I mentioned earlier that I was reading 7 Women: and the Secret of their Greatness. I just finished it, and ohhhh man. A quote at the top of the cover says, “This might be the best book you read this year”. Karen Swallow Prior (whoever you are), you are so right.

Not only is this book so captivating and interesting that I didn’t want to put it down, well written and worded that each page flows into the next, it’s also true stories of real women! A book of 7 mini biographies, each chapter holding a whole new person and lessons to be learned. Metataxas does his homework, and paints a beautiful backstory of each woman’s life – the historical setting, their family dynamics, their faith backgrounds. It’s a wonderful collection of truly inspiring history.

Even the women I thought I knew so much about – I’ve read Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place and I studied Rosa Parks in school – I learned new information on. And some women I’ve never even heard of, I got to see how they have impacted the world for the better. Without Susanna Wesley’s mothering, her sons would have never gone on to start Methodism. Without Hannah Moore’s partnership, Wilberforce wouldn’t have been able to successfully stop the slave trade.

via Amazon

Metaxas is a gifted writer, but even more than that you can see that he too was inspired by these women’s lives. His introduction alone paints a wonderful picture of his research – while trying to decide on which 7 women to focus on, he settled on women who weren’t great in comparison to men but just the opposite. These women excelled as women – they didn’t fight to be like men or tried in disdain to do everything men could do. Even Joan of Arc – who had to dress like the men of that era for her safety at times – was able to accomplish what she did because she was a woman.

This isn’t a “second runner up” to his 7 Men or a book simply for women’s groups – this should be read by everyone. The lives of 7 remarkable women, in different eras and parts of the world, dedicated to God’s unique calling on their life, were able to change history – it’s impossible to not be inspired.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy of 7 Women in exchange for my honest review!