Ann the Word: The Story Ann Lee Female Messiah Mother Shakers Woman Clothed W/ Sun

By Richard Francis

Book Overview

Believed by her followers to have been the second incarnation of Christ, Ann Lee may be one of the most extraordinary and mysterious women in the history of Western culture. From humble origins in Manchester, England, she became the visionary religious leader of the Shakers, a small religious cult characterized by wild shaking, impassioned singing, speaking in tongues, and a belief that the end of the world was near. When she died at age forty-eight, having brought her faithful to America in 1774, she left behind a religious movement that was to have thousands of followers. Masterfully conveying the energy and strangeness of the Shakers in their radical early years, Ann the Word is a penetrating look at a pioneer who, in feminizing Christianity, contributed to the status of women in her own time and ever after.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142002437
• ISBN13: 9780142002438
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

ann the word

I had no idea who Ann Lee was until I took an Early American Lit. class in grad. school. Intrigued by her, I searched and found this book. I think Francis has written a highly readable book on Ann Lee and the Shakers. This book is a great introduction to both subjects, easy enough to read for the average person and interesting enough to keep the scholar reading. At times, the book almost seems to border on historical fiction, and I became caught up in the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to Ann Lee or the Shakers, as well as anyone interested in religion & "cults" in general.

Substantial account of eighteenth century Mystic

Ann Lee (or Lees as she was born) is one of the most fascinating mystics in modern history. An illiterate born in Manchenster, England in the early eighteenth century her life has been put together with confidence and flair by Richard Francis. Ann left no written records but Richard Francis has carefully pieced together what he can of her life from written records of the time and from her followers. Francis really gives us a feel for what life was like in Early Manchester from the population, to the role Ann's family played in the society to how they lived. It is a vivid portrait, her really brings his society to life, the crowded living, the social structure, and the society she dwelt in. It makes fascinating reading. She was a very charismatic person, who probably suffered from Anorexia Nervosa which may explain some of the mystical visions she had. Certainly her mortification of the flesh (refusing to eat for long periods of time, and denying herself sleep) is a sympton which many of histories mystics have employed to call visions of christ. Ann's charisma soon saw her heading the local branch of Shaker's, and even converting her own family to the religion, her own brother calling her sister and mother in one. This book is not just a biography of Ann, it is a record of early Shakerism, but also a substantial social history of Manchester and mid-eighteenth century America. Francis uses all the historical records available to attempt to flesh out the world which Ann inhabited and to strip away myth associated with her life (which she herself perpetuated) and the reality of what happened to her. I really enjoyed this. It was both well researched and well written. An Easy read without the tabloidism of some historical non-fiction writers. Highly recommended.

Informative and yet not too heavy

This is a good introduction to the fascinating religious utopian sect. I had read other more detailed works about Shakers in general. The last of the Shakers live nearby in Maine. This work was more helpful on understanding Ann Lee, for all practical purposes the founder of the Shakers. It doesn't get you lost in footnotes and scholarly apparatus, but the sources are there if you want them. Reads like a novel.