With a Book in Her Hand

After the death of the author's mother, Mary Louise Ray Hiett, he began the process of sorting through her effects. He was surprised to find a bookcase filled with new and old Christian classics. Using these books, the author traces the spiritual changes in Mary's faith life from a conservative Southern Baptist in the 1950s to a woman with a more vibrant and active faith at the end of her life. Despite her modest education, she had carefully curated an astoundingly diverse collection of Christian writings that informed her faith life until her death on January 30, 2022.