What to Read: Part II, Books for Him

As stated in the Elizabeth Yates quote I shared in my previous post, “A man must have a care to what he puts in his mind, for when he’s alone on a hillside and draws it out, he’ll want treasures to be his company, not regrets.”

Do you have trouble finding books worth “putting into” your mind or those of your children? I hope today's book-list will help!

When gathering books for boys (and men), I looked for more than just adventure, mystery, or daring deeds. Those are included! But I also wanted to provide good role models, true faith, and sanctified imagination.

For example, Amos Fortune: free man by Elizabeth Yates is one of those books that is meaningful and inspiring no matter what age you read it. I first met Amos Fortune this winter of 2022. Even though he died in 1801, I say "met," because he was a man whom everyone would want for a friend.

Despite all the pain he came through - including being captured by another African tribe and sold into slavery in his teens, spending decades earning money to buy the freedom of more than just himself, losing loved ones, and being mistreated - Amos had a soft and grateful heart. It wasn't easy, but he lived out his faith in a very practical way and learned the value of following Jesus' direction to “turn the other cheek.”

"Amos watched the fire climb slowly at first, starting from a dozen different places; then like a wall of destruction it moved up the steep sides until the flames met and linked in a vast pyramid of fire at the summit, consuming everything that could be consumed and leaving the mountain bare and smoldering.

"Hate could do that to a man, Amos thought, consume him and leave him smoldering. But he was a free man, and free at a great cost, and he would not put himself in bondage again."

On my Books for Him list, you will also find older titles you most likely have not heard of, including several featuring boys by Johanna Spyri – Swiss author of the famous Heidi.

As C.W. Stork wrote in the forward to Vinzi, "Madame Spyri's panacea for the ills of life is an old one, but it is doubtful whether anything better can be found than her combination, which is: Faith in God, active helpfulness toward all around, love of beauty, fresh mountain air, and good food."

From the lively animal-characters of Beatrix Potter or Thornton Burgess, to the riveting lives of Brother Andrew and George Muller, readers of any age should find some “treasures” to store away and pull out in the years to come.

Click below for your free, downloadable book list. And please share this post with others who may be blessed by it!

Books for Him  PDF link

~ Hannah