by Max L. Christensen
Westminster Press
Louisville, Kentucky
1997

Reviewed by Lyndelle Brower Chiomenti, Associate Editor, Sabbath School Bible Study Guide

?This book of brief biographical sketches is a collage of true stories about people, ranging from a teenaged religious reformer, to a borderline punk at prayer who brought peace to millions of souls, to a deaf and mute half-animal child who finally taught others to see and hear and speak with their souls. All together, they are the crown-worthy, the worthy, and the absolutely necessary. . . .

?They are not footnotes of history for trivia buffs; they are the very makings of history. . . [W]e speak of people who, in key moments combining crisis and insight, found the grace and strength to change our world for the better, forever.? So says Christensen about his book, Heroes and Saints.

Handily divided into five sections (Heroes of Old; Early Saints; Reformation Era Heroes and Their Heirs; Nineteenth-Century Notables; and Today’s Roll Call of Honor), this neat, concise 120-page volume provides excellent story illustrations for sermons, devotionals, or Bible study guides. In fact, while reading it for this review, I was able to glean two illustrations from it for two writing projects. Plus I have tagged no less than 11 quotes or examples for my story illustration file. And with the majority of the vignettes being no more than two pages in length, it is easy to complete one chapter while waiting for that bus, car pool, or flight number to be announced. Tuck this volume in your suitcase or briefcase and you will not be disappointed. In fact, I predict that like me, you will be looking for Christensen’s first volume, entitled Turning Points: Stories of People Who Made a Difference and his yet-to- be-published, untitled third volume.