How Strong Women Pray

by Bonnie St. John

Overview

Bonnie St. John profiles some of today's most prominent women and how prayer has impacted their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780446579261
Publisher:	FaithWords
Publication date:	11/02/2007
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	969,508
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, Bonnie St. John became the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Olympic competition, taking home a silver and two bronze medals at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Bonnie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, and served in the White House as a Director of the National Economic Council. She has been featured extensively in both national and international media. NBC Nightly News called Bonnie "One of the five most inspiring women in America."

Editorial Reviews

NBC's Brian Williams called Bonnie St. John "one of the five most inspiring women in America." How Strong Women Pray lends support to that claim with its heartfelt testimonials by the one-legged Olympic ski champion and professional speaker about the power of prayer. The former Rhodes Scholar interlaces her reminiscences with first-person accounts by other strong women. Among the other contributors are Amy Grant, Barbara Bush, Maya Angelou, Nadia Comaneci, Edie Falco, Kathy Ireland, and Christine Todd Whitman.

Part celebrity memoir, part how-to guide to prayer, this collection features the personal stories of many famous women who openly discuss their spiritual lives. There are some mature and wise words from singer Amy Grant, who confesses that prayer for her is often loose and unscheduled, and from actress/singer Della Reese, who has a regular morning devotional routine. Some of the stories are gripping: syndicated radio host Janet Parshall shares the story of her son's recovery from a gunshot wound to the head; Sopranosstar Edie Falco reveals how prayer was the key to overcoming alcoholism; and gymnast Nadia Comaneci discusses how her family remained pious even when prayer and churchgoing were punishable offenses in Romania. The book is roughly organized into themes such as childhood, motherhood, career, marriage, dark times and maintaining a prayer life amid worldly success. Some of the most touching revelations in the book are St. John's own disclosures about fissures in her marriage, recovery from sexual abuse, and problems with perfectionism and self-esteem. At other times, though, St. John's chapters feel like excuses for name-dropping and establishing her career bona fides, which are certainly impressive (Harvard and Oxford degrees; Paralympics silver medal; working on Wall Street and in the White House), but not always obviously relevant. (Nov. 2)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

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