Fans pick 97 books like Left Behind

By Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins,

Here are 97 books that Left Behind fans have personally recommended if you like Left Behind. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of The Martian

Johnny B. Truant Author Of Dead City

From my list on Sci-Fi real science that justifies unreal things.

Why am I passionate about this?

Before I was an author, I was a scientist pursuing a PhD in molecular genetics. When I left the lab and started writing, that scientist’s need for real-world sense stuck with me and became a theme in everything I write. The authors I like understand that “suspension of disbelief” is a limited resource, so they’d better only ask readers for it when it counts. Get the baseline facts and logic right, and I’ll believe and enjoy the fantastical stuff spun from it so much more. 

Johnny's book list on Sci-Fi real science that justifies unreal things

Johnny B. Truant Why did Johnny love this book?

You can’t get more “real science" than this book! The author is an engineer who refuses to ask readers to take things on faith if there’s any way he can give them a real-world grounding with the science we already have. 

I loved it because I completely and totally believed it. Weir works within the rules of the real world rather than ignoring them and hoping readers don’t notice, which is what so many books do. All you need to do is believe that a manned mission to Mars is possible, and the rest won’t raise a single “but wait; that wouldn’t happen” eyebrow!

By Andy Weir,

Why should I read it?

23 authors picked The Martian as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old human error are…


Book cover of Unbroken: An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive

Kenneth F. Conklin Author Of Norvel: An American Hero

From my list on human resilience and remarkable achievements.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am deeply passionate about human resilience. From Louis Zamperini's unwavering spirit in the face of war and captivity to Santiago's quiet determination against nature's harsh realities to Michael Jordan's relentless drive to overcome setbacks, these narratives resonate with me on a profound level. I'm particularly drawn to how these stories explore not just physical resilience but emotional and psychological strength as well. They serve as a powerful reminder that true victory lies not in the outcome but in the unwavering spirit we bring to life's struggles. 

Kenneth's book list on human resilience and remarkable achievements

Kenneth F. Conklin Why did Kenneth love this book?

This book is unequaled for its raw, inspiring portrayal of human resilience. Louis Zamperini's journey from troubled youth to Olympian to war hero captivated me from the first page. I was deeply moved by his unwavering spirit in the face of unimaginable hardships, especially during his harrowing 46 days at sea and brutal experiences as a POW.

I felt as if I were right there with Louis, experiencing every triumph and setback. What touched me most was Louis's eventual path to forgiveness and redemption. His ability to overcome trauma and alcoholism, rekindle his marriage, and find peace left me in awe. This book reminded me of the incredible strength of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness. I couldn't put it down and still find myself thinking about Louis's remarkable story.

By Laura Hillenbrand,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Unbroken as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

In this captivating and lavishly illustrated young adult edition of her award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller, Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of a former Olympian's courage, cunning, and fortitude following his plane crash in enemy territory. This adaptation of Unbroken introduces a new generation to one of history's most thrilling survival epics. 

On a May afternoon in 1943, an American military plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the…


Book cover of Agents of the Apocalypse

Randy C. Dockens Author Of Mercy of the Iron Scepter

From my list on biblical prophecy in fiction format.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and by Biblical Scripture. That may seem dichotomous to some, but not to me. I have a passion for science and for Scripture because both bring understanding about our world from the microcosm to the macrocosm. My writings are a mixture of science and mystery with a science fiction feel and a Christian perspective. I like stories that show how truth arises even from the dark, confusing, and ambiguity of life to help one discover something about God they may not have considered before, and at the same time enjoy a fun, fast-paced, and exciting journey as they read.

Randy's book list on biblical prophecy in fiction format

Randy C. Dockens Why did Randy love this book?

I found this book interesting from the perspective that it is almost the flip side of the book Left Behind. While Left Behind deals with the inner circle battling the evil world leader, this book is more about the people in the periphery who are not close to the action. It shows how the acts of the evil world leader affect the average person and reveals their view of what is taking place around them.

By David Jeremiah,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Agents of the Apocalypse as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Who Will Usher in Earth’s Final Days?
Are we living in the end times? Is it possible that the players depicted in the book of Revelation could be out in force today? And if they are, would you know how to recognize them?

In Agents of the Apocalypse, noted prophecy expert Dr. David Jeremiah does what no prophecy expert has done before. He explores the book of Revelation through the lens of its major players—the exiled, the martyrs, the elders, the victor, the king, the judge, the 144,000, the witnesses, the false prophet, and the beast.

One by one, Dr.…


Book cover of Transgression

Randy C. Dockens Author Of Mercy of the Iron Scepter

From my list on biblical prophecy in fiction format.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and by Biblical Scripture. That may seem dichotomous to some, but not to me. I have a passion for science and for Scripture because both bring understanding about our world from the microcosm to the macrocosm. My writings are a mixture of science and mystery with a science fiction feel and a Christian perspective. I like stories that show how truth arises even from the dark, confusing, and ambiguity of life to help one discover something about God they may not have considered before, and at the same time enjoy a fun, fast-paced, and exciting journey as they read.

Randy's book list on biblical prophecy in fiction format

Randy C. Dockens Why did Randy love this book?

This novel has an interesting reveal on first-century history. Two people, one on purpose, one accidentally, leave the present age to be teleported back to first-century Jerusalem and cannot find a way to get back to their modern times. Much of the New Testament history is told up close and personal where the author makes you feel like an integral part of this time of history. I was enthralled and surprised by how words affected all my senses to such a degree. I found the storyline engrossing and made me feel as if I was there.

By R.S. Ingermanson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Transgression as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

All your life, you dreamed about the City of God.

But you never thought you’d ever actually go there.

Until now.

Your name is Rivka Meyers, and you are a total misfit.

You are a Messianic Jew, studying at UC Berkeley. Misfit.

You are a woman getting your PhD in archaeology—a man’s field. Misfit.

You are in Israel working on an archaeological dig, pretending to be someone you’re not. Misfit.

Your Israeli co-worker on the dig tries to set you up with his cousin, Ari Kazan. Disaster.

Because Ari likes you. And you haven’t told him you’re Messianic.

Ari is…


Book cover of Fallen From Babel

Randy C. Dockens Author Of Mercy of the Iron Scepter

From my list on biblical prophecy in fiction format.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and by Biblical Scripture. That may seem dichotomous to some, but not to me. I have a passion for science and for Scripture because both bring understanding about our world from the microcosm to the macrocosm. My writings are a mixture of science and mystery with a science fiction feel and a Christian perspective. I like stories that show how truth arises even from the dark, confusing, and ambiguity of life to help one discover something about God they may not have considered before, and at the same time enjoy a fun, fast-paced, and exciting journey as they read.

Randy's book list on biblical prophecy in fiction format

Randy C. Dockens Why did Randy love this book?

A man is teleported from modern times to ancient Babylon when he touches an artifact in a museum. While a lot of the Biblical narrative is not covered, it does allow one to really get a feel of what ancient Babylon would have been like and allows one to almost be a part of that culture. A truly intriguing storyline.

By T.L Higley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fallen From Babel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Peter Thornton doesn’t believe in God.

Or rather, he doesn’t believe in one God. “All paths are valid,” he teaches his university students.

One evening he ventures to the archaeology museum and touches an artifact recently discovered from ancient Babylon.

At the touch he is transported three thousand years back in time to Old Testament Babylon.

Somehow the people know him as Rim-Sin, sorcerer and high priest to the gods of Babylon. The moment he arrives he is accused of murder—a murder Rim-Sin committed—and he must run for his life.

Against the backdrop of Nebuchadnezzar’s court at its zenith, he…


Book cover of A Lever Long Enough

Randy C. Dockens Author Of Mercy of the Iron Scepter

From my list on biblical prophecy in fiction format.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and by Biblical Scripture. That may seem dichotomous to some, but not to me. I have a passion for science and for Scripture because both bring understanding about our world from the microcosm to the macrocosm. My writings are a mixture of science and mystery with a science fiction feel and a Christian perspective. I like stories that show how truth arises even from the dark, confusing, and ambiguity of life to help one discover something about God they may not have considered before, and at the same time enjoy a fun, fast-paced, and exciting journey as they read.

Randy's book list on biblical prophecy in fiction format

Randy C. Dockens Why did Randy love this book?

I found this an intriguing story of time travel back to the first century. Some believe Jesus’ body was stolen from the tomb and his resurrection a hoax. A group of individuals go back in time to observe the theft so they can once and for all prove the fallibility of Christianity. The story has many interesting twists which hinder their plan.

By Amy Deardon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Lever Long Enough as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A small military team travels back in time to film the theft of Jesus’ body from the tomb: "The Case for Christ" meets "The DaVinci Code."

In the near future, the Israeli military has developed a prototypic time machine. When believers in Yeshua (Jesus) create a politically explosive situation that threatens the balance of peace between Israel and nearby countries, the Israelis must send a team of four elite soldiers back to film the theft of Jesus? body from the tomb and thus disprove Christianity. The team, consisting of a Special Forces soldier as leader, an ex-American astronaut as engineering…


Book cover of Beyond Survival: Building on the Hard Times - a POW's Inspiring Story

D. Greg Scott Author Of Trafficking U

From my list on people like me who became heroes under pressure.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a dad, a grandfather, an alcoholic family survivor, a writer, and a Christian, and I do technology for a living. I'm pretty good with cybersecurity. This gives me a unique background to present modern stories. My novels so far feature technology elements, but never any Hollywood hacker scenes. I respect my audience too much for that. But look deeper to find ordinary people overcoming extraordinary challenges. I draw inspiration from my own life—Jerry Barkley is pretty much me with the benefit of an editor. But Jesse Jonsen is pure fiction. Look for the human element behind the technology in my stories. Enjoy the fiction. Use the education. 

D.'s book list on people like me who became heroes under pressure

D. Greg Scott Why did D. love this book?

Shot down over North Vietnam in February 1966, U.S. Navy Captain Gerald Coffee endured seven years as a POW. His memoir put me inside his head. I felt his curiosity when the first few North Vietnamese stared at him in his cage. I felt his pain when the Viet Cong extracted details of his mission by stretching his broken right arm in an unnatural direction. I felt his anguish as months turned into years, and he learned how to survive in that hellish prison.

I hope I never feel Coffee’s pain for real because I am no John Wayne hero. And neither was Gerald Coffee. He was as vulnerable as me, but after coming home, he used his experience to inspire others.

By Gerald Coffee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beyond Survival as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After spending seven years as a POW in the communist prisons of North Vietnam, the only hope was to think Beyond Survival.

When life loses its meaning, when suddenly the world is turned upside down, when there's nothing left that resembles life as we've known it, where do we find the strength and sustenance to go on? For naval aviator Jerry Coffee and others who were held as prisoners of war in North Vietnam, there was only one choice: to go within.

Beyond Survival is a journey into the invincible human spirit that unites heart and mind in a compelling…


Book cover of The True Story of Canadian Human Trafficking

D. Greg Scott Author Of Trafficking U

From my list on people like me who became heroes under pressure.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a dad, a grandfather, an alcoholic family survivor, a writer, and a Christian, and I do technology for a living. I'm pretty good with cybersecurity. This gives me a unique background to present modern stories. My novels so far feature technology elements, but never any Hollywood hacker scenes. I respect my audience too much for that. But look deeper to find ordinary people overcoming extraordinary challenges. I draw inspiration from my own life—Jerry Barkley is pretty much me with the benefit of an editor. But Jesse Jonsen is pure fiction. Look for the human element behind the technology in my stories. Enjoy the fiction. Use the education. 

D.'s book list on people like me who became heroes under pressure

D. Greg Scott Why did D. love this book?

Any book featuring a sex trafficking victim is a horror story, and this book chronicles how a master manipulator dished out plenty of gut-wrenching, real-life horror against a vulnerable teenage victim who could have lived next door to me. I don’t like books that make me uncomfortable by hitting close to home. That’s why I liked this book: because the world needs to know about modern-day slavery in all its horror.

It made my top 5 list because Abby found a way to break free of her bondage, and a dedicated Canadian Member of Parliament led the Canadian government into passing helpful legislation. Both were ordinary people in extraordinary situations who found a way to reach beyond their limits and prevail through adversity.

By Paul H. Boge,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The True Story of Canadian Human Trafficking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the true story of the world of human trafficking in Canada. For years many people refused to believe that human trafficking was happening here in innocent, safe Canada to our very own Canadian girls. But they were wrong! It is estimated that between 12 and 27 million people are currently caught in human trafficking globally, and Canadian stats show that thousands are exploited for their labour or sexual services right across our own country. To begin combating the monstrosities represented by these numbers, it is essential that we recognize that trafficking is an industry and the sex trade…


Book cover of For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago

Rebecca Frost Author Of Words of a Monster: Analyzing the Writings of H.H. Holmes, America's First Serial Killer

From my list on crimes you've never heard of.

Why am I passionate about this?

I picked up my first book about Jack the Ripper the summer after college and never looked back. Since then my collection of true crime has grown to overflow my office bookshelves and I’ve written a PhD dissertation and multiple books about true crime, focusing on serial killers. The genre is so much more than Bundy, Gacy, and Dahmer and I love talking with people about the less mainstream cases that interest them, and the newer victim-centered approaches that—fingers crossed—mark a change in how we talk about criminals and victims.

Rebecca's book list on crimes you've never heard of

Rebecca Frost Why did Rebecca love this book?

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb set out to commit the perfect crime and ended up in newspapers as the perpetrators of “the crime of the century.” They kidnapped and murdered a teenage boy in Chicago in 1924, but both Leopold and Loeb were still considered boys themselves at the time. Clarence Darrow defended them at trial, arguing that they were guilty but that the situation had extenuating circumstances. Baatz’s book explores how two college students from good families ended up in prison for murder. Leopold’s family even came from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, near where I currently live, so even though the case is almost 100 years old, it’s not as distant as it might seem.

By Simon Baatz,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked For the Thrill of It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It was a crime that shocked the nation: the brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals—too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney Robert Crowe was certain that no defense could save the ruthless killers from the gallows. But the families of the confessed murderers hired Clarence Darrow, entrusting the lives of their sons to the most famous lawyer in America in what would be one of the most…


Book cover of Chicago's Grand Midway: A Walk around the World at the Columbian Exposition

Jocelyn Green Author Of Shadows of the White City

From my list on the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

Why am I passionate about this?

Jocelyn Green is the bestselling and award-winning author of eighteen books as of 2021. Her historical fiction has been acclaimed by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and the Historical Novel Society.

Jocelyn's book list on the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair

Jocelyn Green Why did Jocelyn love this book?

Since the Midway was not on the official fairgrounds, it isn’t always discussed in detail in books about the Columbian Exposition/World’s Fair. This book focuses solely on the Midway and includes the background on all the attractions from Mr. Ferris’s Wheel to Cairo Street to Old Vienna, along with photographs and a map.

By Norman Bolotin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chicago's Grand Midway as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Created as a centerpiece for the Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Midway Plaisance was for one summer the world's most wondrous thoroughfare. A journey along its length immersed millions of spellbound visitors in a spectacle that merged exoticism with enlightenment and artistic crafts with dizzying technical achievement. Norman Bolotin, with Christine Laing, draws on his vast knowledge of the 1893 exposition to escort readers down the Midway. Step by step he takes you past forbidding Dahomeyans and dozens of belly dancers until, at last, you reach the colossal Ferris Wheel with cabins the size of street cars. The tour reveals…


Book cover of The Martian
Book cover of Unbroken: An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive
Book cover of Agents of the Apocalypse

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