Widely known today as the "Angel of the Battlefield," Clara Barton's personal life has always been shrouded in mystery. In Clara Barton, Professional Angel, Elizabeth Brown Pryor presents a biography of Barton that strips away the heroic exterior and reveals a complex and often trying woman.
Based on the papers Clara Barton carefully saved over her lifetime, this biography is the first one to draw on these recorded thoughts. Besides her own voluminous correspondence, it reflects the letters and reminiscences of lovers, a grandniece who probed her aunt's venerable facade, and doctors who treated her nervous disorders. She emerges as a vividly human figure. Continually struggling to cope with her insecure family background and a society that offered much less than she had to give, she chose achievement as the vehicle for gaining the love and recognition that frequently eluded her during her long life.
Not always altruistic, her accomplishments were nonetheless extraordinary. On the battlefields of the Civil War, in securing American participation in the International Red Cross, in promoting peacetime disaster relief, and in fighting for women's rights, Clara Barton made an unparalleled contribution to American social progress. Yet the true measure of her life must be made from this perspective: she dared to offend a society whose acceptance she treasured, and she put all of her energy into patching up the lives of those around her when her own was rent and frayed.
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Barton established and headed the American Red Cross, was superintendent of a women's reformatory, played a key role in providing medical aid and relief to Civil War battlefronts, and helped establish the New Jersey public school system. Yet her character was far from saintly. Her desire for approval and recognition was boundless, and her overachieving zeal alienated contemporaries. For this outstanding biography, Pryor uses Barton's recently discovered diaries, plus letters and other primary sources, to portray a complex, troubled heroine without delving into historical psychoanalysis. A tribute to a remarkable woman. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. Mary Hemmings, McGill Univ. Medical Lib., Montreal
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Pryor's exhaustive research serves her subject well."—Christian Science Monitor
"Barton established and headed the American Red Cross, was superintendent of a women's reformatory, played a key role in providing medical aid and relief to Civil War battlefronts, and helped establish the New Jersey public school system. Yet her character was far from saintly. Her desire for approval and recognition was boundless, and her overachieving zeal alienated contemporaries. For this outstanding biography, Pryor uses Barton's recently discovered diaries, plus letters and other primary sources, to portray a complex, troubled heroine without delving into historical psychoanalysis. A tribute to a remarkable woman. Highly recommended."—Library Journal
"Irresistible. . . . Clara Barton, compassionate angel, becomes Clara Barton, neurotic, adulterer, careerist, embittered octogenarian—an authoritarian boss unable to brook criticism or delegate authority, who demanded loyalty from all and prompted one aide to dub her 'the Queen.'"—Philadelphia Inquirer
Meticulously researched and well written. . . . Pryor has done an excellent job in bringing the real Clara Barton to life."—Civil War History
"Probing, thoughtful, fascinating, and beautifully written."—American Studies
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clara Barton: Pushy Broad,
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This review is from: Clara Barton, Professional Angel (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving) (Paperback)
I enjoyed this biography of Barton as it covered more than just her years as a Civil War nurse & battlefield angel. Pryor gives life to Barton, exposing her touching little secrets (she liked to take a nip now and then, had a romance with a married man & dyed her hair) as well as her less-than-saintly personality (she was fiercly competive with other reformers like Dorthea Dix and really like being in the spotlight). Her two major accomplishment -- her battlefield nursing and the founding of the American Red Cross -- came about through stubborn sacrifice and a real dedication. She got done what she did because she was relentless in achieving her purposes. Her pushiness knew no bounds: she called on neighbors and politicians, asked for favors, used emotional blackmail and wasn't always sweet as pie about it all. Pryor's admiration for her subject is evident and she reveals Clara as a modern woman who used any and every resource available at a time when no one was inclined to support such activity. I came away from this book liking Clara Barton, even with her halo slightly tarnished.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent condition,
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This review is from: Clara Barton, Professional Angel (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving) (Paperback)
This book came in like-new condition.
It's a "thick" read, but a good one. Very interesting biography.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Biography,
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This review is from: Clara Barton, Professional Angel (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving) (Paperback)
Elizabeth Brown Pryor eloquently told the story of Clara Barton digging deep into who exactly Clara Barton was and the many areas in which Clara was an agent for change in society.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
On a cheerless Christmas Day in 1821 Captain Stephen Barton finished his round of chores and wearily entered the house to sit by the fire. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
genealogical sketch, untitled lecture, draft answers, local auxiliaries Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, United States, Clara Barton, North Oxford, Miss Barton, Glen Echo, Patent Office, Civil War, New England, Stephen Barton, War Department, Julian Hubbell, New Orleans, South Carolina, Aunt Fanny, New Jersey, Gustave Moynier, John Morlan, Geneva Convention, Henry Wilson, Joseph Sheldon, Library of Congress, Elvira Stone, Lucy Hall, Blue Anchor New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
On a cheerless Christmas Day in 1821 Captain Stephen Barton finished his round of chores and wearily entered the house to sit by the fire. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
genealogical sketch, untitled lecture, draft answers, local auxiliaries Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, United States, Clara Barton, North Oxford, Miss Barton, Glen Echo, Patent Office, Civil War, New England, Stephen Barton, War Department, Julian Hubbell, New Orleans, South Carolina, Aunt Fanny, New Jersey, Gustave Moynier, John Morlan, Geneva Convention, Henry Wilson, Joseph Sheldon, Library of Congress, Elvira Stone, Lucy Hall, Blue Anchor New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
22
books
cite this book:
See all 22 books citing this book
- Clara Barton: In the Service of Humanity (Contributions in Women's Studies) by David H Burton on 6 pages
- A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Presidency and Women: Promise, Performance, and Illusion (Joseph V. Hughes, Jr., and Holly O. Hughes Series in the Presidency and Leadership Studies, No. 15) by Janet M. Martin in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864 by Sarah Rosetta Wakeman in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- The End of the Age of Innocence: Edith Wharton and the First World War by Alan Price in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 22 books citing this book
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