One Badass Book of Saints

I just finished reading a wonderful book whose title sounds slightly quirky but is a wonderful collection of stories of many different, wonderful women, some of them saints, some just good women who did saintly things.  It's called, "My Badass Book of Saints" by Maria Morera Johnson.

  It is filled with stories Maria collected  of extraordinary women in her life including her relatives and saints she know about, who helped her develop her faith and live courageously.
  For every woman, young and not so young who wants to know there are other women in the world who are smart, funny, faithful and not afraid to buck the system and never afraid to be a woman!
  I loved the message of this book because it reflected how I tried to raise my two daughters.
  I grew up in the 60's and 70's when feminism was growing, but the kind of feminism reflected by society was not the kind I was interested in. I want to be a faith filled woman who could fight fires, fend off the bad guys and mix it up when needed.  I picked martial arts as my vehicle and off I went fighting and learning how to defend myself in a man's world. What I came up with was how to stay a woman and learn how to fight like a woman and to teach other women how to defend themselves.
  Now my daughters not only also teach self protection to other woman, they also are strong, outspoken and have begun their own businesses helping others.  They are still having to do it in a 'man's' world where unfortunately chauvinism is still a big part of the business world.  But 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' and they are stronger because of it.  I am so very proud of them!
  So if you are a woman, read this book, be courageous and know you are not the only woman out there who wants to be strong, independent, gentle, loving and faith filled. God made you the way you are so be that and give all your efforts to Him.  He will guide you in the way He wants you to go.