In wrapping up a three-part series on reading biographies as a 20-something, I wanted to end with a few tips and tricks for reading biographies well.
- Check your motives, often. Ask yourself: “Am I reading this biography in order to become more like Jesus or in order to figure out how to live in such a way that someone writes a biography about me?” As you read about great men and women, it’s tempting to start reorganizing your life around activities that would make your story better. It’s subtle.
- Find someone you like and read everything you can. After reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, I started looking for and reading books Bonhoeffer wrote (e.g. Ethics, The Cost of Discipleship, Temptation, Life Together). Reading more gave me a fuller picture of Bonhoeffer. It’s better to intentionally study a few people than attempt a shotgun study of many. Along these same lines, read biographies of the people who influenced the person you’re studying.
- If you don’t know where to start, ask around. Speaking of Bonhoeffer, I read that biography because my mentor had suggested it to me. By asking around, you might end up finding a biography you would never have read otherwise. My mentor from college recently wrote a post on some of his favorite biographies worth checking out.
- Pay attention to their everyday lives and practices—not their accomplishments. Just a reminder.
- Spend more time with the dead. I had a professor who used to refer to some of his favorite authors as “the dead guys.” You can almost guarantee that no new information is going to come out about them that will ruin their character. They’ve stood the test of time and people still read them–unlike many of the biographies I alphabetized at the used bookstore where I worked.
- Nobody is as good or as bad as the biographer makes them out to be. I’ve heard this referred to as a slant. Every biography has one. Just be aware of it. (e.g. J. Hudson Taylor’s biography was published by the organization he founded).
- Any other tips and tricks?
Lastly, “Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). Although this was written in reference to church leadership, my friend Cody pointed it out recently as a helpful verse to keep in mind as we read biographies.
Biographies allow you to consider the outcome of a person’s way of life, but it shouldn’t end there. When we finish reading, we are left with a question: “Will you imitate their faith?” Consideration is easy. Imitation is hard. At some point, our considering must propel us into surrendering our lives to the same God who worked mightily through these men and women of the past and promises to the do the same in the present.
