This book comes in the category of ‘as told to’ to James Hastings, for it is largely in the words of Robert Hicks, though his amazing story has been skilfully told by the author. Born to a bullying, sadistic father and a promiscuous mother, Robert and his siblings, were never shown love by their parents. What they received were vicious beatings from both of them. Robert himself was born tongue-tied (literally) in 1941; in consequence his speech was hard to understand. It was not until 1956 that a simple operation freed him from this impediment. He was also dyslexic. He was written off as educationally sub-normal, although he is highly intelligent, and especially good at maths.

One night he found a book in his father’s room when he was out. It was a King James version of the Bible. As he read it, copied it out, and memorised portions of it, this book changed Robert’s life. He was converted one night in 1957. His own words must describe his experience of God’s grace:

From the moment I knelt on the floor of my cold room and accepted Jesus as my Saviour, I became aware of a dimension of God and an ever-available Jesus I did not know before. From that moment, too, the Bible became a miracle book in my own soul. God had touched me supernaturally and my life would never be the same again.

Space will not permit a review of Robert’s success as an innovative retailer and publisher. His great passion is to get the Bible into the hands of millions of people worldwide.

Dear reader, get this book, and encourage your friends to buy it. Robert’s early home life is not as exceptional as it ought to be. In my work as chairman of the trustees of Caring for Life I meet many who have suffered abuse such as Robert Hicks experienced. Of many of them it is possible to say now, as of Robert, ‘where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.’ (Rom. 5: 20).

David Kingdon