We love reading the YWAM biographies. These living books bring history to life as we learn about an individual and his or her impact on history and the culture in which they lived. Find one to complement your history studies in this listing by time period.
These books can be assigned as independent reading for older students or read together as a family read-aloud. Many are available as audio books as well. They add audio versions of the books every year.
If you have younger children or children who are sensitive, be careful of your selection of books to read as some of the heroes faced very challenging circumstances. It is important for us to read these stories, but you may choose to read some of the more difficult ones when your children are older. The Heroes for Young Readers is a great place to start for younger children. We really enjoyed these stories of the heroes of the faith told in verse.
Exploration (15th & 16th Cent)
- Christopher Columbus: Across The Ocean Sea (1451-1506)
U.S. History New World Colonization (16th & 17th Cent)
- Captain John Smith: A Foothold in the New World (1580-1631)
- William Bradford: Plymouth’s Rock (1590-1657)
U.S. History Colonial Era (1620-1765)
- William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All (1644-1718)
- Benjamin Franklin: Live Wire (1706-1790)
U.S. History Revolutionary Era (1765-1800)
- George Washington: True Patriot (1732-1799)
- John Adams: Independence Forever (1735-1826)
- Francis Asbury: Circuit Rider (1745-1816)
U.S. History Westward Expansion (1801-1860)
- Daniel Boone: Frontiersman (1734-1820)
- Meriwether Lewis: Off the Edge of the Map (1774-1809)
- Davy Crockett: Ever Westward (1786-1836)
U.S. History Civil War (1861-1865)
- Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth of Freedom (1809-1865)
- Harriet Tubman: Freedombound (1820-1913)
- Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire (1821-1912)
- D. L. Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ (1837-1899)
U.S. History Reconstruction (1865-1900)
- Thomas Edison: Inspiration and Hard Work (1847-1931)
- George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist (1864-1943)
- Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Storybook Life (1867-1957)
U.S. History Industrialization & Immigration (1900-1914)
- Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate (1857-1945)
- Theodore Roosevelt: An American Original (1858-1919)
- Orville Wright: The Flyer (1871-1948)
World History 1700 to 1900
Some of these individual’s lives span multiple time periods.
- Count Zinzendorf: Firstfruit (1700-1760)
- John Wesley: The World His Parish (1703-1791)
- William Wilberforce: Take Up the Fight (1759-1833)
- William Carey: Obliged to Go (1761-1834)
- Elizabeth Fry: Angel of Newgate (1780-1845)
- Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma (1788-1850)
- John Williams: Messenger of Peace (1796-1839)
- George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans (1805-1898) *Excellent book for all ages!
- David Livingstone: Africa’s Trailblazer (1813-1873)
- William Booth: Soup, Soap, and Salvation (1829-1912)
- Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China (1832-1905)
- Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China (1840-1912)
- Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar (1848-1915)
1900 through WWII
Some of these individual’s lives span multiple time periods.
- Florence Young: Mission Accomplished (1856-1940)
- Jonathan Goforth: An Open Door in China (1859-1936)
- C.T. Studd: No Retreat (1860-1931)
- Wilfred Grenfell: Fisher of Men (1865-1940)
- Samuel Zwemer: The Burden of Arabia (1867-1952)
- Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems (1867-1951)
- Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies, Touching Hearts (1870-1960)
- Rowland Bingham: Into Africa’s Interior (1872-1942)
- Ernest Shackleton: Going South (1874-1922)
- Mildred Cable: Through the Jade Gate (1878-1952)
- John Flynn: Into the Never Never (1880-1951)
- Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt (1887-1961) *Excellent book for all ages!
- Sundar Singh: Footprints Over the Mountains (1889-1929)
- Cameron Townsend: Good News in Every Language (1896-1982)
- C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller (1898-1963)
- Clarence Jones: Mr. Radio (1900-1957)
- Isobel Kuhn: On the Roof of the World (1901-1957)
- Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold (1902-1945) *Excellent book for all ages!
- Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime (1902-1970)
World War II
- Douglas MacArthur: What Greater Honor (1880-1964)
- Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den (1892-1983)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer: In the Midst of Wickedness (1906-1945)
- Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies (1912-2008)
- Louis Zamperini: Redemption (1917-2014)
- Betty Greene: Wings to Serve (1920-1997) (WWII WASP Pilot)
Modern Era (Post World War II)
- Richard Wurmbrand: Love Your Enemies (1909-2001)
- Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side (1911-2004)
- Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle (1914-1994)
- Paul Brand: Helping Hands (1914-2003)
- Billy Graham: America’s Pastor (1918- )
- Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer (1923-1956)
- Alan Shepard: Higher and Faster (1923-1998)
- Elisabeth Elliot: Joyful Surrender (1926-2015)
- Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose (1927-1956)
- Brother Andrew: God’s Secret Agent (1928- ) (Could also read as part of WWII or Iron Curtain history)
- Loren Cunningham: Into All the World (1935- )
- David Bussau: Facing the World Head-On (1940- )
- Charles Mulli: We Are Family (1949- )
- Dr. Ben Carson: A Chance at Life (1951- )
- Klaus-Dieter John: Hope in the Land of the Incas (1960- )
Find more living history book suggestions as well as the history sequence we follow.
This post has been linked to The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists
