Book Review ~ "Women of Faith in the Latter Days" Volume 3 1846-1870

Women of Faith In The Latter Days by Richard E. Turley Jr & Brittany A. Chapman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to review
Genre: LDS Inspirational

Book Description: This groundbreaking series tells the stories of women in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose lives of faith and dedication deserve emulation. Each chapter recounts a woman's trials, triumphs, and testimony, often in her own words.

Volume 3 features women born between 1846 and 1870 and includes well-known women and other publicly unknown. Their lifespans range from the era of the Mormon pioneers to the beginnings of the space age. Al these women knew pioneer life firsthand. Many also experienced the gradual transition to modern life and the expansion of the Church to far-flung parts of the globe.

Here you will encounter such diverse women as Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female state senator in the United States; Tsune Ishida Nachie, and early Japanese convert and dedicated missionary; Ellis Reynolds Shipp, a medical doctor in early Utah; Mere Mete Whaanga, a leading Maori who migrated to Utah; general Relief Society presidents Sarah Louisa Yates Robison and Clarissa Smith Williams; and Cohn Shoshonitz Zundel, a Shoshone women who lived nearly fifty years as a widow.

The faith these women exhibited as they rejoiced in blessings and dealt with struggles provides a model for us in facing our own challenges as we strive to build lives of faith today.

My thoughts: The main point that I took from this volume is that the women portrayed didn't think they were doing anything extraordinary. They were trying to get by and live their life and faith the best that they could. The extraordinary part is that they took opportunities/trials that came their way in a positive and life changing way.

This book features 23 women born between 1846-1870. Each story has it's own chapter. Each story is submitted by a different person, so there is variety in writing style and the way each person is presented. It was interesting to see how these women viewed life and events with their journal entries.

The hard part for me was that many of these women lived with polygamy. This book shows the challenges that many of them had when polygamy was abolished in the LDS church. I didn't realize that women entered the political field during this time. Some of the women were elected to office, that surprised me.

This book is inspiring. The women were amazing and they were normal. The book brings out one of their biggest assets, their determination to live their faith.

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