She Did: Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Faith

by Emily Cushing, Bekki Hood

She Did is a compilation of essays about remarkable Latter-day Saint women whose lives stretch across time and the globe. Whether living in India, Norway, Guatemala, or Ghana, these women, in many ways, had ordinary lives. But they followed the Lord’s command to “go and do”—each in her unique circumstances—and changed their lives and the lives of others. They dreamed and influenced. They served and led. They empowered and inspired. They persevered and, most importantly, embraced the future with faith. Many of these women’s stories are not widely known, but they offer examples of faithfulness that can inspire us to be active participants with the Lord in directing our future. Whether used for personal upliftment or to infuse our home and Church lessons with examples of extraordinary women of faith, these stories provide a collective testimony that God loves and is mindful of all His children.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Church, Inspirational, Biography

176 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[Ann Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up primarily because my own 4th great grandmother is the very first woman highlighted. The story of Amanda Barnes Smith is told here with details not generally found in other accounts, it still glosses over some of the most fascinating points. It couldn’t be presented in the brief 4 pages it covers in the book if it did however.

I enjoyed reading about sisters past, and current and of their struggles with temporal and spiritual issues. It was a great Sunday afternoon read.

[Tesia Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this book when I was younger. An inspiring collection of everyday women whose faith buoyed them through life's difficult challenges and opportunities. Loved the photos and fun facts about each woman as well!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong women. Many admirable qualities. I liked how the book was laid out. Photos definitely added.

I read this in snippets over a period of months so that I could let the stories sink in a little more.

[Wyndee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning a little about each woman in these short chapters. They went through some intense adversity and came out faithful and strong on the other side.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only complaint was that it was too short! I loved these stories of ordinary women doing extraordinarily awesome things.

[Swhe641200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby. Good stories tat tell of different individuals hardships of life that make then stronger.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only wish there was more.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring short stories of strong and faithful women

[Heidi Eastman Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this one, it probably helped that I know Sahar

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXTRAORDINARY!!!

[Morgan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short read about Latter Day Saint women and their contributions and life stories. It was fun to learn about these women from all over the world, their sacrifices, joys, and sorrows.

[A. R. Parr Burdett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the premise of the book, but the execution fell short. I didn’t feel like the authors adequately articulated the women’s importance and it read more like a basic textbook for jr. high (if that) than an inspiring book of biographies.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. A great compilation of stories.

[Emily Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, humbling & sweet. I love hearing & learning through other people’s experiences and I want to meet all the women shared in this book. Heavenly Father truly does love His daughters and this book is a testament of just how much He uses women to accomplish His work.

[Brittany Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading about each one of these faithful women and their stories!

[Tasha (the_clean_read_book_club) · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHE DID - ordinary women, extraordinary faith, is just that. Ordinary, every-day women with extraordinary faith that did BIG things.

This book reminds me of the ripple effect. Continuous drops of faith that brought far and wide reaching effects.

'These remarkable stories are just a sampling of the millions of Latter-day Saint women and girls worldwide who live faithfully These women draw on their courage and testimonies of the Savior to face and triumph over loss, illness, poverty, divorce, discrimination, and family conflict. And then the world is changed. Even if it's only the world of one or two.'

There is a wide selection of women featured in SHE DID. I loved reading about women in different countries and different cultures who face similar difficulties and then those who faced difficulties completely unlike what I have seen and known. It is a testimony of the fact that we all face hardships, challenges, and disappointments; but that through our faith in Jesus Christ those can all be overcome. Maybe not as quickly as we would like, or how we planned, but He is always there and mindful of our circumstances.

I particularly enjoyed Annie Gillies Parker's story - mother of Butch Cassidy. Irene Colvin Corbett was a member who sailed on the Titanic. Maxine Tate Grimm who's love of music captured my attention and I loved reading about her influence in other countries through music. Carmen Galvez O'Donnal's story was one I had not heard of and was fascinated with her problem solving mind and determination to improve learning and teaching.

This book allowed me to stop and think about the women who have influenced not only me, but my community, stake, and ward with their unwavering faith and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;" (Alma 37:6)

'Most of the women in this book didn't realize at the time that their actions would have such a significant impact on others. Likewise, there are countless Latter-day Saint women who seemingly ordinary actions--ministering to others, receiving personal revelation, magnifying callings, building up families, and pursuing light and knowledge--have an extraordinary influence on those around them.'

If you're looking for a book of faithful inspiration and/or a motivator to press forward with faith. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to the authors and the publisher for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this as an audiobook but quickly knew I wanted to own a hardcopy. This is a collection of short stories about LDS women from around the world (and a variety of time periods) whose faithful lives made meaningful impacts on their communities. There were only two women I had heard of before (Amanda Barnes Smith and Chieko Okazaki)—but even those stories added information that was new to me. I loved witnessing how their unique gifts were used to bless others (Auguste Lippelt’s conversion and miracles was an especially powerful one). I appreciated the multiple pictures of each woman that are included in the book. The faithful and courageous examples of these women inspire me to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ. (And the book left me feeling grateful for writers who take the time to share these stories with us.)

[Megan Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring Latter-day Saint women’s history, this book is like the grownup, Latter-day Saint edition of She Persisted.

A few of the biographical features I had heard of before, but others I had not. (I’m not sure I’d heard of the Genesis Group before, either! And the Ngoma Y’Africa Cultural Center at BYU sounds pretty cool, too.)

Truly astounding stories and 23 amazing women cover over 200 years together. So many gospel pioneers, testimonies, and years of service around the world.

Overall, it is a great collection alike for Latter-day Saint women as well as for anyone in general who is interested in learning about the female side of Latter-day Saint history!

[Hannah Judd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, inspiring stories of amazing women. The book kept things fairly high level and short in order to be able to cover more women; I appreciate that doing so allowed for an impressive diversity of women and stories, but the downside to that is the stories sometimes felt too surface level and the writing not as compelling. And while I love my Kindle, I think I would have appreciated it (especially the pictures) more as a hard copy book! Overall, I appreciate the book for what it is and how it celebrates the contributions of these women.

[MariLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short vignettes of LDS women from the 1800's to the present who overcame challenges in their lives to accomplish acts of great faith.

This was a nice idea to put together stories of inspirational women from the past and present in one collection. Each story has been somewhat simplified either for a younger audience or a lack of space or both. Some details from more well-known stories were excluded which was a little disappointing.

[Celisa Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical work done to tell the stories of these amazing women is worth noting. Still, I find books like this more discouraging than inspiring as they tend to portray women of faith as flawless, angelic deities who accomplished everything and failed at nothing, rather than relatable human beings.

[Zoie Brinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading books about strong women. And this was even better because their stories were real. It was a slow read and I’d read a story every 1-2 nights, but I loved being inspired by them on a daily basis.

I’m just in awe of what people go through in this life and how their strength, faith and friends help get them through to the other side.

[Mommywest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and empowering collection of short stories about amazing women from all over the world who have made or are making a difference in the world around them, relying on their faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lovely compilation of many different women who showed courage in the face of unbelievable struggles. I enjoyed learning about each woman and reading about their testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about women in church history, from the beginning to modern day!

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of women who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how they lived and are living. Inspirational from ordinary women. I hope for more stories from the authors.

[Edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book about ordinary women who did some extraordinary things.

[Lewestover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation is a testament that women of courage and determination, one by one, can and do make a lasting impact on the world.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about female latter and present day pioneers.

[Krystine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all these snippets of stories of inspirational women. It makes me want to study these women’s stories more! Great book!