Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them [Paperback]

Katherine Martin (Author)

Book Description

Series: People Who Dare | Publication Date: September 1999

In Women of Courage more than 40 women tell intimate tales of bravery that expand the definition of courage. By writing about the times in their lives when they have been most in despair, and revealing the inner resources that helped them survive, these strong women inspire readers to recognize their own acts of courage.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

"The women in this book," says actress Sharon Stone about Women of Courage, "push against the grain, defy complacency, and reach for their dreams. That alone is remarkable, but more remarkable still is that they do it for the good of others. In that, they inspire us all to speak and live from our hearts."

She's talking about women like Susan Winston, who had a perfectly accomplished and fulfilled life as a mother of two bright children, wife of a good man, and television producer who, among many other accomplishments, was Christopher Reeve's producer during the Academy Awards several years ago. It surprised no one more than her when she shook up her perfectly stable and steady life to adopt a baby girl from China. Her deeply moving story is one of forty in Women of Courage, a very personal and intimate book written in the voices of the women themselves, read as though you were sitting down over coffee or tea with them, sharing a moment, coming away deeply inspired.

Women of Courage is a book much needed as we roll toward the millennium, a powerful antidote to the toxic messages that batter us from every direction these days," says Larry Dossey, M.D., and best-selling author of Reinventing Medicine. "The stories in Women of Courage go beyond gender. They convey hope, and they reveal what life can be. If you need inspiration, if you need to get unstuck, this is your book."

Kelly Stone, Sharon's sister, reveals her tumultuous collapse following an accident, how her life changed entirely, how she climbed out of a desperate situation and went on to help homeless women and children. Laura Evans relives the moment she came off a mountain and entered an experimental treatment for cancer, how she survived and went on to create Expedition Inspiration, taking cancer survivors to scale mountains and raising millions of dollars for research at the same time. Dr. Janelle Goetcheus shares an unexpected turn in her life when she and her husband, bound for missionary work in Pakistan, ended up in the heart of Washington D.C. caring for the indigent on the streets. U.S. Senator Patty Murray recalls being branded "just a housewife in running shoes" when she ran for office. Cora Lee Johnson tells of her dream to start a sewing center and how she did the impossible in spite of naysayers. Carole Isenberg talks of taking in her father as he was dying.

The breadth of experience in Women of Courage is stunning. I, myself, initially went looking for the bigger than life stories, for women who could metaphorically slay the dragon. What I found was humbling and profound. Courage is a strange and magnificent, a curious and complex thing. It may be full of noise and boldness but it may also be a quiet thing, intimate, almost fragile - a deep look into our souls. It may be found in the exhalation of love. In the speaking of truth. In forgiving and the making of peace. Mary Pipher, best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia, told me, "The way our culture is defining courage is so ridiculous. Courage has become Raiders of the Lost Ark, or riding in spaceships, killing people, taking enormous physical risks. To me, the kind of courage that's really interesting is someone whose spouse has Alzheimer's and yet manages to wake up every morning and be cheerful with that person and respectful of that person and find things to enjoy even though their day is very, very difficult. That kind of courage is really under-valued in our culture. We need to redefine our dialogue about courage."

In Women of Courage is a rich tapestry of the human experience that touches a soulful place in each of us because this is life, not the heroics of myths or wars or movies. We have much to learn from these women. Their stories are precious and help us remember who we are, truly. Their accumulated experience is broad and inspires us to stand up and live our lives more fully.

About the Author

Former Senior Editor of New Realities magazine, author and screenwriter Katherine Martin won a 1997 Blockbuster/McKnight Film Award for her script, The Cloverfields of Cannon Falls, which Demi Moore's company, Moving Pictures, is Executive Producing. With film director Katt Shea, she wrote the original Showtime movie Last Exit to Earth. She also wrote the independent feature film, A Time of Darkness, starring George Segal. With fitness experts Debbie and Carlos Rosas (featured in the May 10, 1999, issue of Business Week), she wrote Non-Impact Aerobics (hardback by Random House, trade paper by Avon).

Over the last several years, Martin has written cover stories and profiles for the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday Supplement and for Women's Sports & Fitness, as well as numerous articles for Ms., Parents, Parenting, Working Mother, Fit, Young Miss, Mothers Today, New Mother, Monthly Detroit, and San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577310934
• ISBN-13: 978-1577310938
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Science

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived, December 9, 1999

By 

Tara: [e-mail] (Oakland, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them (Paperback)

I am a twenty-one year old who is emerging into the excitement, confussion, and power of womanhood. I was incredibly blessed in the sense that I was exposed to Katherine's book in its' early stages. "Women of Courage" moved and touched me in ways that nothing else has. I would finish a story and feel blessed as well as excited to be a woman. I also had the potent experience of hearing Katherine speak at my college last month. The event reinforced the power that this book holds between the beautifully written stories. I know that after the event my peers walked away feeling a little bit stronger, prouder, and more courageous. I truly encourage all women, especially women my age, who like my myself are beginning to shed the layers of the little girl, to read this book. I also encourage you to write her, e-mail her, invite her to speak at your school and share her book more intimatly with you and your peers. Most importantly, this book will teach you and inspire you to cross lines that you once believed to be boundries.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important and inspiring book, June 25, 2000

By 

Sophia (the Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them (Paperback)

In "Women of Courage", Katherine Martin has done a superb job of depicting forty courageous women who have followed their dreams, lived their commitments and made a difference in the world. These women are of all ages and are drawn from all professions: from art to politics; from explorers to activists. Some are famous and high-profile; some are relatively unknown. Each of these women has evinced a remarkable courage, openness and determination not to give up her dream - whether writing about the feminine identity of God, crossing the South Pole, or adopting a baby girl from China.

Too often, as Mary Pipher (the author of "Reviving Ophelia," and one of the women profiled is this book) says, courage has been defined as courage in the face of physical danger, the courage of a superhero or of Rambo. With this book, Ms. Martins suggests that courage comes in many aspects, all of which are important and valuable. I would especially recommend this book as a gift to young women, although both genders and all ages should find it enjoyable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showing Up For Life, November 29, 1999

By 

Debbie Rosas (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them (Paperback)

As a teacher of mind/body/spirit work, I found, Women of Courage, to be an outstanding example of women who are not only connected to themselves, but to their beliefs and to the guts and grace of the feminine spirit. The fighting nature in all women is elegantly presented, with each story showing us how the balance between action, masculine energy, along with the open and receptive power of the feminine energy rocks the world into change! Breaking molds, creating new visions with expanded choices, these women show us how to use our voice and our heart. They remind us to listen, to feel, to not be afraid, and to reflect upon our daily actions and lives as valuable and sacred journeys that can make a difference. This book reminds us that giving back is the way to heal, and that when we encourage and re-awaken courage in all women, we help the feminine spirit emerge into higher states of consciousness. Thank you for reminding me of the great joy and pride I feel to be part of the feminine gendre.