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Out of the shadows

Lesser lights shine

OUT OF THE SHADOWS
By Faith Cook
Evangelical Press. 165 pages. £6.99
ISBN 978 0 852 347 492

This is an interesting collection of nine short biographies of godly men and women, covering a span of almost four centuries.

Faith Cook’s biographical skills are here well applied to lesser known, even quirky, subjects. Included is James Lackington, who moved from poverty to the management of a famous bookshop; Fanny Burnett, sister to Charles Dickens, and a talented singer converted while immersed in show business; Michael Bruce, a poet whose identity was stolen; and Lorenzo Dow, an eccentric from an early age troubled by dreams, prevented from committing suicide and then preaching with such dogged determination that not even the worst of setbacks could stop him.

It is thrilling to learn of the many ways God works in changing the lives of all types of people, even to the present day. The author’s own friendship with Patricia St. John adds a personal touch to her moving story.

This is a book suitable for all age groups. Its anecdotes stir the imagination and urge you to read on. As a busy housewife, I found the self-contained chapters manageable in one sitting. James Lackington was deeply affected by a biography of John and Charles Wesley. How wonderful if some readers of these biographies are also touched and changed as they read of men and women whose lives can only be explained by a divine hand.

Hazel Watts,
wife of Paul, pastor of Lower Ford Street Baptist Church, Coventry