35 Books Like Hiding in the Light

Though this book was first published in 1971, its message of courage in the face of tyranny and forgiveness in response to evil remains stunning to this day.

I have read this book twice, twenty years apart, and both times I came away with a sense of awe that because of their strong faith, Corrie ten Boom and her family were willing to risk their own lives to protect those who were being hunted down by the Nazis.

Even when caught and sent to a concentration camp where they endured unspeakable cruelty, Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, did not lose their faith but instead ministered to the women around them.

I can only hope that I would have the same courage if I were in Corrie’s shoes.   

I picked up a copy of this book at a time in my life when I was feeling less than, left out, and lonely. After experiencing the sting of multiple rejections, I had forgotten who I was—a person of incredible value.

But I was encouraged as I read Lysa TerKeurst’s story of being abandoned by her father, which resulted in a deep sense of rejection, and how she was able to heal by embracing her identity as a dearly loved child of God.

Lysa’s personal narrative was interwoven with practical advice in such a caring way that I felt like I was having coffee with a dear friend.

If you are struggling with your sense of belonging, I highly recommend this book. 

Sometimes a book makes its way into your hands at exactly the right moment, which was the case for me with Angel Behind the Rocking Chair.

I read this book during my twin pregnancy after receiving a heartbreaking prenatal diagnosis for my son. I knew I might lose him, but this book prepared me for the possibility of raising a child with significant disability. Through Pam Vredevelt’s story of giving birth to a son with Down syndrome, I learned that there can be incredible beauty in a situation that at first seems tragic.

The lessons she learned as she leaned into her faith inspired me to adopt a hopeful perspective and recognize that God can use even the greatest adversity for good.

This book is for anyone who has ever wondered, What is the purpose of my suffering? and Is there any hope for me?

As someone whose first three decades of life had been fairly carefree, I was surprised when suffering entered my world, and I found this book both instructive and inspiring as I journeyed back to a place of wholeness.

If Jim Daly, who was orphaned as a nine-year-old, abandoned by his stepfather on the day of his mother’s funeral, and endured crushing loneliness, could find hope and unbreakable strength in God and eventually become a man of tremendous impact, then there could be hope for me (and you) too. 

Photographers know that as a matter of physics you cannot actually photograph an object; you can only photograph the light reflected or emitted by the object. This being the case, to photograph landscapes and nature it is vitally important to understand the principles that I apply.

I love that this book explains carefully how rainbows and shadows work, and most importantly how one can take advantage of the principles of applied physics to improve one’s ability to capture spectacular images that rely on natural phenomena. 

I adore a good best friends to lovers story, and this one totally delivered.

Samantha and Carter’s sweet love story drew me in from the start, and I saw so much of myself in the female character, especially. Not to mention I literally laughed out loud more than a few times.

The quirky side characters, the sweet-but-sizzling chemistry and tension, and the deeper, more loaded moments gives this story so much complexity while still keeping things light. The perfect escape I would recommend to anyone!

I first learned about Aaron Becker’s work at an SCBWI conference during his breakout session where he was discussing the development of his book, Journey.

I was surprised to see a board board by him but was intrigued by the die cuts and rainbow color wheel. Upon opening the book, seemed to be departure from his other work, but it was just as beautiful and brilliant. It was inspiring to see his range.

I found this book to be perfect for my kid as babies and young toddlers. It’s short, simple, and really captures their attention when light is coming through the transparent colored circles. And it’s cool to see and talk about how mixing primary colors create all the other colors.

The main thing that people know about glitter is that it sparkles and shines in the light, and the main thing to know about that sparkle and shine is that they’re caused by the phenomenon of iridescence.

Walter Wick’s beautiful photography and brief, engaging text provide young readers with detailed explanations and examples of iridescence as well as many other aspects of color and light. This book was crucial to my figuring out how to convey the concept of iridescence in my nonfiction picture book about glitter.

Ultraviolet Light and Fluorescent Minerals is also a pretty good read. It is a good general overview of the subject and nicely covers the field of fluorescent activators. It doesn't have many color photographs. It was written by 4 experts in the field including the late, great Thomas Warren (he passed away in 2001) who invented the portable SW mineral lamp. Another one of my favorite guys is Earl Verbeek. He is friendly and knows his rocks. He is the curator of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. That is the complete list of books on Fluorescent minerals, not including my two books.

This 1986 book (revised in 1999) helped me to understand the Big Bang theory. I read it during a holiday in Italy when I was just starting my career as an astronomy writer. What I had read about the Big Bang so far was either extremely elementary (not really explaining anything at all) or full of jargon and dense with equations.

But John Gribbin knew exactly how to strike the perfect balance between the two. While my wife and one-year-old son were enjoying the swimming pool, I delved into quantum physics, expanding space, and the cosmic background radiation, all presented at a level an interested high-school student could understand.

Obviously, some parts of this book are obsolete by now, but it’s still one of my all-time favorites.