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The opening biography in this wide-ranging collection is that of the short but exemplary life of Sun-Yat-Sen, sometimes referred to as the Father of China. Born in China in 1866, he moved to Hawaii and pursued an education in Hong Kong following his conversion to Christianity. He wished to make his country a Christian nation. But after his death, the government reverted to religious persecution. Brosga expresses his hope that someday China may embrace the ideals of their once-revered exemplar.
Many of the people cited in this amazingly diverse work are well known and their accomplishments widely celebrated, such as Edmund Hillary, Johnny Cash, Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. But others whom Brosga praises have names obscure outside their small, specific circles. Linda Brown is an outstanding example. She unknowingly changed the lives of Americans at age six when she and some other black children attempted to attend an all-white school in Topeka, Kansas. This "courageous and daring attempt" caused civil unrest. But the ultimate outcome—the famed case, Brown vs. the Board of Education—altered American history. Another unsung hero was German pilot Franz Stigler, who, flying for Hitler's Luftwaffe, spotted an American plane so disabled that it was sure to be an easy target. He took off and followed the enemy aircraft, but then, considering that Christmas was only five days away, began to try to signal it to land so as not to crash. He finally turned back and let the American, a farm boy named Charlie Brown, make his way to possible safety. Brown searched diligently for Stigler after the war, and the two became the best of friends.
Every story in Brosga's aggregation merits attention and quiet consideration. He has chosen his subjects across national, gender, racial, and political lines and from every possible station of life. They range from business entrepreneurs to composers of hymns to political figures to religious proponents and even to a little boy named Jimmy, who insisted on getting on his knees and praying before receiving medical treatment that reinvigorated the faith of those who witnessed it.
Brosga, born in the Netherlands and growing up during the Nazi occupation, had a chance to observe the evils of humankind firsthand in the treatment of innocent Jewish people and human goodness in those who opposed the regime. He was able to emigrate to the U.S. and start a successful business. After retirement, he began writing. He has gathered nearly two hundred stories in what is envisioned as the first of two volumes. Each tale is told with fact, warmth, and, at times, passion for his subject matter. Each highlights the deeds of an individual who, perhaps unwittingly, uplifted or even saved the lives of others or set someone on a different, more permanently positive path. The characters are real, and Brosga extolls their heroism or venturesome nature in short essays. His interest in and empathy for the people he describes here is sincere, and every story will have its champions as the work is made known and word is passed, as it undoubtedly will be, from friend to friend.
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