times to do it, road countless miles on horseback through all kinds of weather to share what he had personally experienced in his Christian faith. He was teased for his appearance, being cross-eyed. While preaching, he was at times pelted with rotten food, stones, and even pieces of dead animals. Yet he had a clear and strong voice that could be heard at great distances, he drew great crowds, and in his 30 years of ministry, 80 percent of Americans in that day had heard him at least once. His influence set in motion the “Great Awakening.”
The fact that George Washington Carver survived his infant years during the Civil War is a miracle in itself, yet it is the life and practices of this man that has introduced us to the many daily miracles in a normal day in God’s great world. He overcame many hardships and prejudice and left this world a much better place through all he discovered about nature, art, and his Creator.
General William Booth felt a deep desire to improve the quality of life of the poor and orphaned. “You cannot warm the hearts of people with God’s love if they have an empty stomach and cold feet.” He surrendered fully to God, which eventually led to his starting a ministry called “The Salvation Army.”
Sergeant Alvin York, formerly a pacifist, became famous for his heroism in World War 1. His fame and recognition gave him the impetus to be able to see that improvements were made in the living conditions of the poor, and also gave him a voice to speak to soldiers and others about finding Christ and living a Christian life.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn made the great leap from atheism to a rich faith in God. He made a complete turn- around from his loyalties to Russian communism and was eventually imprisoned for writing anti-Soviet “propaganda,” This resulted in years of imprisonment, exile, brutality, and horrid living conditions. Even though he would basically step on anyone’s toes through his writintgs, he received the Nobel peace prize in literature in 1970. He eventually moved to America.
In 1978 he was invited to give the commencement speech at Harvard. It was a scathing and insightful critique of the shallow secularism of western society and his observance that America’s founding fathers would be shocked what our beliefs about freedom were and our lack of spiritual development. He wrote extensively and later received the Templeton Prize and gave a speech pertaining to the evils of atheism. He returned to the home of his birth in 1994 where he died at the age of 89 .
Billie Graham grew up on a dairy farm during the Great Depression and knew all about hard work. Baseball was his favorite pastime growing up, while public speaking was not something he wanted to pursue. During a revival by Dr. Mordecai Ham, Billie Graham realized the defects in his spiritual life and made a deeper commitment. This was followed by years of college education and preaching. In 1949 he preached a now famous revival under a circus tent in Los Angeles, where so many were surrendering their lives to Christ, they extended the revival several weeks. For many years, Billie Graham attained world-wide fame as a preacher and also friend to all the Presidents in his lifetime. He was known for his integrity in words and lifestyle.
Instead of just listing the seven men, it seemed fitting to write a brief summary of their lives. Keep in mind, I can only give a fraction of the information contained in the book.
Martin Luther lived in a dark time of the world and found true light through the reading of Scripture. He experienced that light in his own troublesome life, and then shared to the world - at great detriment to himself.
George Whitfield lived in the 1700’s and preached at least 18,000 sermons plus 12,000 other talks, all over UK and America, crossing the Atlantic 13 times to do it, road countless miles on horseback through all kinds of weather to share what he had personally experienced in his Christian faith. He was teased for his appearance, being cross-eyed. While preaching, he was at times pelted with rotten food, stones, and even pieces of dead animals. Yet he had a clear and strong voice that could be heard at great distances, he drew great crowds, and in his 30 years of ministry, 80 percent of Americans in that day had heard him at least once. His influence set in motion the “Great Awakening.”
The fact that George Washington Carver survived his infant years during the Civil War is a miracle in itself, yet it is the life and practices of this man that has introduced us to the many daily miracles in a normal day in God’s great world. He overcame many hardships and prejudice and left this world a much better place through all he discovered about nature, art, and his Creator.
General William Booth felt a deep desire to improve the quality of life of the poor and orphaned. “You cannot warm the hearts of people with God’s love if they have an empty stomach and cold feet.” He surrendered fully to God, which eventually led to his starting a ministry called “The Salvation Army.”
Sergeant Alvin York, formerly a pacifist, became famous for his heroism in World War 1. His fame and recognition gave him the impetus to be able to see that improvements were made in the living conditions of the poor, and also gave him a voice to speak to soldiers and others about finding Christ and living a Christian life.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn made the great leap from atheism to a rich faith in God. He made a complete turn- around from his loyalties to Russian communism and was eventually imprisoned for writing anti-Soviet “propaganda,” This resulted in years of imprisonment, exile, brutality, and horrid living conditions. Even though he would basically step on anyone’s toes through his writintgs, he received the Nobel peace prize in literature in 1970. He eventually moved to America.
In 1978 he was invited to give the commencement speech at Harvard. It was a scathing and insightful critique of the shallow secularism of western society and his observance that America’s founding fathers would be shocked what our beliefs about freedom were and our lack of spiritual development. He wrote extensively and later received the Templeton Prize and gave a speech pertaining to the evils of atheism. He returned to the home of his birth in 1994 where he died at the age of 89 .
Billie Graham grew up on a dairy farm during the Great Depression and knew all about hard work. Baseball was his favorite pastime growing up, while public speaking was not something he wanted to pursue. During a revival by Dr. Mordecai Ham, Billie Graham realized the defects in his spiritual life and made a deeper commitment. This was followed by years of college education and preaching. In 1949 he preached a now famous revival under a circus tent in Los Angeles, where so many were surrendering their lives to Christ, they extended the revival several weeks. For many years, Billie Graham attained world-wide fame as a preacher and also friend to all the Presidents in his lifetime. He was known for his integrity in words and lifestyle.
May 11, 2020
I disagree with Metaxas quite a bit. It was only until his Trump endorsement that I've noticed how his political leanings overshadow his supposed comittment to the Gospel. Metaxas is very pro-American Evangelical so it may not be surprising to some to see his Trumpian arguments. For me, it is. I thought Metaxas values moral leaders, he seems to in this book, as of writing, the latest of his releases. Each chapter is devoted to a man that has exceled in leadership, courage, and in seeking liberty for all. Chapters are devoted to Luther, Billy Graham, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, George Whitefield, & others. Overall, I am not impressed. Metaxas writes very well but his bias is striking (more on that in a blog post perhaps). There are some truly weak points in this book. At one point, Metaxas writes that "If humans could be believed, [Solzhenitsyn] continued, our only purpose in life is to be happy. But if that were the case, we would not be born to die" (199). Even if Metaxas is summarizing a view here, it seems beyond simple to claim something like this, let alone to endorse it as profundity. The focus of these men is clear: to spread of the Christian message (the Gospel). Whitefield preached some odd eighteen thousand sermons and held twelve thousand other talks (44). Whitefield did all sorts of crazy stuff, like abstaining from laughing and refusing to eat anything appealing because of Religious influence, however (50-1). Luther similarly went crazy with devotion toward the end of his life (not to mention early in life) & spewed all sorts of nonsense concerning Jews (in line with Christian teaching at the time since Augustine of Hippo)... still. Bad characteristics are not deal-brakers but they should at least be mentioned. Luther may not be the mighty man that Metaxas thinks he is. But his agenda does not allow for that. The same applies to most of these great men.
October 14, 2020
I would probably really give this 3.5 stars (Goodreads really needs a rating system out of 10). A sequel to his books 7 Men and 7 Women, 7 More Men provides short (40-50 pages) biographies of influential men of faith from different eras in history. Like his previous books, this one serves to whet one's appetite to read full biographies of some of these men. I found the bios of William Bo0th and George Whitfield particularly interesting as men I had known something about but not a whole lot. George Washington Carver is a fascinating person and his chapter here is quite good. In reading the final chapter on Billy Graham, I realized something I hadn't noticed before. From the endnotes, which are exhaustive, I realized that 95% of the material was from Graham's autobiography. The other chapters are derived from one or two sources as well. These short bios are in essence abridged versions of longer books rather than a biographical study of various literature. This can be a weakness of the book if one is looking for deeper detail, but its short chapters serve the purpose of an overview rather than an exhaustive biography, for which one or two strong resources do suffice. This series is a winning format for introducing historical people of faith to a new generation of readers.
March 2, 2023
The subtitle is “And the Secret of Their Greatness.” While I am not sure the book lived up to the subtitle, I throughly enjoyed these mini-biographies. Here are the seven men and along with what I got out of listening to their stories:
Martin Luther – nothing new here, but still good to hear again.
George Whitefield – really affirmed my desire to take the Gospel outside the four walls of the church, as Whitefield did most of his preaching/ministry outside the walls of churches, in public venues.
George Washington Carver – persistence and creativity in using one’s gifts; be curious! Never stop asking questions and seeking to learn more about life and God’s wonderful creation.
General William Booth – loved, and challenged by, his desire to reach those who are the forgotten, the “not cool” people. Also took the Gospel to the people rather than expecting them to go to the church. Take it to where they are and minister to their needs.
Sergeant Alvin York – The whole time I’m listening, I’m picturing Gary Cooper. LOL. Simple faith. Deep faith. Unshakable conviction as to what is right and wrong.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn – Write. Write. Write.
Billy Graham – Not sure he got the Palatka details right, but the thing that jumped out to me is that he was always offering HOPE.
Martin Luther – nothing new here, but still good to hear again.
George Whitefield – really affirmed my desire to take the Gospel outside the four walls of the church, as Whitefield did most of his preaching/ministry outside the walls of churches, in public venues.
George Washington Carver – persistence and creativity in using one’s gifts; be curious! Never stop asking questions and seeking to learn more about life and God’s wonderful creation.
General William Booth – loved, and challenged by, his desire to reach those who are the forgotten, the “not cool” people. Also took the Gospel to the people rather than expecting them to go to the church. Take it to where they are and minister to their needs.
Sergeant Alvin York – The whole time I’m listening, I’m picturing Gary Cooper. LOL. Simple faith. Deep faith. Unshakable conviction as to what is right and wrong.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn – Write. Write. Write.
Billy Graham – Not sure he got the Palatka details right, but the thing that jumped out to me is that he was always offering HOPE.
December 26, 2020
I read this book even though I haven't read the original "Seven Men." Thankfully, these books do not need to be read in sequence.
This is a great little book featuring short biographies of seven men who have impacted the world because of their faith. I learned a lot in these stories; for example, I had no idea George Washington Carver's innovations were driven by an ideology of helping the poor that was directly inspired by scripture, or that Alexander Solzhenitsyn's faith caused him to be a staunch critic of both the Soviet Union and American capitalism. This was an inspirational read, and one that I plan on gifting to friends.
If you don't agree with the author's outspoken political views (in which case we have something in common), I would still recommend reading this book, since it is thankfully free of partisanship.
This is a great little book featuring short biographies of seven men who have impacted the world because of their faith. I learned a lot in these stories; for example, I had no idea George Washington Carver's innovations were driven by an ideology of helping the poor that was directly inspired by scripture, or that Alexander Solzhenitsyn's faith caused him to be a staunch critic of both the Soviet Union and American capitalism. This was an inspirational read, and one that I plan on gifting to friends.
If you don't agree with the author's outspoken political views (in which case we have something in common), I would still recommend reading this book, since it is thankfully free of partisanship.
November 2, 2020
5/5. Eric Metaxas does it again with his biographies on 7 different men. He is very thorough in the information he gives for each person without feeling overwhelmed by minute details. I have loved reading about people that I didn’t even know about before his books and learned who they are and how they made such a huge impact. I especially love these books because I am a person that is always fascinated by other peoples lives who have made a huge impact but I rarely have the patience to sit through a whole book on just one person. So this covers the best of both worlds in giving a really good biography in one chapter and covering many people. Will definitely read this again in the future! I am also looking forward to the 7 more women book coming out next year!
January 7, 2021
Thank you, Eric, for another inspiring book about men of integrity, character and most importantly, men of deep faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The two most meaningful for me were George Washington Carver and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Both lived in ways that speak to today’s destructive issues against racial bigotry and the destruction of socialism. We either learn from history of repeat it at our own human tragedy. Solzhenitsyn’s commencement address Harvard, should be a required reading for HS and college history or civics classes. Unfortunately, the American public gulag system would oppose this. American education seems to have long canceled the objective of Socratic Thinking from it’s objectives or goals.
July 6, 2021
I so thoroughly enjoyed Seven Men that I was very excited to hear of a second book! For some reason, these men were less inspiring to me and I have to wonder if it is is simply because I knew a decent amount about most of them. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was the only one I'd never heard of (I had to ask my dad how to pronounce that name :)
Just like the previous books, we get a well-written and interesting "picture" of each man. It's rather amazing to me, actually, how much information Metaxas is able to convey in such a little amount of space.
I am looking forward to reading Seven More Women soon.
(Solzhenitsyn's speeches, especially his Harvard speech which is quoted at length, are FIRE!!!! He saw so well but unfortunately, we haven't listened.)
Just like the previous books, we get a well-written and interesting "picture" of each man. It's rather amazing to me, actually, how much information Metaxas is able to convey in such a little amount of space.
I am looking forward to reading Seven More Women soon.
(Solzhenitsyn's speeches, especially his Harvard speech which is quoted at length, are FIRE!!!! He saw so well but unfortunately, we haven't listened.)
January 31, 2021
The chapter on George Washington Carver was the highlight of the book, followed by the chapter on Billy Graham. The other five chapters were not bad, but the information on Carver and Graham would prompt most readers to want to learn more about these two men in particular.
And that's what I love about this series from Eric Metaxas. I think I've said before that these books are like a "Whitman's Sampler" of biographies, and readers can learn more about several historic figures in one book and then they may choose to pursue other books that are more in-depth about each person or persons that seemed to be the most intriguing.
And that's what I love about this series from Eric Metaxas. I think I've said before that these books are like a "Whitman's Sampler" of biographies, and readers can learn more about several historic figures in one book and then they may choose to pursue other books that are more in-depth about each person or persons that seemed to be the most intriguing.
May 15, 2021
I like this type of book where it had 7 short biographies on 7 Godly men who made a difference. I generally like biographies but a lot of times they get so detailed I lose the big things. I don’t need to know they failed their 3rd chemistry test their junior year in College (unless they later won the Nobel prize in chemistry?)
This was on Martin Luther, George Washington Carver, George Whitfield, William Booth (Salvation Army), Sargent York, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Billy Graham. Hit the highlight/lowlights, credits, honors and criticisms.
I like this book. I like the choices of the men, good mix. And, I’ve liked most everything I’ve read from Metaxes.
This was on Martin Luther, George Washington Carver, George Whitfield, William Booth (Salvation Army), Sargent York, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Billy Graham. Hit the highlight/lowlights, credits, honors and criticisms.
I like this book. I like the choices of the men, good mix. And, I’ve liked most everything I’ve read from Metaxes.
September 7, 2021
An enjoyable read that highlights several very interesting figures in history. I admire the evangelical zeal of Whitefield, Booth, and Graham. I admire the philanthropy and incredible tenacity of G.W. Carver. Sir Alvin York had amazing humility and courage. Luther and Solzhenitsyn’s dedication to truth in spite of opposition was amazing.
Without a doubt there are flaws in each of these guys, but there are certainly likewise parts of their life and character that are worthy of emulation. I’m thankful for the impact they made and the inspiration I can take from them.
I hope Metaxes continues to write similar short biographies — I’d definitely read them!
Without a doubt there are flaws in each of these guys, but there are certainly likewise parts of their life and character that are worthy of emulation. I’m thankful for the impact they made and the inspiration I can take from them.
I hope Metaxes continues to write similar short biographies — I’d definitely read them!
February 21, 2024
Eric Metaxas is a great writer. This book isn’t just informational, but inspirational and challenging. I say challenging because when you read people of the past and how God use them for his glory, it should compel us to see that God desires to do the same things for us. Even though the way he does, that may be different. The words of Paul of how each member is a piece of the body shows us that to God he wants all his children doing things for his glory and their joy. We should learn from the past so that we can continue in our future.
March 12, 2024
The book about the first seven was excellent, and this one did not disappoint. While some names may be familiar to readers, others may not. While I've read plenty about Luther, I did not know about George Washington Carver.
Metaxas has done it again - identifying prominent men of history who lived out a sincere and authentic faith in their context and generation. He encapsulates their stories in a chapter each, making the stories of these people accessible to many.
There is also a corresponding book about 7 women - next on my list!
Metaxas has done it again - identifying prominent men of history who lived out a sincere and authentic faith in their context and generation. He encapsulates their stories in a chapter each, making the stories of these people accessible to many.
There is also a corresponding book about 7 women - next on my list!
June 10, 2020
Metaxas wrote a long biography on Martin Luther, in this book, Metaxas writes a short recap of Luther's life. Mextaxas parallels brief biographies of George Whitefield, William Booth, George Washington Carver, Sergeant Alvin York, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Billy Graham. Each man has a dedicated faith and amazing talent. I was not aware of half of the people in this book and enjoyed the format and style.
July 11, 2020
Another good read by Eric Metaxas. Eric writes about seven more men that have had a great impact in our world. He gives his audience enough to "wet their appetite" and see how influential each person was but not too much....hopefully leaving them to want to dig deeper and learn more. I appreciate the diversity of vocations and timelines of these men...not all preachers and not all current. Well researched, well written.
September 12, 2020
More, but less.
I very much enjoyed the chapters on Martin Luther, George Whitefield, and George Washington Carver. These three chapters felt fully realized and gave me a real sense of each man. The other four chapters, while enjoyable reading, felt rushed and summarized rather than fully developed. This is unfortunate as Metaxas is quite capable of better. That being said, this was a beneficial book and contained several previously unknown (to me) details of the men featured.
I very much enjoyed the chapters on Martin Luther, George Whitefield, and George Washington Carver. These three chapters felt fully realized and gave me a real sense of each man. The other four chapters, while enjoyable reading, felt rushed and summarized rather than fully developed. This is unfortunate as Metaxas is quite capable of better. That being said, this was a beneficial book and contained several previously unknown (to me) details of the men featured.
December 3, 2020
I found the first several chapters to be quite interesting: Luther, Whitehead, and Carver. The remaining chapters also had interesting men but the writing quality fell short toward the latter half. The chapters became disjointed as interesting facts of Booth, York, Solzhensitsyn and Graham were seemingly cherrypicked and assembled. Keeping the cadence of 35 page biographies is probably the largest contributing factor to that issues. Still a good read.
May 6, 2021
Enjoyed this book in Metaxas' 7 More Men series. Fairly concise, impactful mini-bios on seven very interesting & diverse characters. The one bio that caught me by surprise was Sgt. York of WWI, who singlehandedly killed & captured a whole platoon of German soldiers from a machine gun nest on the frontlines.
November 10, 2021
If I may say it, I think this book was better than the first Seven Great Men. In this book the author writes about Martin Luther, George Whitefield, George Washington Carver, Gen. William Booth, Sgt Alvin York, Alexandr Solzhenitzin, and Billy Graham.
These men are all inspirational in today's chaotic world. A good, quick read that will leave you feeling uplifted.
These men are all inspirational in today's chaotic world. A good, quick read that will leave you feeling uplifted.
June 18, 2024
This is my second book by this author. What I like is how he does a deep dive into his subjects. Since this is about seven different individuals he can’t go quite as deep as one would like. Yet for the pages dedicated to each one you come away with a lot of information. Even with knowing some information about each, I learned more. I will definitely read more by this author.
June 28, 2020
Each man receives about 35 pages. Although it seemed a bit uneven, I was in an advance readers copy, so the final edit may have fixed some bugs. I especially enjoyed the George Washington Carver chapter.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews