GOLDEN BOATS FROM BURMA

This is a long and detailed biography of Ann Hasseltine Judson, the first American woman missionary in Burma. With her husband Adoniram, Ann endured unbelievable hardship. The loss of all her children through disease, the imprisonment of her husband, and the perils of war might have defeated another woman, but Ann's faith and religious zeal as well as her sheer physical strength sustained her. The wide gulf separating the missionaries from the Burmese was most difficult to bridge. By adapting to a new way of life, learning the language, and opening her mind to new thought processes and customs, Ann attempted to establish communication. The life she led eventually took its toll, and she died at 36. The author is inspired by missionary work and the book exudes a religious zeal of its own with its main characters sheathed in virtue and heroism. The style is factual.