When Others Shuddered

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When Others Shuddered
By Jamie Janosz
4/5 Stars

Though there are many women who have fought, and fought hard, for things like women’s rights, environmental concerns, etc., there are 8 special women in history who fought for social change and Christian education. The work of these 8 women are detailed in this book, in a flowing illustrative way, including loads of personal details gleaned from books and letters, as well as some conjecture in the form of personal details to give the descriptions some animation.

The book is organized by person, and gives a short background of each woman’s personal history. Her passions, accomplishments, and dreams are detailed and interwoven throughout the text as the author gives more and more information about what her life’s work was and how it affected the community. I enjoyed the personal histories quite a lot. Some of the conjecture-prose was a bit dry, and quite a lot of the details in the book focused on missionary work for evangelizing, rather than on the work each woman did for the community. (I realize this is perhaps be expected from an author who is a professor at Moody Bible Institute, but I would have preferred a focus on the work of the Church from a works perspective, rather than an evangelizing perspective, thus the 4/5 stars.)

Of the 8 women profiled in the book, my 2 personal favorites were Virginia Asher and Mary McCleod Bethune, again because of their focus of social work during their lifetimes. Virginia Asher intentionally ministered to women who were outcast in society, specifically women working in brothels. “She was called an ‘angel of mercy’ and a friend to these women who society had rejected.” I have done some volunteer work with women subjected to sex trafficking, so I can appreciate what she was doing. It’s amazing how horribly we treat each other. Mary McCleod Bethune rose from working in the cotton fields in the South after the Civil War, to working with the President on educational initiatives. She fought tooth and nail to open schools for African American children in the South, in a time when it was pretty much impossible to do so. Mary was refused missionary work in Africa based on the color of her skin, so she worked for people in the South with her head held high. “Mary Jane refused to look back. She would continue to follow her God. He had provided a way out of the cotton fields, and He would certainly open a new door so she could serve Him.” Mary McCleod Bethune inspires me now, 150+ years after her death.

Whenever I read a book about service, history, oppression, etc., I try to think of what action I should be taking as a consequence of reading it (particularly when one of my books comes from the United Methodist Women’s reading list, as this book did.) What can I do differently after reading the book? How can I serve in a new way? What have I learned and how can I apply it to my life? For me, it’s all about service. I am looking around now and thinking about how I can be of more service to my students and their families.

If you like books about history and about Christian service, you will enjoy this book. If you are inspired by it, or decide to do something different after reading it, definitely make a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.