To go where no missionary had ever been, to smell the smoke of unknown villages, to witness to people's beyond the vast, Hari, such were the dreams of David Livingstone.While perhaps best remembered as the recipient of Henry Stanley's understated query, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?", the humble Livingstone disdained a claim during his lifetime. Born into poverty in Scotland, and educated in medicine, he was first sent to South Africa in 1840 but at once recognized the dearth of missionaries in the northern regions.Exhaustion, serious illness, and wild animals, not to mention the murderous activities of slave traders, became commonplace as Dr. Livingstone journeyed south to Angola, then to Mozambique, and later, Victoria Falls. Driven by his faith, and his sense of outrage, Livingstone's life and writings would ignite the Dark Continent as never before.

The Heroes of the Faith series of books seem to be written towards a younger audience (young adult-ish). Each presents a biography of a notable Christian individual, usually missionaries, sometimes ministers, all of whom are dead.

David Livingstone, known to most through that memorable quote: "Doctor Livingstone, I presume," was not only a naturalist explorer, but also a missionary to Africa, hoping to share the Gospel to people who had not previously heard it, explore the unexplored regions of Africa, and to help abolish slavery, which was in rampant practice by the Portuguese.

The book takes us on a journey across Livingstone's life, from cradle to grave, chronicling each notable milestone (or at least, the big ones, so as to not go too far beyond 200 pages!).

The book was a simple read, suitable for children, though my edition had a very glaring error, in which a picture in a slide show was described as showing Jacob holding a knife to Isaac. If I recall correctly, it either should have been Abraham wielding the knife, or it was a pretty liberal interpretation on how Jacob got Esau's birthright!

If the young people in your life could stand to read a book about a missionary, this one's not so bad. It's not the most exhaustive resource on Livingstone, but it is at least accessible to younger readers. ( )