About the Book

What was their secret? How did George Washington resist the temptation to become the first king of America, and why did William Wilberforce give up the chance to be prime minister of England? What made Eric Liddell cast aside an almost certain Olympic gold medal? What enabled Jackie Robinson to surrender his right to fight back against racists, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer to jeopardize his freedom and safety to defy the Nazis? What gave John Paul II the ability to identify with the most helpless members of human society and even to forgive the man who tried to murder him? And why would Chuck Colson volunteer to go to prison when he didn’t have to? The seven men in this compelling volume evince one particular quality: that of surrendering themselves to a higher purpose, of giving something away that they might have kept. Having heroes and role models was always tremendously important for society, but in the last few decades this has changed, with seriously troubling results. Eric Metaxas says it’s time to reverse the trend. With vitality and warmth, the New York Times bestselling author restores to the listener a sense of the heroic — the idea that certain lives are worthy of emulation. Get to know these seven men, and your life will be immeasurably richer.