John Bunyan (Christian Encounters Series): Kevin Belmonte

Taking a huge jump since I do not like reading a biography or history books, I read
“John Bunyan” by Kevin Belmonte which was published by Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of its Christian Encounters series. I learned a lot about a subject I didn’t know anything about, but I still won’t be reading a biography or books about history any time soon.

The book leads us through John Bunyan’s life from his birth, adds details about his childhood, adulthood, his Christian enlightenment and imprisonment. John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher.

I don’t recall ever learning anything about the “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” a Christian novel by John Bunyan, but then again, I might just be getting older and the mind is slipping. 😉 “The Pilgrim’s Progress” was published in February, 1678, and has been translated into over 200 languages! Hopefully I’m not the only person that doesn’t remember John Bunyan or his book.

“John Bunyan” is only 169 pages and that includes 22 pages of bibliography references, so obviously the author did his research. The book has a detailed timeline from 1603-1691 located on pages 143-145 which I found quite interesting and helpful in keeping John Bunyan’s life events in order.

There are parts of the book where the author details aspects of John Bunyan in detail while other parts are really more like meandering thoughts and supposition. Since I really didn’t know much about John Bunyan, I enjoyed the author’s point of view. I think this book was interesting and at times fascinating, however, a younger audience might struggle through the historical information.

I learned all kinds of new terms. For instance, school children were taught from books called “chapbooks” which were sometimes turned into “bum fodder” otherwise known as toilet paper! I think I will start using that term!!! I can see it on my grocery list already!

I let out a big laugh when I read that soldiers had to sell their clothes to pay for bread because if they had been grain free, they wouldn’t have been buying bread! Okay, you might not get that joke if you don’t already know how much of a struggle it has been for me to be grain free because of my grain allergy!

The fact that people had dirt floors was not really news to me, but it once again made me very thankful that I live now instead of back then. I definitely wouldn’t want to have to be a woman with a dowry in order to get a husband, nor would I want to try to keep a home with dirt floors clean.

I was very pleased that Kevin Belmonte’s book had a happy ending. Even if you aren’t religious, this book would be an interesting read. I also found it inspirational because John Bunyan did not succumb to threats and pressure by taking the easy way out. He honored himself and God by remaining true to convictions.

By the way, Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me the book for free, so it was like a Christmas gift!

If you want to read this book, here’s the quickest way to buy it…