An Odd Cross to Bear: A Biography of Ruth Bell Graham (Library of Religious Biography (LRB))
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- Synopsis
- The fascinating life story, told critically but sympathetically, of a paragon of twentieth-century white Christian womanhood—and the wife of evangelist Billy Graham.Ruth Bell Graham&’s legacy is closely associated with that of her husband, whose career placed her in the public eye throughout her life. But, while it&’s true that her identity was significantly shaped by her role in supporting Billy Graham&’s ministry, Ruth carried a strong sense of her own agency and was widely influential in her own right, especially in the image she projected of conservative evangelical womanhood—defined by a faith that was deep, private, and nonpolitical. Beginning prior to Ruth and Billy&’s meeting at Wheaton College, Anne Blue Wills chronicles the many formative experiences of Ruth&’s life—especially the first decade of her childhood living in a community of American medical missionaries in China. Throughout the biography, Wills focuses not on Ruth&’s role in Billy&’s life, but on her own interests, ambitions, and fears—as a devoted mother of five, as the fastidious manager of a household, as a devout and well-read Christian, and as a beloved writer and poet. Dealing honestly with a life of contradictory responsibilities that Ruth Bell Graham herself called &“an odd kind of cross to bear,&” Wills draws from nearly a decade of original research and presents a nuanced portrait of Graham apart from the reverential awe of her admirers and the oversimplified caricatures put forth by her detractors. In telling Graham&’s story, Wills indirectly tells the story of millions of women who emulated Graham as a role model—women who spurned second-wave feminism and willingly submitted to patriarchy while maintaining an undeniable sense of independence and strength of conviction.
- Copyright:
- 2022
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- ISBN-13:
- 9781467462631
- Related ISBNs:
- 9780802875815
- Publisher:
- Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- Date of Addition:
- 10/13/22
- Copyrighted By:
- Anne Blue Wills
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Religion and Spirituality
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.