One Glorious Ambition by Jane Kirkpatrick

About the Book:

One dedicated woman...giving voice to the suffering of many

"Born to an unavailable mother and an abusive father, Dorothea Dix longs simply to protect and care for her younger brothers, Charles and Joseph. But at just fourteen, she is separated from them and sent to live with relatives to be raised properly. Lonely and uncertain, Dorothea discovers that she does not possess the ability to accept the social expectations imposed on her gender and she desires to accomplish something more than finding a suitable mate.

Yearning to fulfill her God-given purpose, Dorothea finds she has a gift for teaching and writing. Her pupils become a kind of family, hearts to nurture, but long bouts of illness end her teaching and Dorothea is adrift again. It’s an unexpected visit to a prison housing the mentally ill that ignites an unending fire in Dorothea’s heart—and sets her on a journey that will take her across the nation, into the halls of the Capitol, befriending presidents and lawmakers, always fighting to relieve the suffering of what Scripture deems, the least of these.

In bringing nineteenth-century, historical reformer Dorothea Dix to life, author Jane Kirkpatrick combines historical accuracy with the gripping narrative of a woman who recognized suffering when others turned away, and the call she heeded to change the world."

My Review: 

When I first saw the description of the book, I was intrigued and anxious to start the book. Sadly, it took me four months to finish it because I ended up reading other books and left this one for later.

At the beginning of my reading, I identified with the story as I am a teacher (read chapter 1 here). It wasn't too long into the story that I really struggled though--the book really just was not good at keeping my interest. I believe the story is a phenomenal one where Ms. Dix made great strides in helping those who "were the least of these." Unfortunately, I just had a hard time relating to how the story was told. Often the book glimpses into her life that would end rather quickly and abruptly--it just didn't flow as a novel. In particular, the last 60 pages or so emphasized the legislative nature of her work which while very important to the passage of her bill just felt to me like it dragged on and on.

If you would like to read more about Jane Kirkpatrick click on her name or view her website. You can also listen to a podcast from Jane or read more information here.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. These opinions are my own. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars