(It's the Year of the Biography)

January/February: Wives of the Signers by Mary W. Green (Reissued by David Barton). Originally written by Mary Green in 1912, this book draws from the diaries and letters of the wives of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Readers are given a glimpse into the lives of the women who made their own contribution to the American Revolution.

March/April: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Restored Version, Complete and Unabridged by Harriet Jacobs. This is the autobiography of Harriet Jacobs (1813 – 1897). Abolitionist speaker, reformer, and former slave, Harriet Jacobs, tells the story of her life in--and ultimate escape from--slavery. (There are many different editions of this book available. To ensure that we're all "on the same page," be sure to get the paperback published in 2009)

May/June: Things We Couldn't Say by Diet Eman. World War II was a defining event of the 20th Century and Christians who lived through it faced challenges to their faith that we can hardly begin to imagine. In her own words, Diet Eman recounts her experiences as a young Christian woman working in the Dutch underground to rescue imperiled Jews.

July/August: Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng. From 1966 to 1976 Mao Zedong led a violent social movement that became known as the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Nien Cheng, a woman of faith, tells her story of loss, imprisonment and survival through that dark time.

September/October: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This is one woman's remarkable story of growing up Muslim, escaping to the West, and becoming the focus of international attention as an outspoken critic of her Islamic heritage. But, in her opposition to all so-called religious fundamentalism, Hirsi Ali is no special friend of Christianity either. Don't be surprised if this book leaves you with a slight case of cultural and social whiplash.

November/December: The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ by Lee Strobel. From popular novels such as Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, to scholarly research into the Dead Sea Scrolls, the biblical biography of Jesus has been under attack. Strobel chooses six major arguments leveled against the authenticity of the biblical Jesus and systematically takes them apart.