Holding Her Head High: Inspiration from 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changed History »

Life lessons from single mothers throughout history form the inspiration for single mothers today.

Single moms are not just a product of our modern culture. There have been single mothers throughout history, women who have raised not only their children but also nations with a higher vision for life. Holding Her Head High recounts stories of twelve such women from the third to the twenty-first centuries, women who found ways to twist their fates to represent God's destiny for their lives.

These uniquely powerful, brave women, within the scope of their own world and times, are like the ninety-nine percent of single mothers today who never intended to carry that distinction. They are abandoned, widowed, or divorced, all carrying wounds, yet they also all found ways to exhibit courage, kindness, dignity, and faith to heal themselves by healing others.

Actress Janine Turner, herself a single mother, describes the social implications for women and children from the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages to Pioneer days, including a single mother of slavery. Stories from women like Rachel Lavein Fawcett, abandoned single mother of Alexander Hamilton; Abagail Adams, a wartime widow; Harriet Jacobs, an unwed mother of slavery whose autobiography was published the year the Civil War began; and widowed Belva Lockwood, the first woman to officially run for President, all carrying wounds but all offering insight, wisdom, and encouragement. Lessons include:

• Listen for God's higher calling
• Hold your head high
• Dare to dream
• Champion your children
• Heal with humor
• Don't Give Up Before theMiracle

Acknowledgments     xiii
Introduction: How Did a Baptist Girl from Texas End Up as a Single Mom?     xv
The Roman Empire-Setting the Stage     1
Listen for God's Higher Calling-Helena Augusta     7
The Middle Ages-Setting the Stage     27
Choose God's Greatness-Blanche of Castile     35
Turn Tribulations into Triumphs-Christine De Pizan     59
Colonial and Revolutionary America-Setting the Stage     85
Define Your Own Destiny-Rachel Lavein Fawcett     95
Dare to Dream-Eliza Pinckney     113
Put God First-Isabella Graham     133
Go the Extra Mile-Elizabeth Timothy     155
Champion Your Children-Abigail Adams     165
Single Mothers of Slavery-Setting the Stage     181
Don't Give Up Before the Miracle-Harriet Jacobs     187
Pioneer Single Mothers-Setting the Stage     221
Heal with Humor-Elinore Pruitt Stewart     229
Persevere with Praise-Aunt Clara Brown     251
Soar on Eagle's Wings-Belva Lockwood     277
Conclusion: Virtual Conversations     313
Notes     325