Published by Harvest House Publishers on January 7, 2020
Genres: Children's, Children's Educational
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Women of Fearless Faith
Meet women who have used their God-given talents to live out their faith to the fullest. They come from a variety of backgrounds, eras, and ethnicities, but each one has answered the Lord’s call on their life in bold and innovative ways.
Children of all ages will be inspired by the stories of
Corrie ten Boom—activist, author, and Holocaust survivorLaurie Hernandez—gymnast who won both gold and silver medals in her sportFlorence Nightingale—health care reformerMadeline L’Engle—author of children’s literatureKatherine Johnson—trailblazing NASA mathematicianThese and the 45 other female spiritual role models featured in this book have made a profound impact on the world around them, and in many cases changed the course of history. Strong, smart, and sometimes outspoken, these women are tremendous examples of God’s love in action.
These inspiring profiles will captivate kids’ imaginations and encourage them to discover their own gifts and how they can use them to glorify God.
Courageous World Changers is a children’s level look at fifty different Christian women and their witness. Using appealing illustrations and quick, one-page biographies, Shirley Raye Redmond succinctly covers a significant amount of information about a diverse group of people. The time periods range from 1412 to the present, and the women reflect a wide range of nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, interests, personalities, life experiences, and spheres of influence. Courageous World Changers features sports stars, writers, singers, businesswomen, activists, missionaries, nurses, a pilot, and a Revolutionary Era spy. Redmond addresses the oppression that some of these women faced because of their gender, race, or religion without being preachy and heavy-handed, and instead of putting them up on pedestals, she shows how these women gave credit to God.
Some of these historical figures are admired by mainstream audiences, such as Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and Clara Barton, and I enjoyed reading about them from a perspective that emphasizes their core convictions and vibrant faith lives. Redmond also includes women like Fanny Crosby, Catherine Booth, and Elisabeth Elliot, whom Christians specifically know and admire, but she doesn’t stop there, because she also includes a number of women that I had never even heard of. I enjoyed learning about a variety of new historical and contemporary figures, and have never enjoyed a biographical anthology so much in my life.
Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God is very inspiring, and I think that people of any faith background could appreciate it. My only complaint about this book might be is its seemingly random organization. Many of these women contributed within multiple spheres of influence, so I can see why Redmond did not organize the book categorically, but if she had arranged the bios in chronological order, this would have made for less jarring transitions at times, and would help readers pick up on which women were contemporaries of one another. Nonetheless, this is a beautiful, well-researched, and inspiring anthology, and I highly recommend it to both children and adults.
