History Through Reading: A Review of Heroes of History – Ronald Reagan

Our family was very excited for a second opportunity to review one of the many wonderful books from YWAM Publishing. There is much to appreciate and learn in two of their series, Christian Heroes: Then and Now and Heroes of History. In addition to reading and reviewing Heroes of History – Ronald Reagan, we also received a digital study guide to use in our homeschool and review. We requested the biography of Reagan to review as I knew it would be a great fit for our study of United States history this year.

YWAM Publishing offers many wonderful books including a complete complement of products as part of their Hero Biographies such as paperback books, Unit Studies and Curriculum Guides, Audio Books, and books for young readers. Some of their books are published in Spanish.

What We Are Reviewing 

We received a paperback copy of the 224-page biography of Ronald Reagan entitled Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side. The majority of the pages focused upon Reagan's early life which I found particularly interesting as I knew little about our 40th president until I read the book. I wanted to read it myself before giving it to our teen to read.

We experience the life of "Dutch" (as Reagan was nicknamed) from a young boy, his working as a lifeguard to make the local lake safer, his time attending college, and his moving to California after his career as a radio sports announcer. Readers are also invited into his first marriage as well as that of his second to Nancy.

I also received an email with the study guide to download. Just like the study guide I received for William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All, this one contained overviews for us in a homeschool, classroom and with small groups, two unit studies documents, a short biography of the individual, as well as links for more information. Unit Study 1 is 82 pages long with chapter questions, student exploration ideas, vocabulary and geography terms, places to study, and more.

Each of the overviews provides similar information and more detailed instructions on how to use the unit study and book in that particular setting. For example, there is a chart (please see image below) that explains how the books fit into the history of the United States and World as well as the social studies topics that can be studied and the character qualities that can be reviewed and studied while reading each particular book.

There is also a curriculum timeline if you are interested in using the entire series in your homeschool history courses. There is also a breakdown to help you figure out if you wish to use the unit studies with a parent-directed study or student-directed study approach. I find the overview a fantastic way to preview the different possibilities of using the book.

You can teach social studies, language arts, and more using the Unit Study Curriculum Guides from YWAM Publishing. 

How We Used Heroes of History – Ronald Reagan and the Study Guide 

Prior to incorporating Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side into our homeschooling day, I read it so I could be familiar with it. I was also trying to decide if it would appropriate at this time as a read aloud for our younger two children (ages 3 and 5). In the future, I think we would read it all together but for now I am requiring our teen to read it as part of his US history studies. (There is nothing questionable in the book. It is just is longer than the usual books we read aloud and does discuss war, the 1981 assassination attempt, and other key details of Reagan's life that our two younger children will learn about later.)

I finished reading the book in about two weeks by reading a few chapters each day. I was trying to mimic the assignments I would present to our teen son. About three weeks ago, I assigned the book to our teen and asked him to read a few chapters a day and complete the accompanying questions. During the first week, I also presented him with the biography sheet (Unit Study 2) to complete. In the second week, I asked him to complete the timeline after he was further along in the book.

During the third week, I sat down with our teen and asked him to look through Student Explorations projects and decide which one he would like to complete. There are essay questions, creative writing tasks (writing a screenplay), hands-on projects (canning food), audio/visual projects (radio show), and arts and crafts (model White House). He decided to complete a slide presentation in which he would present a campaign for the election of Reagan.

When we are further along in our US history studies (right now we are studying the 1920s-1940s), I will assign more from the study guide—including using the graphic organizer to help guide our studies. I really love how we will be able to tie so many topics into our reading of one book.

What We Liked 

I love how the authors, Janet and Geoff Benge, bring the individual to life. As someone who was mostly unfamiliar with the life of Ronald Reagan, I felt that I walked away with a greater appreciation of our 40th president and a desire to learn more about him. In fact, I will be using the list of resources and biographies at the end of Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side and the study guide to learn more about him.

The book is also very easy to read. While it presents important ideas and facts, it is not bogged down in too many small details. If one wants to learn more details about a particular event or topic, the Unit Study offers the opportunity to dig deeper into the life of Reagan and the events of his life.

The variety of activities that are presented in the study guide. With the most basic activities being the chapter questions (to confirm your child read the book and to check reading comprehension of culminating events (such as holding a rally for Reagan), there are so many options to make the book and unit study work in your homeschool setting.

In the Future 

I firmly believe that the Heroes of History and Christian Heroes: Then & Now will continue to be mainstays in our homeschooling studies. There are so many titles available that might be of interest to me, my husband, and our teen (not to mention our two younger children). I know that I would like to read about Ernest Shackleton and Billy Graham.

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If you are interested in seeing what other fantastic books YWAM Publishing offers in these two series, please be sure to visit other reviews. If you would like to read our review of William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All, please visit here.

Reviewing Heroes of History: William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All from YWAM Publishing

Living just a short distance from Pennsylvania helped me decide from all the wonderful books that YWAM Publishing offers in their Heroes of History and Christian Heroes: Then and Now lines. Our family reviewed Heroes of History William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All by Janet and Geoff Benge. We also received a Study Guide to go along with the book which provided discussion questions, vocabulary words, geography activities, and lots more to help teach our children about the life and times of William Penn.

The Heroes of History is a biography series of 28 books recommended for ages 10+. In the Heroes of History series one will learn about explorers, pioneers, presidents, inventors, and more. Individuals that your family can read about include: Billy Graham, Harriet Tubman, and William Bradford.

The Christian Heroes: Then and Now line has a total of 46 books recommended for ages 10+. "These books answer today's call for positive role models and for opportunities to see how God works through the lives of those who follow him" (YWAM Publishing). Personally, I am looking forward to reading books in this series in the future like that of C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller and Eric Liddell: Something Greater than Gold.

Reading the Book

William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All is a well-written book that is enjoyable even for adults. The background history of England is provided without confusing the central story - the life of William Penn.

It is available in paperback, e-Book, and audiobook formats. William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All is also available in Spanish.

The story starts with William Penn in prison at the Tower of London and then takes us back to a time when his father, Admiral William Penn, was a national hero. While living in Ireland, 12-year-old William Penn heard Thomas Loe, a Quaker, speak at his father's estate. The idea that one could talk directly to God was spoken of and this provided relief for young William because he had been praying directly to God himself.

The story continues detailing the time William Penn spent attending Quaker meetings, writing tracts, and speaking at meetings. Unfortunately for Penn, much of the book details his legal proceedings as well as his time in and out of jail. Penn spent some time in the famous Tower of London while arrest under for "unlawfully and tumultuously" assembling even though all he did was lead a prayer meeting on a street corner. It was events like this that pushed Penn to founding Pennsylvania, named for his father, as a Holy Experiment where Indians would be treated as friends and there would be freedom for people to practice their religion.

The concluding chapters detail Penn's time traveling back and forth between Pennsylvania and England to work out problems regarding land ownership as well as problems that ensued with the changing of the monarchs in England.

Curriculum Unit Study

In addition to reviewing the book, we also reviewed the Curriculum Unit Study. The Heroes of History offers three overviews – Small Groups (good for Sunday School or Scouts), Classroom (for larger classroom settings), and Homeschool. The Christian Heroes: Then & Now series offers two guides – Classroom & Home and Small Group.

In each of the overviews, information is provided for using the Heroes of History Biographies and Unit Studies in a different setting; for determining what the role of the teacher, group leader, or parent can be; and for how to teach social studies and language arts using the Unit Study Curriculum Guides. Each book from the Heroes of History series can be used to study a specific time period, social studies topics, or character traits. William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All is set in the years 1644-1718, discusses the fight for religious freedom, colonial times, 17th-century religious conflicts and convictions, the Black Plague, and the histories of England and Pennsylvania. The two character qualities that could be focused upon are: tolerance and fairness.

Our teen attends public school, so we did not use as much of the Unit Study Curriculum Guide as I would have were he homeschooled (like his younger siblings). In addition to asking him to read William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All, he completed the fact sheet and timeline that accompany the Guide as well as tried his hand at fancy lettering with the key quotes listed in the Unit Study.

The Unit Study also includes ideas for a display corner – objects that relate to the times and places in which William Penn lived. We were able collect a number of the items suggested, including facsimiles of colonial money, a copy of the Bill of Rights, books on London, and books about people who lived during the time period. The collection of these items provides great opportunities to discuss other subjects while reading the book about William Penn.

With our younger son, who is soon turning five, I introduced some of the terms and vocabulary used in the book to practice writing and teach him new words. And because he loves maps, we labeled the blank map of Pennsylvania that was provided.


In addition to ideas for a display corner, the Unit Study provides a chapter explaining different ways students can further explore the biography. "Student Explorations are a variety of activities that are appropriate to a wide range of learning styles." If your children enjoy writing, there are essay questions and creative writing ideas such as writing letters, journal entries, or even a resume for Penn. For children who prefer more hands-on projects, one could create a topographical map of Pennsylvania, write a one-act play about an event in Penn's life, or try calligraphy to write the charter of Pennsylvania.

Great Features - What We Like

One of the things I liked the most about the Unit Study Curriculum Guide is that there are four chapter questions provided that relate to vocabulary, factual information, comprehension, and one question that seeks "an opinion or interpretation."

A great aspect is that you could use the entire Heroes of History series as your core curriculum for US History such as by reading at least one biography from each time period and completing the accompanying activities provided in the Curriculum Unit Studies. Or your child could read more than one book from a time period to gain multiple perspectives such as reading the biographies of Ronald Reagan, Louis Zamperini, and Billy Graham from the time period of The Future of a Nation.

Our teen really likes the fact that William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All was told in a sequential order with very little sidetracking to discuss different times. He found the book easy to understand and comprehend and enjoyed the way the book was organized.

In the Unit Study Curriculum Guide, there is a list of other biographies of William Penn that might be of interest. Accompanying each biography is a synopsis and comments on the book. This is very useful in seeking out additional information.

I would recommend William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All for families, youth groups, and schools who wish to learn more about Penn, England during the late 1600s, and Colonial America.

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To read reviews of some of the other books in the Heroes of History and Christian Heroes: Then & Now Series, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew.