A Remarkable Woman

by Shirley Raye Redmond

I love inspirational biographies, don’t you? Fierce Convictions, the Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist by author Karen Swallow Prior is a gem.

I first learned about Hannah when viewing the movie Amazing Grace, starring Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce and Benedict Cumberbatch as Prime Minnister William Pitt and actress Georgie Glen as Hannah More. But Hannah was much more than a close friend of famous men and an ardent crusader against slavery. She was also a reformer of morals in society, a bestselling poet and playwright and a dedicated educator. In fact, she was a household name.

Her manner of teaching—even for Sunday school—was lively. Prior points out that Hannah’s goal when teaching Bible stories was for her students, “to see Christ walking on the waters of the river Thames.”

Hannah was witty, fashionable, and exuberant in her faith. The author points out that she “belied the stereotype that equates dourness with devotion.”

In the foreword to the book, bestselling Christian author Eric Metaxas says, “If you want to know how to change the world for God’s glory, read this book and learn the ways of a singular life within its pages. Then go and do likewise.”

Fierce Convictions
The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—
Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist
by Karen Swallow Prior
Available at Christianbook.com