Fanny Crosby: The Hymn Writer

Heroes of the Faith

by Bernard Ruffin

For challenge and encouragement in your Christian life, read the life stories of the Heroes of the Faith. The novelized biographies of this series are inspiring and easy-to-read, ideal for Christians of any age or background. In Fanny Crosby, readers will get to know the disabled woman, blinded as a young child, whose spiritual “eyes” saw great biblical truths—and turned them into thousands of hymns to God. Appropriate for readers from junior high through adult, helpful for believers of any background, these biographies encourage greater Christian commitment through the example of heroes like Fanny Crosby.

 

 

Genres: Biography, Christian, History, Nonfiction, Music, Christianity, Christian Non Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1976

About the author

also known as C. Bernard Ruffin

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a woman who is blind. I am personally inspired at this woman's persistence to not allow her disability to bring her down. She was a gifted musician and hymn writer. I am not a huge fan of learning about music but I would imagine that those who are would enjoy learning the history of many great American hymns. I would use Fanny Crosby's biography by giving a background of her because she overcame her disability and gave hope to millions. I would have a short description of her and many other influential people in society that possibly few of the students have heard of to increase their knowledge about our heroes in history.

[Jrobert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the goodwill bins for about 25 cents. It was a good read tho the writing was not spectacular. I enjoyed the information about her life and those she met in her 95 years. Living blind and yet able to write the poetry which turned into hymns so many folks know and love. She was a remarkable soul and a true believer in The Lord.

[Gabrielle Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading and learning about Fanny’s life but there are too many details that bogged me down with this book. I believe some chapters could have been reduced to a sentence or two. The first and last chapters of the book were good but the in between was hard to get through.

[Stinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This as a well written biography of the famous hymnist, Fanny Crosby. I have to say that the woman who at first was so inspirational to me had some luster lost by her curiously regressive relationship with her husband. Nevertheless, she is admirable for never showing bitterness or blaming God concerning the medical quack that may have cost her sight. She was very concerned for the poor, needy, and addicted. Fanny was a hard worker and independent. She has so many great qualities and a seemingly close relationship with God, but the strained relationship with her spouse (possibly worsened by the death or their only, infant child) is something that is hard to ignore. Maybe there's a lesson there for me and everyone who reads this book, not to sacrifice one's spouse or closest family member in order to "do great things for God." As Scripture says, God desires obedience more than sacrifice. It's a lesson that David knew, but King Saul did not understand.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on my parents' bookshelf as I was growing up. We sang hymns written by Fanny Crosby, and knowing her personal struggles brings an additional depth and meaning to her beautiful lyrics.

Can I take a moment to rant about current "worship songs"? Singing "you're never gonna let, never gonna let me down, whoa-ohhh" 15 times as a bridge doesn't exactly put me into a worshipful state of mind. Contrast that with

"All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well."

That says something, and is objectively good poetry. Rhyming "fire" with "desire" has become moronic at this point in time.

[Jody Shee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, lived in the Northeast in the 1800s. Some of her most famous hymns then and now are “Blessed Assurance,” “Rescue the Perishing” and “To God be the Glory.” I loved this book A) for a glimpse into real life and the spiritual condition in the 1800s and B) to find out what made her so prolific and popular. A few of the stand-outs are that she memorized many books of the Bible and she prayed a lot. In fact, she prayed before each song she wrote. Her favorite stories were the ones she heard in which someone gave his/her life to Christ after hearing one of her songs. She became friends with several U.S. presidents and with DL Moody. The book was an honest look at her life, the good and the bad, which can be rare in biographies.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This portrait of Fanny blows my mind's eye vision of her out of the water. She was feisty, passionate, compassionate, and energetic! And, she was human. One of the things I found most intriguing (almost disconcerting) about this book is how society (and within the evangelical world), even then, was deeply swayed by the cult of personality. Bigger than life personalities, questionable "theology", and intentional (sometimes subtle) manipulation of the masses--was alive and well in the 1800s. The author shoots straight about such real-life characters; but not in a gossipy way. "Just the facts, ma'am."

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never realized that Fanny Crosby had written over 5,000 hymns! This was an interesting look at a remarkable woman. There were some parts that were confusing and seemed to drag on about the publishing companies and I had a hard time keeping the dates in mind. After finishing the book, I had to look up on the internet the year she died. So there were some things that could have been written more clearly.

[Lisa Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. You get a great overview of Fanny’s life, with plenty of interesting details, in about 200 pages. It was amazing to learn how she was able to memorize so much, after the challenge of losing her sight when so young. She didn’t let that hold her back, and I thought it was interesting she met so many Presidents! The last few chapters were a bit slower of a read for me.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanny Crosby was a remarkable woman. She was not born blind but she lost her sight when her family were not able to find a competent doctor to treat her inflamed eyes.
However she didn't allow her lack of sight to keep her from achieving fame as a poet, educator, musician, speaker. and a writer of Christian hymn writer.

[Morgan M]

I had heard about Fanny Crosby in a Levi Lusko sermon and was intrigued by her story! This book wasn’t really anything special, but her story is one to learn! Watch a YouTube video or something to learn more about her!

[Erma Jean Caston-Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say this is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read! It may be old but it's not decrepit or outdated. So refreshing to read about the sincerity and influence of such a great lady.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative read about someone I had previously known only as a prolific hymn writer.

[Beckynovacek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading stories of Christian legends, but I thought this was really fragmented and hard to follow. I still admire what was shared in this biography.

[Jimmie Creswell]

Great book, I love her hymns and she was a national treasure that few people know about...book sort of drug in the middle but overall a great read

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the history of this amazing woman. Read it with my kids many times. I don't ever want to forget the power of the Word in us. Fanny's writing ability came from divine inspiration. So can ours.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a worker!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty dry, but informative. Fanny Crosby was an amazing person!

[Diana Buttram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very interesting. Depicts Fanny Crosby as just another person writing hymns in order to sell hymn books.

[Clara Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is printed in small fine print and was difficult to read. Also the witing is not particularly good. The author points out that Crosby had a decade of writing very good lyrics, every thing else she wrote was a rewrite of those lyrics. Both Fanny and her husband played several instruments very well but she chose not to set any of her poetry to music although her husband did write some music for her lyrics. She recieved only a dollar or two for each lyric that she wrote. She is often decribed as living in squalor in various places in NYC. When she was given morre money she gave it away to the needy. She is credited with writing more than 6,000 hyms. Many were not very good and were not perserved. Frequently she composed lyrics on demand. Without review and editing these were not very good. She spent much of her life working with down and outers in Rescue Missions. On the negative side she was a rabid unionist during the war between the states. Also after tenty years of marriage she chose to live apart from her husband. She was inconsolable when her husband died but her husband is buried in an unmarked grave in a different cementary from Fanny. Reading the book was like reading a hymbook.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fanny Crosby was born in Putnam, New York on March 20, 1820. Because of a botched treatment on her eyes, she became blind. It did not stop her in the least as she proceeded to play several instruments, write poetry and hymns. She was a brave, animated and beloved woman who participated and co-wrote over 8,000 hymns. Some of her best known were "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross", "Blessed Assurance", and "Sweet Hour of Prayer". She had thousands of fans during her life and her friends including presidents, influential evangelists, and the boy next door. She lived in poverty until her 90's giving her life and time to God. She was considered to be almost a saint.

[Vicki Gooding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her is a woman who against deterring factors worked with men like D.L. Moody coming up with a hymn the will remain sung through generations. A song writer (my favorite has to be Blessed Assurance)and encourager, she was used by God to show compassion and had a longing for the lost to be saved by recognizing the goodness of God. This is a light and easy ready. Quite enjoyable, and leaving one with a feeling of wanting to learn more.

[Rick Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruffin tells the story of Fanny Crosby's life and creative contribution to American hymnody well. I haven't seen another work on the subject, so I recommend this to those who want to know more about the blind woman who gave us so many great hymns. Among them are Blessed Assurance; To God Be the Glory; Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross; Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior; I Am Thine, O Lord; Rescue the Perishing. There are many more.

[Yvonne Self]

Enjoyed this immensely. Being blind never stopped this woman from doing everything she wanted. Very intelligent as well as gifted.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre writing, great story of a blind hymn writer whose work has influenced millions.

[Cheryl Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the book was informative, the story at times felt like a mere recitation of dates and people.

[Mindee Berkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointed in the quality of the writing. It read more like a long list of names, dates and places.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like her story but not the book.

[Leiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her life story was a bit interesting. Perhaps I would have found it more enjoyable if I was a worship leader/hymn writer of some sort....

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting facts and story line. But by page 100 the writing became repetitious and at times tedious.