Portraits of Integrity quickly became the favorite book in our Morning Basket when we read it a few years ago. The kids always stuck it at the bottom of the pile because they wanted to “finish with the best.”

Tears were shed more than once while I tried to blubber my way through the story of Lieutenant Adrian Marks, who defied orders not to land his plane on the open sea, but set aside his own comfort and safety to rescue 56 men who were aboard the USS Indianapolis when it was torpedoed by the Japanese.

Or the story of Sergeant Jacob DeShazer, who, once with a goal of taking revenge upon the Japanese for the attacks on Pearl Harbor, ended up captured and tortured beyond anything we could ever imagine, and then, by a miracle of grace, returned to the place of his imprisonment with a new heart, love and forgiveness for the people he once hated, and witnessed the salvation of his former prison guards.

Or the stories of Robert Lee, Sacagawea, Booker T. Washington, Sgt. Alvin York, and so many others.

Portraits of Integrity is 330 pages full of true biographical sketches (many of them featuring the lives of soldiers); each an example of godly character as much as a lesson in history. Following each story, are a series of questions you can use as a guide for narration and personal application.

This book is truly a treasure for all ages. Look past a few typos, and add Portraits of Integrity to your Morning Basket.