Fire and Ice

To the reader who likes to sit down and digest small bits of history, this is the perfect introduction to seven people who left a huge footprint. The author chooses Abraham of Ur, Pericles, the Apostle Paul, Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa and gives a biography as well as turning points in their lives. He opens us up to the philosophies they held that changed society.

In particular, I enjoyed the chapter on Abraham of Ur who rejected the teachings of his father and adopted monotheism as opposed to idolatry. Who had enough faith in his God that he was willing to sacrifice all he held dear, and who was given the opportunity to be a father of many nations.

I've always been a follower of Mother Theresa. I had no idea she was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Serbia, or that her Catholic faith was a minority religion in her country. Hearing how she was raised by a mother of greatness and some of the teachings in her childhood home really filled in the gaps of how she became such a world force.

"When you do good, do it quietly, as if you were throwing a stone into the sea." p.209

Mother Theresa's own mother, no doubt, had a great role in molding her into the selfless woman of God she became.

I learned a great deal about the giants Ted Stewart picked! I would recommend reading this book a little at a time and pondering how the lessons these giants taught can be folded into our own life.

This book is about history. More specifically,it is a book about how strong-minded men and women have changed the course of history." - introduction, page 1