In January of 2021 I signed on to read some books about Fierce Women in history who had struggled with chronic illness. I got through the first two just great and they were enjoyable. (The Mother of the Brontes and Emily Dickinson Letters) The third one did not spark my interest so I passed on it. I grabbed the fourth one (Harriet Tubman) and then the challenge went away. The interest in the books waned so they shut down the challenge. At that point I decided it was time for something from my own stack that fit that criteria beautifully. I had picked up Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes, Jr. on a sale table when our local Lifeway brick and mortar was selling everything off to close it’s store. I did not know much about her but I did know she struggled with chronic illness for most of her adult life and so did her husband, Charles H. Spurgeon.

As the wife of a pastor and a sufferer of chronic illness myself this book thoroughly intrigued me. Ray Rhodes does a beautiful job with her story. Her chronic illness brought her a great deal of pain and kept her out of the public life most of the time. The Lord gave her a heart for studying God’s word with her husband and encouraging him in his work. She wrote several works for devotional use (available digitally at Barnes and Noble for Nook) and she took a great interest in young pastors and their families. That love and desire to help them brought her to one of the biggest ministries she had. She started a ministry called The Book Fund. She provided books and supplies to struggling pastors and families. That Book Fund is still alive and well through The Banner Book Fund organization and website today.

Susie’s life was remarkable. She raised her twin boys to be ministers, supported her husband through prayer and encouragement and found ways to reach out to others despite her rather reclusive life. She was a well read woman and she loved God’s word most of all. If you are a biography reader and you love stories of fellow Christians and how God worked in their lives this would be a great fit for you.

I am hoping to read more biographies in 2022. I have a few lined up about Elisabeth Elliot, Amy Carmichael, and David Livingstone. I have a book I meant to read in October that is getting bumped to 2022… Reformation Women by Rebecca VanDoodewaard. I also have a Lottie Moon biography that was part of our homeschooling library when the children were younger. I will be reading it for the month of December to end this year. Missionary biographies never fail to amaze and convict me.

Are you a biography reader? Have you read a biography that you would recommend? Are you planning to add some biographies to your reading stack in the coming year? Please share in the comments below.

Until next time…

Happy Reading!

~Leann