Women of the Book of Mormon by Heather Moore

Explore the lives, circumstances, and choices of women in the Book of Mormon in this uplifting and inspiring volume that illustrates the parallel between the lives of the women of the Book of Mormon and LDS women today. With new insights on practically every page, author Heather B. Moore explores the written and unwritten stories of the prominent women in the Book of Mormon—taking familiar material and providing vivid details about family dynamics, domestic practices, and other aspects of daily life. By applying historical and cultural contexts to the situations of women like Sariah, Abish, Eve, Mary and the faithful mothers of the stripling warriors, you will peek beneath the surface of the scriptural accounts to better understand both the righteous women of the Book of Mormon—and the women who didn’t use their agency wisely.

After I finished reading Women of the Book of Mormon; Insights and Inspirations, I made a mental list of all the extraordinary women in my life I wanted to give this book to: my mother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, one for each of my visiting teachers, the women I work with in my calling and a few extras for friends. The ideal day to give this book as a gift would be Mother's Day since many of the women in Heather's book are mother's. But this is a book to give all year long.

I didn't realize how many women were actually in the Book of Mormon. We don't know all their names but they play a role in history from Sariah to the wife of Lamoni to the Stripling Warriors mothers.
Heather shows us how each of these women lived in their time and gives us a look at what they may have felt or acted according to their era.
For instance, Sariah most likely lived on a big estate with servants. Then her husband tells her they need to leave their home and she lives in a tent. What was that trial like for her? With no servants, Sariah and her daughters were now in charge of gathering, cooking, and running a household in the wilderness.
This is just one example Heather shows us. There are eleven more in her book for us to get to know and maybe understand better.

As I read Heather's book, I was expecting all righteous women but there were a few that weren't. How about the story of the Daughter of Jared who danced for a man so he would kill her grandfather who sat on the throne. How was she to know that her new husband would also kill her father and eventually her son?
But Heather also taught me that we are ALL daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally. We can all strive to do what's right and return to Him one day.

Women of the Book of Mormon: Insights and Inspirations is a well-written , well- researched book with a look into the lives of the twelve women in the Book of Mormon. Each woman has her own chapter, which makes it easy to pick up and read again and again. Heather's words weave a story and history together that helps any reader understand what is written without feeling overwhelmed by facts.
I also looked forward to each picture at the beginning of the chapters. They were beautiful!
This book is very appropriate for anyone to read and another great book from Heather Moore.

Check out her author website here.

Book of Mormon women can be pre-ordered at Deseret book here, and Barnes and Noble here.