History is not just the study of things that have been. History has shaped who we are and who we will become. It is so important that we continue to study history and the people of history. Profiles of Valor: Character Studies from the War of Independence brings us both history and character of history. Those characters are so important because we can learn from them. This is what this book is for.

Through this book we are given closer looks at some of the main people of history. We see who they were and what they were. As we learn more about them and their lives, we also are learning valuable character traits and what it means to possess them.

The biggest parts of our homeschool are reading and character training. These are not just huge for us in our homeschool, but also true to the Charlotte Mason approach. It’s still difficult for me to get this all in our day, or at least I feel it is. That’s why I was so excited to receive this book. Not only does it work for teaching history, but also character studies.

How do we use it? My first idea was to use it as a read aloud for my kids with meals. We didn’t want to give up our normal read alouds though, so we made this our afternoon snack or tea-time read. There are forty different profiles of valor to study within this book. After much thought, I decided to work with one character per week. On Monday, we read the chapter dedicated to the character. For the rest of the week, we study them and their character trait more in depth. It’s fun to learn about the time of history they lived in, read a book about their life, and read about the particular trait they exemplify.

We did run into a small problem when George Washington was used for more than one trait. But there are so many good books out there about him that we were able to dedicate two weeks to him with no problem. I did rearrange the order of the characters so we could do his study back to back though.

A fun fact to know is that not all these people are ones that I knew of. Some obscure people of history and consequence are brought into our lives with this book. I am learning by reading this and studying these characters. This book is definitely one I recommend for all the homeschools out there. Even those who are not homeschool families will be able to gain knowledge and character training through this book.

Each trait has a definition and a memory verse to go along with it so you automatically then have a memory verse to learn as well. I believe that the Bible verses are in King James Version and hold some old English in them. I love it!

All of these people lived during the Revolutionary War, and their lives were instrumental in our War of Independence from Great Britain. This book is a great addition to a Revolutionary War study or simply to help aide in character training.

This is a hardback book of great quality. It retails for $29.95 currently on the Character Concepts website. You can also purchase an e-book version for $22.00.

I love physical books, so this is definitely a good one for us to have in a hardback copy. It is permanently now on our character training shelf. My kids pick it up and read out of it for pleasure and knowledge, and I feel good about that. Even though they’re reading “ahead” of the rest of us I love that they love to read and learn. Plus, who’s going to complain about their child doing additional character training! Not me!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history. It’s a great way to get both history and Bible into your children and yourself. I have been memorizing the verses alongside my children, and it’s helping me grow and teaching me along the way too. This book is not just for children. I have a feeling it will get battered and bruised along the way to well-loved status in our home.

-Product review by Erin Slocum, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2017